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Today's Zaman,
July 22 2012
Elections in Nagorno-Karabakh Deteriorate Turkish-Armenian Ties
Sunday, 22 July 2012 10:56 .
Armenia has lambasted an official statement from Turkey criticizing
Thursday's so-called presidential elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, a
disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia whose status has not
been determined in terms of international law, in a move further
deteriorating already soured relations between the two neighboring
countries.
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan responded harshly
to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday, election
day in the de facto independent region which is only recognized by
Armenia, saying that Turkey has no right to declare any opinion over
the region, the status of which is still undetermined under the
mandate of international initiatives, including the UN Security
Council and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE).
`If Turkey really cares about Azerbaijan's interests, it should teach
Azerbaijan how democratic elections are held and how a democracy
should be constituted in Nagorno-Karabakh,' Kocharyan stated in an
official statement released on Thursday. He further deplored Turkey
for its policy on the Cyprus issue, stating, `Instead of giving us
lessons [on international law], Turkey should withdraw its military
mission from North Cyprus under Turkish occupation.'
In an official statement on Wednesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry
maintained that such elections would be a clear violation of UN
Security Council resolutions and OSCE principles, asserting that these
are `just another new example of efforts to unilaterally legitimize
the status quo going against international law' in the disputed
region.
`Being undeterred in continuing its efforts for a ... normalization in
the region in parallel to the maintenance of initiatives to resolve
the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute on different platforms, Turkey deplores
this action [the elections], which means a new sort of violation of
Azerbaijan's political independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity,' the statement further emphasized.
Meanwhile, the EU also has not hesitated in repudiating the so-called
`presidential elections' in the disputed region.
`These `elections' should not prejudice the determination of the
future status of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiated general framework
of the peaceful settlement of the conflict. I recall the EU's firm
support for the OSCE Minsk Group ... aimed at a peaceful resolution of
the conflict,' Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, said
in an official statement released on Thursday.
Although there have been efforts to resolve the dispute through the
Minsk Group, an OSCE initiative that was established in 1992 to help
resolve the dispute, no progress from the group's efforts has been
reported so far. The territory is internationally recognized as part
of Azerbaijan, but it is under the control of a de facto independent,
but unrecognized, Armenia-backed government. The Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan turned into a war after the
Armenian invasion in 1991. A cease-fire that persists to this day was
declared in 1994. Supporting its strategic ally Azerbaijan, Turkey
closed its borders with Armenia in an effort to pressure Armenia to
respect the borders of its neighbors.
Turkey also has its own long-standing bilateral problems with Armenia
over its claims that the 1915 killings of Armenians during World War I
at the hands of the Ottoman Empire amounted to genocide. The issue
resurfaced after the administration of former French President Nicolas
Sarkozy issued a bill to make it a crime to deny the Armenian claims
of genocide, which was later deemed unconstitutional by the French
Constitutional Council.
From: A. Papazian
July 22 2012
Elections in Nagorno-Karabakh Deteriorate Turkish-Armenian Ties
Sunday, 22 July 2012 10:56 .
Armenia has lambasted an official statement from Turkey criticizing
Thursday's so-called presidential elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, a
disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia whose status has not
been determined in terms of international law, in a move further
deteriorating already soured relations between the two neighboring
countries.
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan responded harshly
to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday, election
day in the de facto independent region which is only recognized by
Armenia, saying that Turkey has no right to declare any opinion over
the region, the status of which is still undetermined under the
mandate of international initiatives, including the UN Security
Council and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE).
`If Turkey really cares about Azerbaijan's interests, it should teach
Azerbaijan how democratic elections are held and how a democracy
should be constituted in Nagorno-Karabakh,' Kocharyan stated in an
official statement released on Thursday. He further deplored Turkey
for its policy on the Cyprus issue, stating, `Instead of giving us
lessons [on international law], Turkey should withdraw its military
mission from North Cyprus under Turkish occupation.'
In an official statement on Wednesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry
maintained that such elections would be a clear violation of UN
Security Council resolutions and OSCE principles, asserting that these
are `just another new example of efforts to unilaterally legitimize
the status quo going against international law' in the disputed
region.
`Being undeterred in continuing its efforts for a ... normalization in
the region in parallel to the maintenance of initiatives to resolve
the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute on different platforms, Turkey deplores
this action [the elections], which means a new sort of violation of
Azerbaijan's political independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity,' the statement further emphasized.
Meanwhile, the EU also has not hesitated in repudiating the so-called
`presidential elections' in the disputed region.
`These `elections' should not prejudice the determination of the
future status of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiated general framework
of the peaceful settlement of the conflict. I recall the EU's firm
support for the OSCE Minsk Group ... aimed at a peaceful resolution of
the conflict,' Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, said
in an official statement released on Thursday.
Although there have been efforts to resolve the dispute through the
Minsk Group, an OSCE initiative that was established in 1992 to help
resolve the dispute, no progress from the group's efforts has been
reported so far. The territory is internationally recognized as part
of Azerbaijan, but it is under the control of a de facto independent,
but unrecognized, Armenia-backed government. The Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan turned into a war after the
Armenian invasion in 1991. A cease-fire that persists to this day was
declared in 1994. Supporting its strategic ally Azerbaijan, Turkey
closed its borders with Armenia in an effort to pressure Armenia to
respect the borders of its neighbors.
Turkey also has its own long-standing bilateral problems with Armenia
over its claims that the 1915 killings of Armenians during World War I
at the hands of the Ottoman Empire amounted to genocide. The issue
resurfaced after the administration of former French President Nicolas
Sarkozy issued a bill to make it a crime to deny the Armenian claims
of genocide, which was later deemed unconstitutional by the French
Constitutional Council.
From: A. Papazian