Turkish Foreign Ministry denies media reports about opening border with Armenia

Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 8 Rufiz Hafizoglu-Trend: The Turkish Foreign Ministry has denied the information of some media outlets that Turkey is allegedly trying to obtain consent from Azerbaijan for opening the Armenian-Turkish border. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Levent Gumrukcu noted that such information is untrue, the Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend on Nov.8. According to the embassy, the Armenian-Turkish talks are being held in parallel with negotiations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Ankara has repeatedly stated this position. "Turkey is closely monitoring the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group and is ready to take any steps for an early resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the embassy stressed. 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 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.