ANKARA, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - Turkey expects a breakthrough to be reached soon in negotiations to end the long-running territorial conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the country's foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Nagorny Karabakh, a mountainous region in Azerbaijan with a largely Armenian population, has been a source of conflict between the former Soviet republics since the late 1980s. The province has its own government and is de facto independent.
"We want the conflict to be settled as soon as possible, and believe that its settlement can be ensured if all the parties involved in the Karabakh settlement show goodwill," Ahmet Davutoglu told NTV, commenting on Monday's agreement between Turkey and Armenia to start "internal political consultations" on re-establishing diplomatic relations and opening their borders.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for Muslim ally Azerbaijan following a war over Nagorny Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Ankara has also demanded that Armenia drop its campaign to have the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 internationally recognized as genocide.
In its turn, Yerevan has signaled its readiness to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey without preconditions.
The Turkish minister said the current status quo in the Caucasus does not serve the interests of Turkey, Azerbaijan or Armenia.
"Turkey has done all it can [to settle the Karabakh problem]. Now it's time the other parties accomplished their mission," Davutoglu said.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is expected to visit Turkey on October 14, where he will attend a World Cup football qualifier between the two countries.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul watched the first leg of the match in Yerevan last year. Sarksyan said earlier he would go if the border has reopened or Turkey has lifted its economic blockade of landlocked Armenia.
