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Philipp Gordon comments on Turkey-Armenia normalization and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

10 December 2009 07:33 (UTC +04:00)

According to APAâ€™s Washington DC correspondent, P.H.Gordon said that â€œWe support the Turkey Armenian normalization process. We would like to see the protocols ratified soon. We think this would benefit Turkey and Armenia and help develop peace and stability in the regionâ€.
However he also pointed out that United States are also engaged in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: â€œThis is not because we see conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh as a link to Turkey-Armenian normalization, but because it could be also a contribution to peace and stability in the region, that both Azerbaijan and Armenia would benefit fromâ€.
Assistant Secretary of the State for Europe and Eurasia also mentioned USâ€™ activities within Minsk Group of OSCE: â€œWe actively participate in the Minsk Group, the MG OSCE Co-chairs are in the region now, and we think this is importantâ€.
According to Philipp Gordon, US is very much interested in the succeeding of both of the mentioned processes: â€˜â€It is something we care about and would like to see succeed. If both of these processes succeed, then it would be a historic development for the regionâ€.
Still he said that US continues to speak of a reasonable time frame for the Turkey-Armenia normalization process: â€œWe have not defined it, obviously we would like to see this move forward as quickly as possible. The protocols were signed by the foreign ministers on October 10th, and they are submitted to the parliaments, which is a good thing. We have been asking both governments to ratify them as soon as possible without preconditions and independently of any other issueâ€.
An Armenian journalist asked whether Gordon believes Turkey is turning away from Europe and the rest of the West. P.H. Gordon responded that US is satisfied with Turkeyâ€™s impact into global challenges fighting and doesnâ€™t see Turkey as a country that goes in some wrong direction: â€œTurkey maintains its interest to join EU, which is an aspiration that we support. They certainly seem to value their strategic cooperation with the United States. When Turkey comes to the US and talks about how we can work together on how we can work together on challenges, that doesnâ€™t seem to me as country that turns his back to the West and goes into some other directionâ€, - he concluded.