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TURKEY WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT AZERBAIJAN, SAYS DEPUTY PM BOZDAg
Today's Zaman
March 14 2012
Turkey
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Tuesday said during an official
visit to Azerbaijan that Turkey will always stand by Azerbaijan on
both regional and international issues.
During a visit to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku with his delegation,
Bozdag said Turkey strongly supports the Azerbaijani position on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani territory, has been under Armenian
control since a 1994 cease-fire in a war that began in the late
'80s and has killed some 30,000 people.
Explaining Turkey's stance, Bozdag said Nagorno-Karabakh was not only
an Azerbaijani area, but also Turkish land occupied by Armenia.
"Our [Turkey's] only desire is to see the return of our lands
[Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories]," Bozdag told
journalists in a press conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan's Trend
news agency reported on Tuesday.
Bozdag also mentioned that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties
relies on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"As long as Armenia does not leave Nagorno-Karabakh, the rights of
Azerbaijanis in the region will not be restored and Turkish-Armenian
relations will not be normalized. We want to resolve this conflict
peacefully and in a short time, and we will continue our efforts in
this direction," Bozdag said.
A historic reconciliation process that Turkey and Armenia launched
by signing twin protocols in 2009 was not received positively in
Azerbaijan. These protocols signed in Zurich to establish diplomatic
relations between Turkey and Armenia strongly shook Turkish-Azerbaijani
friendship, as the Nagorno-Karabakh territorial conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan has yet to be peacefully settled. In 1993,
following the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
territories by the Armenian Armed Forces, Turkey closed its border
with Armenia, to support its strategic ally, Azerbaijan, which in
fact strained diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia.
Today's Zaman
March 14 2012
Turkey
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Tuesday said during an official
visit to Azerbaijan that Turkey will always stand by Azerbaijan on
both regional and international issues.
During a visit to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku with his delegation,
Bozdag said Turkey strongly supports the Azerbaijani position on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani territory, has been under Armenian
control since a 1994 cease-fire in a war that began in the late
'80s and has killed some 30,000 people.
Explaining Turkey's stance, Bozdag said Nagorno-Karabakh was not only
an Azerbaijani area, but also Turkish land occupied by Armenia.
"Our [Turkey's] only desire is to see the return of our lands
[Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories]," Bozdag told
journalists in a press conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan's Trend
news agency reported on Tuesday.
Bozdag also mentioned that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties
relies on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"As long as Armenia does not leave Nagorno-Karabakh, the rights of
Azerbaijanis in the region will not be restored and Turkish-Armenian
relations will not be normalized. We want to resolve this conflict
peacefully and in a short time, and we will continue our efforts in
this direction," Bozdag said.
A historic reconciliation process that Turkey and Armenia launched
by signing twin protocols in 2009 was not received positively in
Azerbaijan. These protocols signed in Zurich to establish diplomatic
relations between Turkey and Armenia strongly shook Turkish-Azerbaijani
friendship, as the Nagorno-Karabakh territorial conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan has yet to be peacefully settled. In 1993,
following the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
territories by the Armenian Armed Forces, Turkey closed its border
with Armenia, to support its strategic ally, Azerbaijan, which in
fact strained diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia.