Erdogan: If Armenia Fulfills Its Duties, Turkey Will Do What Is Required For A Fair Solution

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, ''if Armenia fulfills its duties, Turkey will do what is required for a fair and lasting solution in terms of balances in the region.''
     Erdogan arrived in Russian capital Moscow late on Sunday to attend ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of end of the World War II upon the official invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
     Prior to his departure for Russia, Erdogan told reporters at the airport that he would have meetings with Putin, and heads of state and government who would participate in the ceremonies in Moscow.
     When asked whether he would have a meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharian, Erdogan said, ''there is not a scheduled meeting now. There is not such a demand.''
     ''As you know, Turkey is one of countries which recognized Armenia after disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. But there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries. If Armenia fulfills its duties, Turkey will do what is required for a fair and lasting solution in terms of balances in the region,'' he stressed.
     Indicating that they opened Turkish air space to Armenia and flights between Yerevan and Istanbul started, he said, ''we have a positive attitude towards Armenian citizens in the country. We expect Armenia to overcome its problems with Azerbaijan.''
     Recalling that the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which undertook the mission of mediation in the process to solve the Upper Karabakh issue, Erdogan said, ''we hope that they will reach positive results on this issue.''

2005-05-09