Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the South Caucasus, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea have always been of great importance for Turkey."Unfortunately, there are lingering problems such as Nagorno-Karabakh in this region," he said.
"A peaceful solution to these problems within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is a factor that serves not only the interests of the peoples of the region, but also the international community," Cavusoglu said. "Therefore, the international community, international organizations, the UN and the OSCE in particular, should redouble their efforts to resolve conflicts in the region. I would like to emphasize that a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is one of the main priorities of the foreign policy of Turkey. We always closely follow the processes related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Cavusoglu said. According to him, Turkey, as a member of the Minsk Group, always raises the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at multilateral platforms and during dialogues with third countries. "We continue to work to inform the international community and to find a resolution of this problem in the interests of fraternal Azerbaijan" TASS cited him.
The European Union, according to the Turkish Minister, attaches great importance to Azerbaijan."Azerbaijan is a major gateway for the EU in the Caspian region and Central Asia. Azerbaijan has potential which can contribute to the EU in many areas, especially in the energy and transport security" Cavusoglu believes.At the same time, Turkey is committed to ensuring the energy security of Europe. "So for the past years Turkey has implemented very important strategic projects with Azerbaijan," Cavusoglu reminded. For example, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which allows Azerbaijani oil to be delivered to the world market, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline. "Another project implemented with Azerbaijan is the TANAP project, which is considered to be a major in the Southern Gas Corridor. With the implementation of this project, Azerbaijani gas will occupy an important place in Europe," the Minister said. "At the same time, TANAP is a project aimed at the future. Turkmenistan will be able to deliver gas through this pipeline," Cavusoglu stressed. The diplomat also raised the topic of Turkey's membership in the EU, which, according to him, is a strategic objective of the country."Democracy, human rights, rule of law, the laws and values of the EU are the main features of the reforms undertaken by Turkey. First of all, the EU is a kind of center for Turkey, where these values are intensively protected and developed in accordance with the law. The main goal of Turkey's efforts to join the EU is to achieve the highest standards in terms of these laws and values. After the expiration of discussions, the parties will make the final decision on Turkey's membership of the EU. One important feature for Turkey is to ensure the highest standards in every area, including the well-being of citizens," the Foreign Minister said.
The European Union, according to the Turkish Minister, attaches great importance to Azerbaijan."Azerbaijan is a major gateway for the EU in the Caspian region and Central Asia. Azerbaijan has potential which can contribute to the EU in many areas, especially in the energy and transport security," Cavusoglu believes. At the same time, Turkey is committed to ensuring the energy security of Europe. "So for the past years Turkey has implemented very important strategic projects with Azerbaijan," Cavusoglu reminded.
For example, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which allows Azerbaijani oil to be delivered to the world market, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline. "Another project implemented with Azerbaijan is the TANAP project, which is considered to be a major in the Southern Gas Corridor. With the implementation of this project, Azerbaijani gas will occupy an important place in Europe," the Minister said. "At the same time, TANAP is a project aimed at the future. Turkmenistan will be able to deliver gas through this pipeline," Cavusoglu stressed.
The diplomat also raised the topic of Turkey's membership in the EU, which, according to him, is a strategic objective of the country."Democracy, human rights, rule of law, the laws and values of the EU are the main features of the reforms undertaken by Turkey. First of all, the EU is a kind of center for Turkey, where these values are intensively protected and developed in accordance with the law. The main goal of Turkey's efforts to join the EU is to achieve the highest standards in terms of these laws and values. After the expiration of discussions, the parties will make the final decision on Turkey's membership of the EU. One important feature for Turkey is to ensure the highest standards in every area, including the well-being of citizens," the Foreign Minister said.
He noted that Turkey's membership of the EU would not mean that the country would be indifferent to the events taking place in the region, or would pursue a unilateral foreign policy. "Turkey will continue to implement the objectives of the multilateral foreign policy, dictated by the geographical location, and historical and cultural ties of the country. This process is mutually beneficial. From this perspective, Turkey's entry into the structure will create an opportunity for the EU to have a big impact on more extensive territory, which will affect the dynamics of the EU economy, " the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
"To discuss the items on which negotiations should be conducted, it is necessary for the EU to make a unanimous decision. But the EU prevents discussion of eight sections of Turkey, and the Republic of Cyprus - of six. The political obstacles that we faced during the adoption of the Republic of Cyprus into the EU without a solution to the Cyprus issue affect the discussions between Turkey and the EU," the Foreign Minister of Turkey said.
The terrorist organization Islamic State directly threatens Turkey. Cavusoglu said that in such circumstances, Turkey has shown itself as one of the leading countries that protect international cooperation in the fight against terrorism. On the one hand, Turkey is directly involved in the Global Forum for Combating Terrorism and the Financial Action Task Force, relating to the suppression of the financing of IS. On the other hand, Turkey shares information related to IS and foreign terrorists. "For a successful fight against terrorism, the international community needs to connect to it and carry out activities within the framework of a unified strategy to eliminate this danger," the minister said.
Cavusoglu said that Turkey, along with protecting its national interests, is fighting radicalism in Syria. "As we noted earlier, radicalism is not the cause but the result. The main culprit of the occurrence of the terrorist organization IS, which is supported to deal with various factions. Accordingly, in fighting IS, you should not forget about the Assad regime, which is the main cause of the spread of this threat," Cavusoglu believes.
Speaking about the desire of the Syrian president to connect to the fight against IS, Cavusoglu said that "no one can create a threat, and then connect to fight to this threat." "IS threatens the national security of Turkey," the head of the Foreign Ministry said. According to him, the countries accusing Turkey of supporting IS are far from the region, while Turkey is in this region. "That's why Turkey ignores the claims voiced to manipulate," Cavusoglu concluded.
