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'NAGORNO-KARABAKH OCCUPATION IMPEDES SOLUTION TO TURKEY-ARMENIA CONTROVERSY'
Today's Zaman
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-266822-nagorno-karabakh-occupation-impedes-solution-to-turkey-armenia-controversy.html
Dec 26 2011
Turkey
Extending Azerbaijan's support to Turkey one more time in the wake
of the most recent Armenian genocide allegations, deputy foreign
minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov has stated that his country is
"badly disappointed" by the French Parliament's decision, and he
reaffirmed that Turkey and Azerbaijan, as with many other issues,
were on the same page regarding the Armenian controversy.
Speaking to Today's Zaman during a working visit to Ankara, Azimov
raised concerns similar to those of Turkish officials regarding the
French vote. He found the vote "strange" given the fact that France
acted as co-chairs to the Minsk Group, a multipartite platform that
was organized to settle the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azimov expressed disapproval on
the French lower house vote to criminalize denial of the "Armenian
genocide," saying that it is, however, possible to understand why
the bill came through given the "political labyrinth of Paris,"
a reference to the pre-election political calculations of rivaling
parties. The experienced deputy minister stressed that the French
vote was "a shady and tricky intrigue" that would widely damage
and compromise the international image of France and deal massive
damage due to the "double standards" reflected in the bill. Turkey
and Azerbaijan vehemently deny genocide allegations regarding the
events of 1915, in which Armenians were killed in massive numbers at
the onset of World War I. It is also claimed that Armenians targeted
Azerbaijani populations after the collapse of the Soviet Union during
their invasions of Azerbaijani territories.
Regarding the latest French lower house vote on penalizing denial of
the "Armenian genocide," Azimov believes that the bill was based on
"a false history" which Armenians were promoting with "undesirable
vigorousness." Azimov noted, "Putting my feet in the shoes of my
colleagues in Ankara, I cannot trust a country [Armenia] which
creates genocide initiatives on the one hand and speaks about a
desire to cooperate on the other, not recognizing the territorial
integrity of Turkey and compromising the borders of the country,"
he noted. Turkey and Armenia came to the brink of reopening of their
borders, which were closed by Turkey almost two decades ago in response
to the Armenian invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Armenia's refusal
to withdraw forces from the occupied territories cut off negotiations.
Although Azerbaijan has been trying for two decades to solve the
territorial disputes and alleged Armenian invasions through the
Minsk Group initiative, there has so far been almost no progress
towards resolving the dispute. "On March 24th, 2012, we shall mark,
with a sense of regret, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the
Minsk Group," Azimov stated as he expressed his displeasure that
the international platform has reached no tangible results towards
rectifying what Azerbaijan and Turkey both call "an Armenian invasion"
of land that historically belonged to Azerbaijan. Last week, Turkish
President Abdullah Gul also questioned French impartiality in its
responsibility as co-chair of the group that is expected to deliver
results on the dispute that lies as the fundamental barrier to a
fence-mending between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as Turkey.
"Although the awaited conference never took place, throughout the
20 years members of the Minsk Group have tried to negotiate the
withdrawal of forces from occupied territories and other issues,
such as the return of populations, restoration of communication and
roads, rehabilitation of territories and so on ... The years went by,
and negotiations were disrupted by Armenian occupations and changes of
representatives," the deputy foreign minister stated matter-of-factly,
as he expressed his belief that that the Armenian occupation is a most
urgent matter to be resolved before any political discussion will be
possible. "Still, we have not had any breakthroughs, any successes,"
he noted.
The Minsk Group, an Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) initiative, was established in 1992 and a conference was
scheduled to take place for peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue. In it's almost 20 years of existence, the Minsk process has
failed to produce any conference. "No other parties are as interested
as Turkey and Azerbaijan to find a solution to this conflict and
the withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied territories," Azimov
spoke of the willingness of both Azerbaijan and Turkey to resolve a
major challenge to peace in Caucuses and added, "only then would we
be able to go beyond this situation that is 'not quite peace and not
quite war,' but Armenia needs to be sincere in its cooperation."
Holding the belief that the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute is one of the
largest challenges in Azerbaijani foreign policy, Azimov stated
that the removal of Armenian forces from the disputed region would
be paramount for the start of negotiations, which would benefit
Armenia significantly at a time when the country has lost half of its
population. "Armenia would benefit greatly from an agreement since
its economy does not look promising and its population is continuously
shrinking," Azimov said and expressed belief that the Armenians were
leaving for a better life outside Armenia. "The Armenian nation is
losing a very good opportunity to create momentum to try and remedy
these issues," he said, lamenting Armenia's lack of initiative towards
sincerely working with Azerbaijan and Turkey to find a solution.
"Instead of keeping their level of trust at zero, which risks erupting
into crisis, everything now depends on whether the Armenian leadership
will find the political will, courage, strategic vision and wisdom to
take the hand that has been outstretched to them," Azimov lamented an
absence of shared perspective between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying
that it would be best for both countries to "see two communities
living side by side" in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, backed by the Armenian government,
fought a war to overthrow Azerbaijani control of the Nagorno-Karabakh
region in the early 1990s at the time of the collapse of the Soviet
Union. Separatists also seized land surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of
Azerbaijan during the conflict. Turkey backs Azerbaijani claims to
Nagorno-Karabakh, which today has a large number of ethnic Armenian
residents. Azerbaijan claims that most of the region's Azerbaijani
settlers were expatriated during the Armenian invasion of the land.
"Turkey and Azerbaijan on par with foreign policy" "Turkey was the
first to recognize Azerbaijan when it was founded 20 years ago,"
Azimov said in words that reaffirmed the connection between the two
countries, and described Turkey as "Azerbaijan's window into Europe,"
referring to Azerbaijanis who traveled through İstanbul on their way
to European destinations back when their country was born anew from
the ashes of the Soviet bloc. "Since then we have been in constant
cooperation, sharing knowledge and experience," Azimov added, citing
numerous examples where Azerbaijan and Turkey acted as partners
throughout the last 20 years.
"Although we came a bit later [than Turkey], we are now partners
to major international communities and we are members of regional
and global frameworks," he said of Azerbaijani development in the
last two decades. "The success of these 20 years has proven the
irreversibility of our independence; nothing can turn us back now,"
Azimov said, recalling that Azerbaijan's sovereignty was disrupted
many decades ago when the Soviet bloc was formed. But this time around,
Azimov believes, the Republic of Azerbaijan has come to stay.
Referring to cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan on foreign
missions, Azimov noted that the countries were working together
in their peacekeeping efforts -- under the NATO-led International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, for example. But Azimov
argued that the motivation for both countries goes beyond the sheer
fact that they are a part of ISAF; they were fighting to maintain
stability for the Afghan nation, who they consider a brotherly people.
Sharing a common vision in their relations with Middle Eastern and
African countries, Asimov said that Azerbaijan was not as immediate
a neighbor as Turkey, but has been involved in the developments of
the region "to the best of Azerbaijan's ability."
Hopeful for the country's future, Azimov noted that Azerbaijan's
foreign policy goal was to "try to develop bridges" between Central
Asia and other parts the world, with awareness that foreign policy
should be supported by economic growth, an area in which Azerbaijan
feels increasingly confident. Predicting an increased spread of
Azerbaijani companies to the farthest corners of the world, Azimov
expressed hope that Azerbaijani businesses would reach farther markets
such as Africa, where Turkey has made heavy economic and diplomatic
investments in the last few years.
"UNSC seat a heavy duty, but Azerbaijan is ready to fulfill it" Having
triumphed at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) elections in
October, Azerbaijan has won one of the 10 temporary seats for the
period of 2012-2013, a development Azerbaijani officials mark as a
victory for their powerful diplomacy and a sign that Azerbaijan has
demonstrated itself as a reliable partner despite its young age.
"This is the biggest victory in Azerbaijani foreign policy that has
come in 20 years of independence. It is a good demonstration of the
results of our policies, and proves that we deserve [the seat]; we are
not there simply by occasion," Azimov said to hail the victory that
Azerbaijan won over two other European countries in the elections for
the UNSC seat. "It is of course a huge responsibility, a huge duty,
but we are ready to fulfill it," said Azimov.
"We received 155 votes out of a total of 193, the maximum that
a single country was able to get during this electoral campaign,"
he stressed the overwhelming number of votes Azerbaijan received and
said it was a sign of the desire of countries from all over the world
to see Azerbaijan as a member of the UNSC, thanks to the "consistent
foreign policy Azerbaijan has demonstrated throughout the last 20
years." Azerbaijan was followed by Morocco, who received 151 votes,
and will be sitting with the UNSC for the first time since the country
was founded. "We are looking forward to realizing this support and
reciprocate by actively contributing, by bridging Azerbaijan to the
rest of the world," Azimov added.
Azimov also voiced his country's support for Turkey's upcoming run
for a UNSC spot in the next electoral term, and reaffirmed that Turkey
and Azerbaijan have been in constant contact and carried out frequent
consultations, which meant that Azerbaijan's voice in the UNSC would
welcome contributions from Turkey. "We are there and Turkey is not
but Turkey should know that we are together in our efforts," he added.
Azerbaijan was nominated for the UNSC seat from the Eastern European
group and was elected to the seat for a two year period, based on the
UN Charter election criteria that prioritize a country's contributions
towards international peace and security.
Today's Zaman
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-266822-nagorno-karabakh-occupation-impedes-solution-to-turkey-armenia-controversy.html
Dec 26 2011
Turkey
Extending Azerbaijan's support to Turkey one more time in the wake
of the most recent Armenian genocide allegations, deputy foreign
minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov has stated that his country is
"badly disappointed" by the French Parliament's decision, and he
reaffirmed that Turkey and Azerbaijan, as with many other issues,
were on the same page regarding the Armenian controversy.
Speaking to Today's Zaman during a working visit to Ankara, Azimov
raised concerns similar to those of Turkish officials regarding the
French vote. He found the vote "strange" given the fact that France
acted as co-chairs to the Minsk Group, a multipartite platform that
was organized to settle the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azimov expressed disapproval on
the French lower house vote to criminalize denial of the "Armenian
genocide," saying that it is, however, possible to understand why
the bill came through given the "political labyrinth of Paris,"
a reference to the pre-election political calculations of rivaling
parties. The experienced deputy minister stressed that the French
vote was "a shady and tricky intrigue" that would widely damage
and compromise the international image of France and deal massive
damage due to the "double standards" reflected in the bill. Turkey
and Azerbaijan vehemently deny genocide allegations regarding the
events of 1915, in which Armenians were killed in massive numbers at
the onset of World War I. It is also claimed that Armenians targeted
Azerbaijani populations after the collapse of the Soviet Union during
their invasions of Azerbaijani territories.
Regarding the latest French lower house vote on penalizing denial of
the "Armenian genocide," Azimov believes that the bill was based on
"a false history" which Armenians were promoting with "undesirable
vigorousness." Azimov noted, "Putting my feet in the shoes of my
colleagues in Ankara, I cannot trust a country [Armenia] which
creates genocide initiatives on the one hand and speaks about a
desire to cooperate on the other, not recognizing the territorial
integrity of Turkey and compromising the borders of the country,"
he noted. Turkey and Armenia came to the brink of reopening of their
borders, which were closed by Turkey almost two decades ago in response
to the Armenian invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Armenia's refusal
to withdraw forces from the occupied territories cut off negotiations.
Although Azerbaijan has been trying for two decades to solve the
territorial disputes and alleged Armenian invasions through the
Minsk Group initiative, there has so far been almost no progress
towards resolving the dispute. "On March 24th, 2012, we shall mark,
with a sense of regret, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the
Minsk Group," Azimov stated as he expressed his displeasure that
the international platform has reached no tangible results towards
rectifying what Azerbaijan and Turkey both call "an Armenian invasion"
of land that historically belonged to Azerbaijan. Last week, Turkish
President Abdullah Gul also questioned French impartiality in its
responsibility as co-chair of the group that is expected to deliver
results on the dispute that lies as the fundamental barrier to a
fence-mending between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as Turkey.
"Although the awaited conference never took place, throughout the
20 years members of the Minsk Group have tried to negotiate the
withdrawal of forces from occupied territories and other issues,
such as the return of populations, restoration of communication and
roads, rehabilitation of territories and so on ... The years went by,
and negotiations were disrupted by Armenian occupations and changes of
representatives," the deputy foreign minister stated matter-of-factly,
as he expressed his belief that that the Armenian occupation is a most
urgent matter to be resolved before any political discussion will be
possible. "Still, we have not had any breakthroughs, any successes,"
he noted.
The Minsk Group, an Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) initiative, was established in 1992 and a conference was
scheduled to take place for peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue. In it's almost 20 years of existence, the Minsk process has
failed to produce any conference. "No other parties are as interested
as Turkey and Azerbaijan to find a solution to this conflict and
the withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied territories," Azimov
spoke of the willingness of both Azerbaijan and Turkey to resolve a
major challenge to peace in Caucuses and added, "only then would we
be able to go beyond this situation that is 'not quite peace and not
quite war,' but Armenia needs to be sincere in its cooperation."
Holding the belief that the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute is one of the
largest challenges in Azerbaijani foreign policy, Azimov stated
that the removal of Armenian forces from the disputed region would
be paramount for the start of negotiations, which would benefit
Armenia significantly at a time when the country has lost half of its
population. "Armenia would benefit greatly from an agreement since
its economy does not look promising and its population is continuously
shrinking," Azimov said and expressed belief that the Armenians were
leaving for a better life outside Armenia. "The Armenian nation is
losing a very good opportunity to create momentum to try and remedy
these issues," he said, lamenting Armenia's lack of initiative towards
sincerely working with Azerbaijan and Turkey to find a solution.
"Instead of keeping their level of trust at zero, which risks erupting
into crisis, everything now depends on whether the Armenian leadership
will find the political will, courage, strategic vision and wisdom to
take the hand that has been outstretched to them," Azimov lamented an
absence of shared perspective between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying
that it would be best for both countries to "see two communities
living side by side" in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, backed by the Armenian government,
fought a war to overthrow Azerbaijani control of the Nagorno-Karabakh
region in the early 1990s at the time of the collapse of the Soviet
Union. Separatists also seized land surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of
Azerbaijan during the conflict. Turkey backs Azerbaijani claims to
Nagorno-Karabakh, which today has a large number of ethnic Armenian
residents. Azerbaijan claims that most of the region's Azerbaijani
settlers were expatriated during the Armenian invasion of the land.
"Turkey and Azerbaijan on par with foreign policy" "Turkey was the
first to recognize Azerbaijan when it was founded 20 years ago,"
Azimov said in words that reaffirmed the connection between the two
countries, and described Turkey as "Azerbaijan's window into Europe,"
referring to Azerbaijanis who traveled through İstanbul on their way
to European destinations back when their country was born anew from
the ashes of the Soviet bloc. "Since then we have been in constant
cooperation, sharing knowledge and experience," Azimov added, citing
numerous examples where Azerbaijan and Turkey acted as partners
throughout the last 20 years.
"Although we came a bit later [than Turkey], we are now partners
to major international communities and we are members of regional
and global frameworks," he said of Azerbaijani development in the
last two decades. "The success of these 20 years has proven the
irreversibility of our independence; nothing can turn us back now,"
Azimov said, recalling that Azerbaijan's sovereignty was disrupted
many decades ago when the Soviet bloc was formed. But this time around,
Azimov believes, the Republic of Azerbaijan has come to stay.
Referring to cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan on foreign
missions, Azimov noted that the countries were working together
in their peacekeeping efforts -- under the NATO-led International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, for example. But Azimov
argued that the motivation for both countries goes beyond the sheer
fact that they are a part of ISAF; they were fighting to maintain
stability for the Afghan nation, who they consider a brotherly people.
Sharing a common vision in their relations with Middle Eastern and
African countries, Asimov said that Azerbaijan was not as immediate
a neighbor as Turkey, but has been involved in the developments of
the region "to the best of Azerbaijan's ability."
Hopeful for the country's future, Azimov noted that Azerbaijan's
foreign policy goal was to "try to develop bridges" between Central
Asia and other parts the world, with awareness that foreign policy
should be supported by economic growth, an area in which Azerbaijan
feels increasingly confident. Predicting an increased spread of
Azerbaijani companies to the farthest corners of the world, Azimov
expressed hope that Azerbaijani businesses would reach farther markets
such as Africa, where Turkey has made heavy economic and diplomatic
investments in the last few years.
"UNSC seat a heavy duty, but Azerbaijan is ready to fulfill it" Having
triumphed at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) elections in
October, Azerbaijan has won one of the 10 temporary seats for the
period of 2012-2013, a development Azerbaijani officials mark as a
victory for their powerful diplomacy and a sign that Azerbaijan has
demonstrated itself as a reliable partner despite its young age.
"This is the biggest victory in Azerbaijani foreign policy that has
come in 20 years of independence. It is a good demonstration of the
results of our policies, and proves that we deserve [the seat]; we are
not there simply by occasion," Azimov said to hail the victory that
Azerbaijan won over two other European countries in the elections for
the UNSC seat. "It is of course a huge responsibility, a huge duty,
but we are ready to fulfill it," said Azimov.
"We received 155 votes out of a total of 193, the maximum that
a single country was able to get during this electoral campaign,"
he stressed the overwhelming number of votes Azerbaijan received and
said it was a sign of the desire of countries from all over the world
to see Azerbaijan as a member of the UNSC, thanks to the "consistent
foreign policy Azerbaijan has demonstrated throughout the last 20
years." Azerbaijan was followed by Morocco, who received 151 votes,
and will be sitting with the UNSC for the first time since the country
was founded. "We are looking forward to realizing this support and
reciprocate by actively contributing, by bridging Azerbaijan to the
rest of the world," Azimov added.
Azimov also voiced his country's support for Turkey's upcoming run
for a UNSC spot in the next electoral term, and reaffirmed that Turkey
and Azerbaijan have been in constant contact and carried out frequent
consultations, which meant that Azerbaijan's voice in the UNSC would
welcome contributions from Turkey. "We are there and Turkey is not
but Turkey should know that we are together in our efforts," he added.
Azerbaijan was nominated for the UNSC seat from the Eastern European
group and was elected to the seat for a two year period, based on the
UN Charter election criteria that prioritize a country's contributions
towards international peace and security.