YEREVAN, APRIL 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Today there is no intention to sign a document on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations. Negotiations between Armenia and Turkey continue, there is progress. "I think soon we will be able to come to an agreement," RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated at the April 16 press briefing in Yerevan held within the framework of a regular meeting of Foreign Ministers of BSEC country-members. In connection with various statements on the possibility of Turkey's influencing the Nagorno Karabakh settlement E. Nalbandian said: "Negotiations are conducted within the framework of OSCE Minsk Group. It is the very format of negotiations, and there is no other format. Turkey is not a mediator in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement," E. Nalbandian stated. Answering the same question, Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mahmudkuliyev said: "We welcome efforts of any state aimed at settlement of this conflict. Conflict's continuation does not give advantages to any of the sides," he stated. The Azeri Foreign Ministry representative also noted that Turkey is a member of OSCE Minsk Group and if Turkey has serious proposals on conflict settlement, Azerbaijan is ready to consider them. As to activation of contacts between Yerevan and Ankara M. Mahmudkuliyev said that Azerbaijan considers these contacts as the affairs of these two countries. At the same time he added: "However, there are also issues here connected with the Armenian-Azeri relations, and we attentively follow development of relations between Armenia and Turkey. Restoration of contacts between these two countries can be connected only with settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict." In his words, the Armenian-Turkish relations were broken off because of this conflict and the main reason of it was "Armenian side's occupying Azeri regions." Therefore Azerbaijan considers that normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia should be connected with the Nagorno Karabakh settlement. It should be mentioned that Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan takes part in the meeting of Foreign Ministers of BSEC country-members. However, the latter refused to answer journalists' questions.

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