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Turkey Prioritizing its Relations with Azerbaijan
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 6 Issue: 87
May 6, 2009 06:18 PM
By: Saban Kardas
The recent uncertainty surrounding Turkish-Azeri relations is giving
way to a new period of optimism, ahead of high level diplomatic
contacts. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan will meet Azeri officials in a bid to reassure Baku of
Ankara's intention to protect Azerbaijan's interests during the
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process.
Turkey's policy of conducting diplomacy within the South Caucasus in
coordination with Azerbaijan, came under strain when it attempted to
accelerate normalizing its relations with Armenia. Baku expressed its
reservations over the rapid increase in diplomatic activity between
Ankara -Yerevan which it perceived as "developing at the expense of
Azerbaijan." Azerbaijani officials tried to understand the content of
the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement and how this might affect
Turkish-Azeri relations (EDM, April 29, May 4). At the height of the
discussions on President Obama's April 24 address, the possibility
that Ankara might ignore Baku's sensitivities was often discussed
within both countries. In addition to the reaction of Azerbaijani
officials, such speculation added to public outrage toward the AKP
government's policies, both within Turkey and Azerbaijan. While
delegations of Azeri parliamentarians and civil society organizations
visited Turkey to garner political support for their plight, their
Turkish counterparts also traveled to Azerbaijan in order to express
solidarity with their Azeri brethren. Azeri deputies frequently
appeared on live discussion programs on Turkish TV, seeking to
mobilize public opinion, exerting additional pressure on the AKP
government.
Against this background, the Turkish government is now refocusing its
attention on addressing those concerns. At the same time, the Turkish
press reported that Baku has toned down its criticism of Ankara's
policies toward Armenia. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev wants to
reinforce bilateral ties, ensuring that he is kept informed about the
progress on Turkish-Armenian rapprochement and securing greater
leverage over Ankara's policies toward Yerevan. Toward that end,
Aliyev has decided to send a special envoy to Turkey (Referans, May
2).
Turkey's first attempts to reach out to Baku came on May 4 when
Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Araz Azimov, visited
Ankara and held talks with Turkey's newly appointed Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu. Since it was Davutoglu's first meeting after assuming
office two days earlier, it had a symbolic meaning -demonstrating the
value that Davutoglu attaches to Turkish-Azeri ties. In addition to
exploring ways of improving bilateral relations through more frequent
and high profile meetings between the leaders of the two countries,
they also exchanged opinions on regional issues (Cihan Haber Ajansi,
May 4).
As a further boost to Ankara's policy to regain Baku's confidence,
Erdogan will visit Baku on May 12-13, and then meet Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin on May 16 (Anadolu Ajansi, May 4). While
commenting on his forthcoming trip, Erdogan sought to deflect recent
criticism from Baku and domestic opposition parties. He maintained
that his government did not deserve such heavy criticism, which he
characterized as an unnecessary reaction to Turkey's policy of
rapprochement; especially concerning Ankara's intention to re-open its
border with Armenia. Erdogan also emphasized that some Azeri
officials' statements had hurt Ankara. He added that the normalization
of Turkish-Armenian relations will also serve Baku's interests and he
will seek to remove any misunderstandings during his visit next week
(ANKA, May 5).
Moreover, Erdogan's plan to meet Putin reflects Ankara's belief that
Russia remains a significant stakeholder in the resolution of
Turkish-Armenian-Azeri problems and must act in concert with Russia,
in order to advance its interests within the South Caucasus. Russia is
one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group working to resolve the
Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and has been
mediating in talks between Baku and Yerevan.
President Gul is taking additional steps toward addressing concerns
over Ankara's policies from Baku and domestic opposition parties. Gul
met the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party Deniz
Baykal, who had lambasted the recent moves towards rapprochement
between Turkey and Armenia, arguing that Erdogan had betrayed Baku.
Gul briefed Baykal about the developments within the South Caucasus in
an attempt to influence Turkish public opinion (Cihan Haber Ajansi,
May 5).
Gul also plans to hold two separate meetings with Aliyev and the
Armenia's President Serzh Sarksyan during the Eastern Partnership and
Southern Corridor meetings in Prague on May 7-8 under the sponsorship
of the Czech Republic, which currently holds the EU presidency
(Anadolu Ajansi, May 5). In addition to discussing issues including
energy security, the Prague summit will provide an opportunity to
consider the resolution of problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Baku and Yerevan frequently conduct part of their diplomatic
negotiations on the sidelines of such multilateral forums. In
preparation for the Prague summit the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, met the foreign ministers of both countries separately in
Washington. Clinton expressed her support and encouragement for these
bilateral talks ahead of the Prague summit (www.cnnturk.com, May 5).
The Gul-Aliyev meeting might equally hold symbolic meaning, marking an
improvement of ties between Ankara and Baku, after their recent
tension. Previously, Aliyev had declined to participate in
multilateral meetings where he might meet Gul, spurning Gul's
invitation to attend the Alliance of Civilizations platform in
Istanbul (EDM, April 8) and later cancelling his participation in an
energy summit in Sofia, attended by Gul (Takvim, April 23). The
Turkish press speculated that Aliyev was deliberately avoiding these
meetings to convey his discomfort over Ankara's failure to consult him
on the Turkish-Armenian talks. Gul consistently denied any such row,
and even claimed that he kept Aliyev informed about developments by
telephone (www.ntvmsnbc.com, April 28). A face-to-face meeting between
the two leaders might remove the basis for any future speculation, as
well as mend strained Turkish-Azeri relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Turkey Prioritizing its Relations with Azerbaijan
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 6 Issue: 87
May 6, 2009 06:18 PM
By: Saban Kardas
The recent uncertainty surrounding Turkish-Azeri relations is giving
way to a new period of optimism, ahead of high level diplomatic
contacts. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan will meet Azeri officials in a bid to reassure Baku of
Ankara's intention to protect Azerbaijan's interests during the
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process.
Turkey's policy of conducting diplomacy within the South Caucasus in
coordination with Azerbaijan, came under strain when it attempted to
accelerate normalizing its relations with Armenia. Baku expressed its
reservations over the rapid increase in diplomatic activity between
Ankara -Yerevan which it perceived as "developing at the expense of
Azerbaijan." Azerbaijani officials tried to understand the content of
the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement and how this might affect
Turkish-Azeri relations (EDM, April 29, May 4). At the height of the
discussions on President Obama's April 24 address, the possibility
that Ankara might ignore Baku's sensitivities was often discussed
within both countries. In addition to the reaction of Azerbaijani
officials, such speculation added to public outrage toward the AKP
government's policies, both within Turkey and Azerbaijan. While
delegations of Azeri parliamentarians and civil society organizations
visited Turkey to garner political support for their plight, their
Turkish counterparts also traveled to Azerbaijan in order to express
solidarity with their Azeri brethren. Azeri deputies frequently
appeared on live discussion programs on Turkish TV, seeking to
mobilize public opinion, exerting additional pressure on the AKP
government.
Against this background, the Turkish government is now refocusing its
attention on addressing those concerns. At the same time, the Turkish
press reported that Baku has toned down its criticism of Ankara's
policies toward Armenia. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev wants to
reinforce bilateral ties, ensuring that he is kept informed about the
progress on Turkish-Armenian rapprochement and securing greater
leverage over Ankara's policies toward Yerevan. Toward that end,
Aliyev has decided to send a special envoy to Turkey (Referans, May
2).
Turkey's first attempts to reach out to Baku came on May 4 when
Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Araz Azimov, visited
Ankara and held talks with Turkey's newly appointed Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu. Since it was Davutoglu's first meeting after assuming
office two days earlier, it had a symbolic meaning -demonstrating the
value that Davutoglu attaches to Turkish-Azeri ties. In addition to
exploring ways of improving bilateral relations through more frequent
and high profile meetings between the leaders of the two countries,
they also exchanged opinions on regional issues (Cihan Haber Ajansi,
May 4).
As a further boost to Ankara's policy to regain Baku's confidence,
Erdogan will visit Baku on May 12-13, and then meet Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin on May 16 (Anadolu Ajansi, May 4). While
commenting on his forthcoming trip, Erdogan sought to deflect recent
criticism from Baku and domestic opposition parties. He maintained
that his government did not deserve such heavy criticism, which he
characterized as an unnecessary reaction to Turkey's policy of
rapprochement; especially concerning Ankara's intention to re-open its
border with Armenia. Erdogan also emphasized that some Azeri
officials' statements had hurt Ankara. He added that the normalization
of Turkish-Armenian relations will also serve Baku's interests and he
will seek to remove any misunderstandings during his visit next week
(ANKA, May 5).
Moreover, Erdogan's plan to meet Putin reflects Ankara's belief that
Russia remains a significant stakeholder in the resolution of
Turkish-Armenian-Azeri problems and must act in concert with Russia,
in order to advance its interests within the South Caucasus. Russia is
one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group working to resolve the
Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and has been
mediating in talks between Baku and Yerevan.
President Gul is taking additional steps toward addressing concerns
over Ankara's policies from Baku and domestic opposition parties. Gul
met the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party Deniz
Baykal, who had lambasted the recent moves towards rapprochement
between Turkey and Armenia, arguing that Erdogan had betrayed Baku.
Gul briefed Baykal about the developments within the South Caucasus in
an attempt to influence Turkish public opinion (Cihan Haber Ajansi,
May 5).
Gul also plans to hold two separate meetings with Aliyev and the
Armenia's President Serzh Sarksyan during the Eastern Partnership and
Southern Corridor meetings in Prague on May 7-8 under the sponsorship
of the Czech Republic, which currently holds the EU presidency
(Anadolu Ajansi, May 5). In addition to discussing issues including
energy security, the Prague summit will provide an opportunity to
consider the resolution of problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Baku and Yerevan frequently conduct part of their diplomatic
negotiations on the sidelines of such multilateral forums. In
preparation for the Prague summit the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, met the foreign ministers of both countries separately in
Washington. Clinton expressed her support and encouragement for these
bilateral talks ahead of the Prague summit (www.cnnturk.com, May 5).
The Gul-Aliyev meeting might equally hold symbolic meaning, marking an
improvement of ties between Ankara and Baku, after their recent
tension. Previously, Aliyev had declined to participate in
multilateral meetings where he might meet Gul, spurning Gul's
invitation to attend the Alliance of Civilizations platform in
Istanbul (EDM, April 8) and later cancelling his participation in an
energy summit in Sofia, attended by Gul (Takvim, April 23). The
Turkish press speculated that Aliyev was deliberately avoiding these
meetings to convey his discomfort over Ankara's failure to consult him
on the Turkish-Armenian talks. Gul consistently denied any such row,
and even claimed that he kept Aliyev informed about developments by
telephone (www.ntvmsnbc.com, April 28). A face-to-face meeting between
the two leaders might remove the basis for any future speculation, as
well as mend strained Turkish-Azeri relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress