MFA: Turkey will do everything possible to end occupation of Azerbaijani territories

Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 15 / Trend A.Tagiyeva / Turkey is ready to do everything possible to end the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday during a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States in Gabala, Anadolu agency reported. According to Davutoglu, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the main obstacle to the stabilisation of the South Caucasus region. "Despite the fact that negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been going on for more than 20 years, no results have yet been achieved. This is a very sad fact," the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. The meeting of the foreign ministers is being held on the eve of the Summit of Heads of Turkic-Speaking States due to take place on Friday in Gabala (Azerbaijan). The main topics of discussion at the summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS) will be cooperation in transport and customs facilitation. Alongside, the summit is expected to discuss issues on further development of cooperation between the organisation's member countries. It is also expected that the council presidency will be transferred from Kyrgyzstan to the Azerbaijani side. The Council was established in 2009 by the member states of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey with a view to making joint contributions to peace and stability in Eurasia. Its secretariat is located in Istanbul. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az