I was the First Turkish President to Visit Armenia: Abdullah Gül

Upon an invitation by Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkish President Abdullah Gül is currently in Strasbourg on an official visit, reports News.az and 1news.az, citing various Turkish media sources.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Çavuşoğlu, Gül said that he was happy to see a Turkish deputy at the head of PACE.

Answering questions from Armenian and Azerbaijani reporters, Gül said Ankara hopes to see the “strengthening of security and stability in the Caucasus.”

“The countries of the Caucasus can learn important values from the Council of Europe,” he said.

The Turkish leader also recalled his visit to Armenia, saying he was the first Turkish president ever to visit Armenia.

“My wish is to create a platform in the Caucasus with the participation of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Russia, which will be based on the principles of security and cooperation. Work in this direction is underway,” he said.