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Mesud Yilmaz: â€œAt present, the EU doesnâ€™t play any role in the South Caucasus regionâ€

27 September 2012 12:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov â€“ APA. â€œTurkey canâ€™t let Azerbaijan be deprived from Nagorno Karabakh regionâ€, said Turkish former Prime Minister Mesud Yilmaz at the international conference on â€œ Construction of Bridgesâ€ on the sidelines of his visit to Baku, APA reports.

Former PM said that Turkey would open the border with Armenia if the above mentioned country withdraws its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

â€œThe protocol on border opening between Turkey and Armenia was signed in 2009. But this step violated the interests of Azerbaijan. Turkey faced dilemmaâ€, said Yilmaz.

Yilmaz mentioned that Turkey was the first country that recognized the independence of each 3 South Caucasus countries and closed the border with Armenia when it occupied Azerbaijanâ€™s Kalbajar region.

Former Turkish PM said the Turkey supports the sovereignty of Georgia, but it stands against the efforts made by Mikheil Saakashvili to return the occupied areas by means of war.

Former Turkish PM also mentioned that at present, the EU doesnâ€™t play any role in the region: â€œEU only finances some projectsâ€.