Turkish President’s visit to Armenia has disturbed status quo

Turkish President Abdullah Gul recently stated in the Kazakhstan capital Astana that the source of the conflict in Karabakh is the existing status quo in the region. During discussions with his Kazakh counterpart Gul said that this status quo is not profitable for any side and his visit to Armenia had somehow disturbed it.

Gul said that it is necessary to conduct a soft but categorical policy towards Karabakh. If nothing changes in the next few years nothing will change afterwards and this will not be beneficial for anyone, he said.

The Turkish and Armenian Presidents have exchanged visits and attended football matches in each other's countries in recent times, engaging in what has become known as "football diplomacy". Some steps have been taken to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries, however this process has reached an impasse because the Armenian side is not going to give up the Azeri territories it has occupied. Armenia leaving these lands is the major precondition for Turkey reopening its borders with Armenia and establishing diplomatic relations.