December 25, 2008 - 12:34 AMT
Turkey hopes for new era in relations with Armenia
"We will cement relations with fraternal Azerbaijan, resting on our multilateral common interests. Our political, economic and cultural relations are developing. On the other hand, we hope to continue dialogue with Armenia and open a new era in relations with this country," Ali Babacan said in his address to the Grand National Assembly.

"Turkey highlights political and economic stability in the South Caucasus countries and their respect for each other's territorial integrity."

Peaceful resolution of regional problems, expansion of regional cooperation underlies Turkey's policy in the South Caucasus, according to him.

"August hostilities in Georgia proved that 'frozen conflicts' can flare up any moment. To establish the atmosphere of confidence in the region, we proposed a stability platform," Babacan said.