YEREVAN (Tert.am), March 30–Turkey, without being named, has practically become an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country, said Deputy Chair for External Affairs of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Suat Kınıklıoğlu, according to Turkish Daily Star.

“Today’s situation is quite different [from the previous one]. Though slow-moving, nevertheless, there is a process of normalizing relations, and it continues. We want that process to reach its purpose, but at the same time we want to see that steps are being taken for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict… Normalizing relations is a territorial issue. If Armenian-Turkish relations are normalized, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be put on the rails and, the South Caucasus will become a corrdor of Turkish influence. Armenia says that there was no precondition [in the Protocols], but even if there is no mention of Karabakh conflict in the Protocols, there is mention of the peaceful resolution of territorial conflicts,” Kınıklıoğlu said.

Kınıklıoğlu added that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has a great impact on the region. He also mentioned that Armenia-Turkey rapprochement indirectly signifies the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

“There is active diplomatic traffic [meaning diplomats involved actively hold meetings over the conflict]. Turkey, without being named, has practically become an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country. There is no success yet. I cannot say when the conflict will be resolved or what type of outcome there will be, but I hope that relations between Turkey and Armenia will normalize… Should the Protocols fail to be ratified we will not return to the point where we started from, but to a worse place. As soon as wee see the “road map” of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, then we will have generally reached the normalization,” he said.

Kınıklıoğlu highlighted the importance of a proposal by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to initiate contacts with the Armenian Diaspora, adding that he plans to meet with certain representatives of the Diaspora in April.