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U.S. ambassador: There is a link between the Cyprus problem and Nagorno Karabakh conflict

30 July 2009 07:42 (UTC +04:00)

Asked by APAâ€™s Washington correspondent about the influence of the Cyprus peace negotiations on Nagorno Karabakh, Urbancic said there is a link between these conflicts.
â€œEvery single one of these conflicts if it is resolved it is a confident building measure of its own. Let start with Cyprus. Let start with Cyprus and Nagorno-Karabakh can be put as a next step. Another question may be, will be Georgia. Yes, the link is there. Right now, the trust which exists in the region is very low. Let try to increase this trust,â€ he said.

Touching on Turkeyâ€™s relations with Armenia Frank Urbancic said:
â€œCyprus has natural affinity to Armenia. The president of Cyprus has natural affinity to the leadership of Armenia. Turkey has a traditional role in the Middle East. Turkey has borders with some of the most important countries in the entire region. Turkeyâ€™s role as a regional influence is not going to diminish. We think that Turkey can and we hope will, and we think is playing positive role in the resolution of Armenian problem. It is critical and very important. Turks recognize it too. Thatâ€™s why we see them paying so much attention to it.â€

Frank Urbancic was appointed ambassador to Cyprus in September, 2008. Earlier, Urbancic had been Consul General to Istanbul, hold various posts in the U.S. diplomatic missions in about ten countries.