Azeris give support to Turkish Cyprus

The International Herald Tribune
(From the Associated Press, Reuters)
Friday, July 1, 2005

BAKU, Azerbaijan — The government of Azerbaijan said Thursday that
it would start accepting Turkish Cypriot passports, becoming only the
second country, after Turkey, to give a degree of recognition to the
enclave in northern Cyprus.

The decision is expected to anger European Union members and the Greek
Cypriots, whose government is internationally recognized as the sole
authority on the ethnically divided island.

The move came as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey met
to discuss regional cooperation and development with the Azerbaijani
president, Ilham Aliyev, who said his country would work to end the
isolation of Turkish Cypriots.

Announcing the passport decision during talks here in the capital,
Ibrahim Nabioglu, Azerbaijan’s consul-general in Istanbul, said:
“Azerbaijan recognizes the passports of northern Cyprus and is keen
on developing relations with it.”

Turkey is the only country that recognizes Turkish Cypriot-run northern
Cyprus as a state.

Most of Azerbaijan’s eight million people are of Turkic origin and the
country has very close cultural and political ties with Turkey. Both
Azerbaijan and Turkey are predominantly Muslim.

At a news briefing with Erdogan, Aliyev stopped short of offering
Turkish Cypriots full recognition but promised to help them emerge
from international isolation.

“Azeri companies can work with their counterparts in northern Cyprus,
and we are also planning to start direct charter flights to northern
Cyprus,” Aliyev said.

Cyprus has been split on ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded
the north after a brief Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military
junta then ruling Greece.

The United Nations recommended removing trade and political barriers
against northern Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots last year voted in
favor of a UN plan to reunite the Mediterranean island. Greek Cypriots
voted against it.

Turkey is Azerbaijan’s closest ally in the region, supporting it in its
dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan
that has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces for more
than a decade.

“We will continue our policy of support of Azerbaijan in all
international structures, and our approach fully coincides with the
position of Azerbaijan on this question,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish port of Ceyhan is the terminus of an oil pipeline that
begins near Baku and is to go into service this year. Aliyev said that
the port would further solidify relations with Turkey and encourage
stability in the Caucasus region.

“The project will strengthen the role and influence of Turkey in
Azerbaijan even more and in the future will serve our economic and
political positions,” Aliyev said.

Aliyev also said he saw signs of progress in efforts to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute after a long period of apparent stagnation.

“Talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia are today going in a positive
direction,” he said.

Erdogan, who arrived in Baku on Wednesday, visited a park named in
memory of Aliyev’s father, Geidar, the longtime leader of Azerbaijan,
and memorials to Azerbaijani soldiers.

He was also scheduled to meet with the Azerbaijani prime minister,
Artur Rasizade.