Turkish president Abdullah Gul has indicated that Ankara links normalisation of relations with Armenia with a settlement of the long-standing problem of Nagorno-Karabakh, RIA Novosti reports. "We are open to cooperation and are constantly calling for it. Our intentions are well-known," the Turkish leader told journalists at the conclusion of the summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation. The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed protocols on re-establishing diplomatic relations and developing bilateral ties in Zurich in October 2009, but the Armenian president stopped ratification, saying that Turkey wasn't ready to continue the process. Ratification of the protocols by the Turkish parliament has been put on hold.
