Babacan discusses Armenian ties with US, Swiss counterparts

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday telephoned his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice. After Babacan told her about President Abdullah Gul's recent visit to Armenia, Rice reportedly said that the US welcomed Ankara's efforts and would support it in this process. Babacan also reiterated that Turkey will continue to support the Organization for Cooperation and Development's (OSCE) Minsk process, which aims to find a solution to the Nagorno-Karabagh issue, and that solving this would have a positive effect on Turkish-Armenian relations. Turkish officials are set to meet with Armenian diplomats in Geneva, Switzerland and will work on a joint declaration to be made later in New York or Istanbul. In related news, Babacan met yesterday with his Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmy-Rey in Bern, Switzerland. Stating that Turkey will not retreat from its current course on Armenia, he added, "Gul's visit to Yerevan was an important step for boosting relations." For her part, Calmy-Rey said that her country welcomes dialogue efforts between the two countries.