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ANKARA (Combined Sources)—The Obama
Administration doubts Turkey’s parliament will ratify agreements
with Armenia to normalize relations and open borders unless
progress registered in the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh peace
process, US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon said
Friday on an official visit to the Turkish capital, the Turkish
Milliyet daily newspaper reported.
“It will be difficult for the Turkish
parliament to ratify the protocols signed with Armenia unless
there is improvement in Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” Gordon said
at a press conference, the Azeri Press Agency reported.
The US envoy was in Ankara meeting with top
Turkish officials ahead of scheduled visit of Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the United States on December
7. Erdogan is set to meet with US President Barack Obama for
talks on a wide range of issues around Turkey’s growing
influence in the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia.
During his visit, Gordon also expressed U.S.
concerns over Turkey’s growing ties with Syria and Iran.
Gordon said Washington was also “dissatisfied
with Erdogan’s refusal to adhere to an indictment by the
International Criminal Court against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Erdogan’s government had refused to arrest the leader–who is
wanted for war crimes in Darfur—during a scheduled visit to
Turkey to attend a regional conference.
The US Envoy underscored Washington’s calls
on Ankara to cooperate more closely with Washington in solving
international problems.
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