Karabakh Conflict Serious Obstacle in Armenia-Turkey Relations

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is a serious obstacle to the establishment of relations with Turkey, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told France Press. "Close relationships between Turkey and Azerbaijan works against Ankara, since it undermines Turkey's authority in the region and its intention to become a bridge between East and West," the Minister said adding that it's inadmissible to draw parallels between Nagorno Karabakh and Northern Cyprus, since the former appeared as result of the USSR decline and the latter -on the territory of a UN member state. Remarking that both Armenia and Cyprus see a number of obstacles to Turkey's accession to the EU the Minister refuted the hearsay that the two states operate against Turkey. "The purpose of the President's visit to Cyprus is to encourage economic ties. We have many topics to discuss but we do not unite against other states," Vartan Oskanian said, reports RFE/RL.