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TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN ACADEMICS SEEK WAY TO BOOST BILATERAL RELATIONS
Today's Zaman
Sept 26 2012
Turkey
Turkey and Azerbaijan, which have often been described as "one nation,
two states" since the early '90s by the politicians of both countries,
should persist in their efforts to integrate more closely based on
the belief that they need to act in concert on foreign policy, as
both countries are facing real challenges while dealing with external
politics, Turkish and Azerbaijani academics agree.
"We are living in a globalized world of huge political difficulties,
which demands that we live in brotherhood and give each other a
helping hand. Turkish-Azerbaijani relations should serve as a model of
cooperation on issues of common interest to both sides in international
relations," said Dr. Bulent Aras, chairman of the Turkish Foreign
Ministry's Center for Strategic Research (SAM), while speaking to
professors and students at Azerbaijan's Ganja State University during
"Turkey Week."
Activities for "Turkey Week" have been organized by Turkey's SAM
in cooperation with the Azerbaijan Presidential Office's SAM, and
run from Sept. 23-27. As a part of Turkey Week activities, a group
of Turkish academics along with their Azerbaijani colleagues paid
a visit to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and then moved on to
two other cities, Ganja and Lenkeran. A third group of academics is
scheduled to visit Nakhichevan.
Participating in panel discussions titled "Turkey-Azerbaijan
Relations," "Turkey's Caucasus Politics in General," and "Turkey's
Foreign Policy in General" the academics debated issues that are of
importance in boosting bilateral relations.
"Turkey Week" in Azerbaijan comes after "Azerbaijan Week" was held
in Turkey last year, where the strategic research centers of the
two countries jointly organized a series of academic events in the
provinces of Trabzon, Erzurum, Igdır, Kars and Konya on Oct. 25-27
on the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Central Asian
Turkic republics.
In his opening speech at a ceremony kicking off "Turkey Week" at Ganja
State University, the head of Azerbaijan's SAM, Farhad Mammadov,
said bilateral relations between the two countries are regularly
studied and that the aim of "Turkey Week" is to brief the Azerbaijani
audience on Turkey's external policy in the region.
"Today's Turkey is not the same as it was 10 years ago. Turkey is a
rising power with its economic growth and dynamic foreign policy in
the region," Mammadov said adding: "We are very keenly interested
in getting to know Turkey's political reality and what issues are
high on the country's agenda. Only after figuring that out can we
introduce Azerbaijan's policies and vision to the Turkish public as
well as contribute to the development and strengthening of bilateral
relations between the countries."
Turkey can never overlook Nagorno-Karabakh
Based on the motto of "one nation, two states," many think that
Azerbaijani-Turkish relations are built solely on common cultural,
ethnic and linguistic affiliation. "We should not forget the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has colored Turkish-Azerbaijani
relations," said Cihat Göktepe, rector of Antalya International
University, during a speech on one of the panels. Noting that the
football diplomacy which was launched when Turkish President Abdullah
Gul attended a football match in Armenia followed by a reciprocal
visit from his Armenian counterpart ushered in Turkey-Armenian
rapprochement process and hampered Turkish-Azerbaijani relations,
Göktepe said that Turks support Azerbaijan's position and understand
that the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations will happen only
after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is peacefully settled.
The football diplomacy, which started with Armenia in late 2008 and
resulted in the signing of two protocols one year later in Zurich,
hasn't produced any breakthroughs in relations between Turkey and
Armenia yet, but it has enraged Azerbaijan as the territorial dispute
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent territories
between Armenia and Azerbaijan has not yet been solved.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan after Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan in 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The
Azerbaijani government was against the establishment of diplomatic
relations until the dispute was resolved in Baku's favor. It has
already been more than two decades since the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group has been serving as
mediator between the two sides in order to find a peaceful solution
to the conflict with little result.
Calling Nagorno-Karabakh not only just an Azerbaijani territory, but
a territory belonging to the whole Turkic world, Aras said Turkey will
continue with its efforts to get the occupied Azerbaijani territories
back and strengthen bilateral relations. "The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is a problem for all of us. It is also Turkey's problem. It doesn't
matter how much time passes, we will never give up on Nagorno-Karabakh,
as it is a Turkish, Muslim territory, it needs to be taken back,"
Aras concluded.
From: A. Papazian
Today's Zaman
Sept 26 2012
Turkey
Turkey and Azerbaijan, which have often been described as "one nation,
two states" since the early '90s by the politicians of both countries,
should persist in their efforts to integrate more closely based on
the belief that they need to act in concert on foreign policy, as
both countries are facing real challenges while dealing with external
politics, Turkish and Azerbaijani academics agree.
"We are living in a globalized world of huge political difficulties,
which demands that we live in brotherhood and give each other a
helping hand. Turkish-Azerbaijani relations should serve as a model of
cooperation on issues of common interest to both sides in international
relations," said Dr. Bulent Aras, chairman of the Turkish Foreign
Ministry's Center for Strategic Research (SAM), while speaking to
professors and students at Azerbaijan's Ganja State University during
"Turkey Week."
Activities for "Turkey Week" have been organized by Turkey's SAM
in cooperation with the Azerbaijan Presidential Office's SAM, and
run from Sept. 23-27. As a part of Turkey Week activities, a group
of Turkish academics along with their Azerbaijani colleagues paid
a visit to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and then moved on to
two other cities, Ganja and Lenkeran. A third group of academics is
scheduled to visit Nakhichevan.
Participating in panel discussions titled "Turkey-Azerbaijan
Relations," "Turkey's Caucasus Politics in General," and "Turkey's
Foreign Policy in General" the academics debated issues that are of
importance in boosting bilateral relations.
"Turkey Week" in Azerbaijan comes after "Azerbaijan Week" was held
in Turkey last year, where the strategic research centers of the
two countries jointly organized a series of academic events in the
provinces of Trabzon, Erzurum, Igdır, Kars and Konya on Oct. 25-27
on the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Central Asian
Turkic republics.
In his opening speech at a ceremony kicking off "Turkey Week" at Ganja
State University, the head of Azerbaijan's SAM, Farhad Mammadov,
said bilateral relations between the two countries are regularly
studied and that the aim of "Turkey Week" is to brief the Azerbaijani
audience on Turkey's external policy in the region.
"Today's Turkey is not the same as it was 10 years ago. Turkey is a
rising power with its economic growth and dynamic foreign policy in
the region," Mammadov said adding: "We are very keenly interested
in getting to know Turkey's political reality and what issues are
high on the country's agenda. Only after figuring that out can we
introduce Azerbaijan's policies and vision to the Turkish public as
well as contribute to the development and strengthening of bilateral
relations between the countries."
Turkey can never overlook Nagorno-Karabakh
Based on the motto of "one nation, two states," many think that
Azerbaijani-Turkish relations are built solely on common cultural,
ethnic and linguistic affiliation. "We should not forget the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has colored Turkish-Azerbaijani
relations," said Cihat Göktepe, rector of Antalya International
University, during a speech on one of the panels. Noting that the
football diplomacy which was launched when Turkish President Abdullah
Gul attended a football match in Armenia followed by a reciprocal
visit from his Armenian counterpart ushered in Turkey-Armenian
rapprochement process and hampered Turkish-Azerbaijani relations,
Göktepe said that Turks support Azerbaijan's position and understand
that the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations will happen only
after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is peacefully settled.
The football diplomacy, which started with Armenia in late 2008 and
resulted in the signing of two protocols one year later in Zurich,
hasn't produced any breakthroughs in relations between Turkey and
Armenia yet, but it has enraged Azerbaijan as the territorial dispute
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent territories
between Armenia and Azerbaijan has not yet been solved.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan after Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan in 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The
Azerbaijani government was against the establishment of diplomatic
relations until the dispute was resolved in Baku's favor. It has
already been more than two decades since the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group has been serving as
mediator between the two sides in order to find a peaceful solution
to the conflict with little result.
Calling Nagorno-Karabakh not only just an Azerbaijani territory, but
a territory belonging to the whole Turkic world, Aras said Turkey will
continue with its efforts to get the occupied Azerbaijani territories
back and strengthen bilateral relations. "The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is a problem for all of us. It is also Turkey's problem. It doesn't
matter how much time passes, we will never give up on Nagorno-Karabakh,
as it is a Turkish, Muslim territory, it needs to be taken back,"
Aras concluded.
From: A. Papazian