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Azerbaijan's Anti-Turkish Campaign

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  • Azerbaijan's Anti-Turkish Campaign

    AZERBAIJAN'S ANTI-TURKISH CAMPAIGN
    By Ivan Gharibyan

    Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
    Oct 19 2009
    Armenia

    A few days after the Armenian-Turkish Protocols were finally signed,
    official Baku mounted an all-out offensive - they must have realized
    the incompatibility of the ongoing processes with the reference points
    of their own policy launched many years ago.

    After a few days of silence, late this week, the Azerbaijani
    authorities decided to go on an offensive and show the Turkish
    leaders all their resentment over the irreversible Armenia-Turkey
    normalization process. Of course, for the time being, Turkey's
    willingness to stop setting preconditions in this process under
    international pressure is out of the question, but the processing is
    running this very course now: whatever "trademark" promises may be
    made by official Ankara, they are not yet indicative of any immediate
    linkage between the Armenia-Turkey normalization and Nagorno-Karabakh
    peace processes. The Armenian and Turkish Parliaments are progressing
    to successful ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols, which
    are most likely to be ratified and come into force before the end
    of October. This, in turn, means reopening of the Armenian-Turkish
    border by the end of this year.

    After being convinced that the principal geopolitical players
    and international mediator got "sick and tired" of dealing with
    "uncompromising" Azerbaijan, which, in contrast to Armenia, will
    not make any concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh, President Ilham Aliyev
    decided to take a number of desperate steps hoping for a change in
    developments. The other day, the Azeri leader stated Azerbaijan's
    intention to refuse to supply gas to Turkey at a much-lower-than-market
    price. He designated this policy as "squandering that is going
    too far."

    One more piece of evidence of an apparent change in the "little
    brother's" attitude to its "big brother" is the Azerbaijani
    authorities' decision, which is by no means in conformity with the
    "centuries-old" firm friendship between the two nations. "The Shahid
    lane" located at highest spot of present-day Baku -- the burial place
    of the participants in the Armenian pogroms in January 1990, after
    Soviet troops entered the city - is the "pride" of the city. The
    Armenian and Turkish national flags alternated along the lane in
    symbol of firm friendship. Now, however, after a number of top-ranking
    officials visited the lane, the flags have been taken off.

    Further developments are difficult to forecast. President Aliyev
    is unlikely to show such political shortsightedness as to aggravate
    relations with Turkey, which, is any case, is Azerbaijan most loyal
    and closest ally. It must be a "tooth show" to be followed by a forced
    dialogue with Ankara to find a way out of the situation. There is
    only one way out. None of the international mediators conceal their
    desire for a final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict soon
    after the Armenian-Turkish relations have been normalized. However,
    since the Armenian authorities clearly explained major -- and most
    painful -- concessions the Armenian side can afford, it is Baku's
    turn now, and Turkey has to explain to Azerbaijan the inevitability
    of similar painful concessions, which are of vital necessity for the
    negotiating process.
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