On May 26-27 Istanbul hosted a conference on Armenian-Turkish relations on the initiative of SETA Research Center. As conference participant, turkologist Artak Shakaryan reported to PanARMENIAN.Net, the conference was conducted in accordance with Chatham House principles. Conference participants were obligated to remain silent on some issues.

"On the whole, the conference was held in good neighborly atmosphere. As no media representatives attended the conference, participants were free to express their thoughts and even to "removed the brackets" in some cases," Shakaryan noted. According to turkologist, at the conference Turkish part repeatedly emphasized the idea that Azerbaijan and Turkey are "one nation, two states". "Turkish participants repeatedly stated that no progress will be registered in Armenian-Turkish relations, unless there's any progress in NKR conflict settlement. Armenia representatives made it clear that if Ankara keeps setting NKR issue as a precondition, the dialogue between Armenia and Turkey will be frustrated. This was the most critical moment in the course of the conference," the turkologist emphasized. According to Artak Shakaryan, the fact that SETA Center, conference organizer, acts as a mouthpiece of Turkey, should be taken into consideration.