Armenia, Turkey Differ Over Karabakh's Impact On Relations

YEREVAN -- A spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry says Yerevan has never discussed the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh with Ankara, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.

Talking to RFE/RL about the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement protocols signed in Zurich on October 10, ministry spokesman Tigran Balaian said Armenia and Turkey began the rapprochement process with a mutual understanding that progress in bilateral relations should proceed without preconditions.

"With this very mutual understanding, we started the talks and brought them to the protocols signed in Zurich," Balaian said.

He added that the Turkish and Armenian sides would continue cooperation in accordance with the protocols.

Meanwhile, talking to journalists in Baku on October 22, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey had made it clear while signing the protocols that normalization was possible only after all security issues in the South Caucasus are resolved, and the region's major problem is the Karabakh dispute.