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'TURKEY SHOULD BE GIVEN MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN RESOLUTION OF KARABAKH QUESTION'
Today's Zaman, Turkey
APRIL 9 2013
Turkey should not be isolated from the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation
process between Azerbaijan and Armenia but should instead be a key
actor, Azerbaijani politician Isa Gambar has stated.
"The most important and effective peace project would be the one that
includes Turkey," said Gambar, the leader of the Equality Party, in
an interview with Today's Zaman last week. "We think Turkey should
be included in the negotiation process."
Negotiations to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been
continuing under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the US and
established in 1992. The other participating states in the group are
Turkey, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden
and Finland, in addition to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"The mediator countries leading the Minsk Group have delayed in
offering a comprehensive peace solution in Karabakh. All of them are
trying to maintain the status quo and look after their own interests
in the region while this problem persists," Gambar criticized. "Turkey
should have assumed a more active task during the negotiation process."
To date there have been no significant developments in the process.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave located within Azerbaijan and
predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians, together with seven
Azeri-populated adjacent territories, was occupied by Armenian forces
under the command of current Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan in a
bloody six-year war between 1988 and 1994, leaving 30,000 dead and
nearly a million displaced.
'Turkey should further deepen ties with brotherly Azerbaijan'
Gambar maintained that Turkey's interest towards the South Caucasus
region and Azerbaijan has increased in recent years, but that it isn't
sufficient. "Turkey should focus on further strengthening its ties
with the South Caucasus and Azerbaijan," he said. On that subject,
Gambar said he appreciated the creation of a trilateral cooperation
deal between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia in late March.
In a joint meeting held in Batumi on March 28, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutošlu, Azerbaijan's Elmar Mammadyarov and Georgia's Maia
Panjikidze signed a cooperation deal on a wide range of issues,
including the economy, energy, environment, culture, education and
sports, to enhance existing mutual trust and cooperation.
The Turkish-Azerbaijani energy cooperation under the Trans-Anatolian
gas pipeline (TANAP) project is also a key element in terms of
strengthening ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan. TANAP is a major
project for Turkey, which, with its energy needs rapidly growing,
aims to become an energy hub, a passageway to Europe for Caucasian
and Middle Eastern energy resources.
Azerbaijan and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on June
26 on the TANAP project. In December of last year, the two countries
signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a consortium to
build a gas pipeline to supply gas from the Shah Deniz field to Europe
through Turkish territory.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-312105-turkey-should-be-given-more-active-role-in-resolution-of-karabakh-question.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
APRIL 9 2013
Turkey should not be isolated from the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation
process between Azerbaijan and Armenia but should instead be a key
actor, Azerbaijani politician Isa Gambar has stated.
"The most important and effective peace project would be the one that
includes Turkey," said Gambar, the leader of the Equality Party, in
an interview with Today's Zaman last week. "We think Turkey should
be included in the negotiation process."
Negotiations to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been
continuing under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the US and
established in 1992. The other participating states in the group are
Turkey, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden
and Finland, in addition to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"The mediator countries leading the Minsk Group have delayed in
offering a comprehensive peace solution in Karabakh. All of them are
trying to maintain the status quo and look after their own interests
in the region while this problem persists," Gambar criticized. "Turkey
should have assumed a more active task during the negotiation process."
To date there have been no significant developments in the process.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave located within Azerbaijan and
predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians, together with seven
Azeri-populated adjacent territories, was occupied by Armenian forces
under the command of current Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan in a
bloody six-year war between 1988 and 1994, leaving 30,000 dead and
nearly a million displaced.
'Turkey should further deepen ties with brotherly Azerbaijan'
Gambar maintained that Turkey's interest towards the South Caucasus
region and Azerbaijan has increased in recent years, but that it isn't
sufficient. "Turkey should focus on further strengthening its ties
with the South Caucasus and Azerbaijan," he said. On that subject,
Gambar said he appreciated the creation of a trilateral cooperation
deal between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia in late March.
In a joint meeting held in Batumi on March 28, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutošlu, Azerbaijan's Elmar Mammadyarov and Georgia's Maia
Panjikidze signed a cooperation deal on a wide range of issues,
including the economy, energy, environment, culture, education and
sports, to enhance existing mutual trust and cooperation.
The Turkish-Azerbaijani energy cooperation under the Trans-Anatolian
gas pipeline (TANAP) project is also a key element in terms of
strengthening ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan. TANAP is a major
project for Turkey, which, with its energy needs rapidly growing,
aims to become an energy hub, a passageway to Europe for Caucasian
and Middle Eastern energy resources.
Azerbaijan and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on June
26 on the TANAP project. In December of last year, the two countries
signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a consortium to
build a gas pipeline to supply gas from the Shah Deniz field to Europe
through Turkish territory.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-312105-turkey-should-be-given-more-active-role-in-resolution-of-karabakh-question.html