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ENVOY SAYS FLIGHTS TO YEREVAN NO SIGN OF CHANGE IN KARABAKH POLICY
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 15 2013
Turkey's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Alper Coşkun, has stated that
the commencement of direct flights between the Turkish city of Van
and the Armenian capital of Yerevan set to happen on April 3 are not
indicative of any change in Turkey's Armenia policy despite the fact
that it has been interpreted as a thawing in the perennially tense
Turkish-Armenian relationship.
"The Turkish president [Abdullah Gul], parliamentary speaker [Cemil
Cicek] and several other state officials have always made their
attitudes to Turkey's ties with Armenia clearly. The flight from
Yerevan to Turkey has to do with trade between private companies
on both sides and, as such, the issue should be interpreted in this
light," Coşkun said.
The chairman of the Armenian Union of the Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs, Arsen Ghazaryan, has said in remarks to the Armenian
ARKA news agency that the flights are expected to boost regional
tourism and bolster economic ties.
The Turkish ambassador in Baku also emphasized that there has not been
any change in Ankara's policy on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, adding, "There is no other country in the world that extends
so much support to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that
it keeps its border with Armenia closed." He urged the media to not
mislead the public as Turkey has not made even a small change to its
policy in this regard.
For years now Armenia and Turkey have had no diplomatic ties,
and Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during the
Nagorno-Karabakh war in an act of solidarity with Azerbaijan, a
country with which it has an ethnic bond. The war resulted in the
deaths of some 30,000 Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Ankara has set as
a precondition for the normalization of bilateral relations with
Armenia the Armenian withdrawal from the Nagorno-Karabakh region,
which is still under occupation by Yerevan.
Armenia has occupied the mountainous enclave since 1992 and refuses
to withdraw its armed forces. The issue has been one of the major
sources of regional instability and threatens peace in the volatile
region with constant bickering between Baku and Yerevan.
Despite reconciliation efforts, Ankara and Yerevan have failed to
reach a compromise and the border remains closed.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-309818-envoy-says-flights-to-yerevan-no-sign-of-change-in-karabakh-policy.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 15 2013
Turkey's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Alper Coşkun, has stated that
the commencement of direct flights between the Turkish city of Van
and the Armenian capital of Yerevan set to happen on April 3 are not
indicative of any change in Turkey's Armenia policy despite the fact
that it has been interpreted as a thawing in the perennially tense
Turkish-Armenian relationship.
"The Turkish president [Abdullah Gul], parliamentary speaker [Cemil
Cicek] and several other state officials have always made their
attitudes to Turkey's ties with Armenia clearly. The flight from
Yerevan to Turkey has to do with trade between private companies
on both sides and, as such, the issue should be interpreted in this
light," Coşkun said.
The chairman of the Armenian Union of the Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs, Arsen Ghazaryan, has said in remarks to the Armenian
ARKA news agency that the flights are expected to boost regional
tourism and bolster economic ties.
The Turkish ambassador in Baku also emphasized that there has not been
any change in Ankara's policy on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, adding, "There is no other country in the world that extends
so much support to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that
it keeps its border with Armenia closed." He urged the media to not
mislead the public as Turkey has not made even a small change to its
policy in this regard.
For years now Armenia and Turkey have had no diplomatic ties,
and Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during the
Nagorno-Karabakh war in an act of solidarity with Azerbaijan, a
country with which it has an ethnic bond. The war resulted in the
deaths of some 30,000 Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Ankara has set as
a precondition for the normalization of bilateral relations with
Armenia the Armenian withdrawal from the Nagorno-Karabakh region,
which is still under occupation by Yerevan.
Armenia has occupied the mountainous enclave since 1992 and refuses
to withdraw its armed forces. The issue has been one of the major
sources of regional instability and threatens peace in the volatile
region with constant bickering between Baku and Yerevan.
Despite reconciliation efforts, Ankara and Yerevan have failed to
reach a compromise and the border remains closed.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-309818-envoy-says-flights-to-yerevan-no-sign-of-change-in-karabakh-policy.html