ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Monday that Turkey was holding talks both with Azerbaijan and Armenia for solution of Upper Karabakh issue, stating that rumors which said that border between Turkey and Armenia would be opened before solution of the issue were not true.
Gul replied to questions of the A.A correspondent.
When the A.A correspondent said that there were rumors especially in Azerbaijan which said that border between Turkey and Armenia would be opened, Gul said, ''this is out of question. People in Azerbaijan are discussing this issue very much. Azerbaijani reporters also ask this question whenever we meet.''
Stating that they believed that Upper Karabakh issue should not be left as an abandoned issue as there was an occupation, Gul said, ''we think this issue should be discussed and it should be solved.''
Turkey was holding talks both with Azerbaijan and Armenia for solution of Upper Karabakh issue, he stated and noted, ''we think of holding a trilateral meeting on this issue in the following months.''
Gul stressed that Turkey was trying to play a catalyst role, stating that they wanted the issue to be solved peacefully. Gul said that although Turkey and Armenia have not recognized each other officially yet, he met with Armenian foreign minister under international and regional meetings three times last year.
Foreign Minister Gul said that they thought that foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan would hold a trilateral meeting before NATO summit in Istanbul in June and added that Armenia would attend summit in Istanbul under Caucasian countries related to NATO.
(EÖ-AY) 19.04.2004