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ANKARA: Azerbaijan Concerned About Turkish-Armenian Rapproachment

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  • ANKARA: Azerbaijan Concerned About Turkish-Armenian Rapproachment

    AZERBAIJAN CONCERNED ABOUT TURKISH-ARMENIAN RAPPROACHMENT

    Today's Zaman
    Sept 2 2009
    Turkey

    There is an increasing concern in Azerbaijan with respect to
    the attempt to establish diplomatic relations between Turkey and
    Armenia. Experts believe anti-Turkish sentiments in Azerbaijan
    may grow.

    The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made a statement yesterday on its Web
    site saying, "In principle, it is Turkey's sovereign right to establish
    relations with Armenia." However, the statement also emphasized that
    the issue has a direct relation to Azerbaijan's national interests
    and "the opening of the border is in direct opposition to Azerbaijani
    national interests."

    Recalling Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech before
    Azerbaijani deputies at the parliament in mid-May, the statement
    reads: "The prime minister reassured Azerbaijan that the borders were
    closed due to Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories. In
    this respect, Turkey will open the borders only if Armenia withdraws
    from Azerbaijan's occupied territories." While the statement did not
    ensure that Turkey's attempt to normalize relations with Armenia was
    on track, it clearly stated Turkey's promise not to open the borders.

    Elkhan Pokhulov, head of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's media
    department, told Today's Zaman, "Azerbaijan considers the relations
    between Turkey and Armenia as relations between two sovereign states,
    yet Azerbaijan's national interests should be considered." Pokhulov
    also added that Turkey has declared many times that there cannot
    be an opening of borders. "If it opens," Pokhulov stressed, "it is
    in opposition to Azerbaijan's national interests." Addressing the
    question of whether Turkey consulted with Azerbaijan with respect to
    the issue, Pokhulov said: "Turkey and Azerbaijan constantly inform
    each other of developments. However, we have no information about
    whether Turkey informed us of this particular policy."

    "The situation in Azerbaijan will be even worse," said RövÅ~_en
    Ä°brahimov, a professor at Baku Qafqaz University. "It was too sudden,"
    he said. Two weeks ago Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan vowed that
    he would not attend the soccer match between Armenia and Turkey
    in October. Noting the troubling trend with Armenia, the Turkish
    Foreign Ministry has decided to restart negotiations with Armenia to
    establish close diplomatic ties. "I believe this is the true success
    of [Serzh] Sarksyan. Who can now claim that there is a single reason
    why Turkey should keep the borders closed? The next step is to
    institute diplomatic relations and then open the borders. Turkey
    de facto recognizes Armenia and now will de jure recognize it,"
    he said. He also argued that the Azerbaijani public believes that
    it once put pressure on Turkey and succeeded and it may do the same
    again. Questioning the future of the Nabucco project, Ä°brahimov said:
    "This fact may also put Nabucco in jeopardy. Azerbaijan may think of
    selling all its gas to Russia."

    Vefa Guluzade, a prominent expert and former national security advisor
    to late Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, said Turkey is playing
    a dangerous game. Speaking to Today's Zaman, Guluzade said, "Turkey
    could not stand up to pressure from Russia and the US and thereby has
    decided to start the negotiations again." Recalling Hillary Clinton's
    telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,
    Guluzade claimed that instead of behaving on the basis of Clinton's
    promises, the Turkish government should instead act following the
    fulfillment of Clinton's promises. Clinton had previously said the
    American administration would help resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
    conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

    Guluzade said her promises are not real and that during Bill
    Clinton's tenure, the American administration was too fragile for
    a strong Armenian lobby in the US. Guluzade also concluded that the
    Azerbaijani public will explicitly respond to the recent agreement
    between Turkey and Armenia and that there will be huge disappointment
    among the Azerbaijani public. The government, in contrast, may keep
    silent due to international conjecture.
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