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BAKU: Azerbaijan voices concern over planned Turkey-Armenia flights

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  • BAKU: Azerbaijan voices concern over planned Turkey-Armenia flights

    Lider TV, Azerbaijan
    March 15 2013

    Azerbaijan voices concern over planned Turkey-Armenia flights


    A senior Azerbaijani official has said that the country is concerned
    about the launch of direct flights between the Turkish city of Van and
    the Armenian capital of Yerevan planned for early April.

    "Both the Azerbaijani public and the government have negative attitude
    towards having any economic ties with Armenia, including the opening
    of the borders [with Armenia], intensification of visits to Armenia
    and establishment of any ties with Armenia's political and economic
    agencies. And it causes our greater concern when such things are
    implemented by friendly counties, by countries whose strategic
    interests coincide with those of Azerbaijan. The Turkish public shares
    this attitude of ours," Ali Hasanov, the head of the public-political
    department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said in
    remarks aired on Azerbaijani Lider TV on 16 March.

    The TV quoted Hasanov as saying that Baku regards such contacts with
    Armenia as support for the latter's policy regarding Azerbaijan.

    Meanwhile, Turkey's ambassador to Azerbaijan Alper Coskun has said
    that the commencement of direct flights between Van and Yerevan are
    not indicative of any change in Turkey's policy on Armenia or the
    settlement of the Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

    "The Turkish president, parliamentary speaker 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," Coskun was quoted as saying by
    Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman website.

    Armenia and Turkey have had no diplomatic ties, and Turkey closed its
    border with Armenia in 1993 during the hostilities in Azerbaijan's
    breakaway region of Nagornyy Karabakh in an act of solidarity with
    Azerbaijan. Despite reconciliation efforts, Ankara and Yerevan have
    failed to reach a compromise and the border remains closed.

    [Translated from Azeri]




    From: A. Papazian
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