Turkish FM to visit to Armenia on December 12

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced Thursday that he will pay a visit to Armenia on Dec. 12 in a bid to improve the strained relations between the two countries. Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara's Esenboga Airport that he will participate in the meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation to be held in the Armenian capital of Yerevan during his visit to the country. Media has reported that Turkey has requested Switzerland's help in resolving the conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan so as to repair its own ties with Armenia. According to a report published by Zaman daily, Davutoglu told Swiss officials during a visit to Switzerland in mid-October that Turkey was ready to normalize its relations with Armenia. Davutoglu was clear, however, that Armenia should end its occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is deemed as an Azerbaijani territory. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia after its armed forces captured Nagorno-Karabakh in 1993. In 2009, Turkey and Armenia signed a protocol to normalize ties but the process was halted after the document failed to be rectified by their respective parliaments.