Institute for War & Peace Reporting
July 27 2005
Azerbaijan Embraces Northern Cyprus
Baku’s overtures towards an unrecognised territory cause controversy.
By Rufat Abbasov in Baku (CRS No. 297, 27-Jul-05)
The first commercial passenger aircraft flew from Baku to northern
Cyprus on July 27, strengthening Azerbaijan’s ties with the
internationally unrecognised territory.
It comes at time when the Caucasian state is having problems with its
own territorial integrity.
On June 29, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliev said after receiving
Turkish prime minister Recep Tayip Erdogan that the self-proclaimed
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ought to be allowed more contact
with the rest of the world and that Baku was sympathetic to that
goal.
`Northern Cyprus should escape from its international isolation and
we are ready to help it with this,’ said Aliev. `So Azerbaijani
companies can collaborate with their colleagues in northern Cyprus
and we also plan to open a direct charter flight.’
Immediately after this, two airlines, the Azerbaijani company Imair
and the Turkish company Improtex announced that regular flights would
begin between Azerbaijan and northern Cyprus.
`On Sundays we will begin to make passenger flights to Ercan
airport.. not far from….Lefkosa [known internationally as Nicosia],’
said Alexander Guliev, director of Improtex Travel.
`The opening of air travel by our company to northern Cyprus has
nothing to do with politics and is explained by the attractions of a
new region for tourists from Azerbaijan and the lack of a visa
regime.’
After years of inter-communal violence, Cyprus was divided into two
parts in 1974 after a coup d’etat sponsored by the then military
regime in Greece triggered an invasion by Turkish forces, who
occupied the northern third of the island. The Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus was established in 1983 but has only ever been
recognised by Turkey, while the rest of the world continues to regard
the Republic of Cyprus in the south as the only legitimate government
on the island.
The latest attempt at reunification failed in 2004 after a
UN-sponsored plan was approved in a referendum by Turkish voters but
rejected by Greeks. As a result, the southern Republic of Cyprus
became a member of the European Union on its own.
Azerbaijan, with its traditionally strong links to Turkey, has also
developed ties with Turkish Cyprus. At the end of July, the Union of
Businessman of Azerbaijan and Turkey organised a trip by businessmen
to Cyprus. And a parliamentary delegation recently visited northern
part of the island with the aim, according to deputy Hadi Recebli, of
`supporting the Turkish Cypriots’.
Mustafa Evran, head of Turkish Cyprus’ Chamber of Commerce in
Azerbaijan, told journalists that eight Azerbaijani companies are now
working in northern Cyprus.
Turkish prime minister Erdogan said that Azerbaijan was close to
recognising the sovereignty of northern Cyprus, saying, `I hope that
Azerbaijan’s steps in this direction will continue.’
However, although the issue of recognising northern Cyprus has been
on the agenda of the Azerbaijani parliament several times, it has not
been debated because of sensitivity over the issue of Nagorny
Karabakh, the unrecognised Armenian-controlled republic that exists
on what is the internationally recognised territory of Azerbaijan.
Mehmet Ali Talat, who is now president of northern Cyprus, told the
Turkish newspaper Hurriet that the Greek Cypriot community had
threatened to open a direct flight to Nagorny Karabakh, dismissing
this as an empty gesture.
The Azerbaijani opposition is accusing the government of using the
Cyprus question as a means of winning political dividends ahead of
the forthcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 6.
Elkhan Mekhdiev, a political analyst and member of the Musavat
political party, noted, `It’s being done now because the world is
ready for this and the USA and European Union realise the necessity
of the northern part of the island emerging from isolation. Aliev
also wants to receive the support of Ankara in the forthcoming
parliamentary elections.’
Vafa Guluzade, a former presidential aide to Aliev’s late father,
Heidar Aliev, supported the current head of state. `There is a power
struggle in Azerbaijan and Aliev is using this issue in the
struggle,’ he told IWPR. `But on the whole these steps should be
supported. I even think that we must recognise northern Cyprus as a
state. Ilham Aliev ought to make this historic step and we should not
be afraid of Greece.’
Rasim Musabekov, an independent analyst, also advised his government
not to hold back on northern Cyprus.
`As for the Greeks repeating these steps towards Karabakh – they are
doing it already,’ said Musabekov. `Today the US government is giving
financial help to the Karabakhi separatists, parliamentary deputies
from France, Russia and Great Britain are flying there, big companies
are investing there. So we should not be afraid of what has already
been done.’
Armenpress news agency reported on July 21 that Arman Melikian,
foreign minister of the unrecognised republic of Nagorny Karabakh,
welcomed Greek Cypriot proposals to open a direct flights connection
between Nicosia and Karabakh in response to the Baku-Ercan flight.
Tahir Tagizade, spokesman for the Azerbaijani foreign ministry,
sought to play down controversy around the issue, insisting Baku also
had good relations with the Greek Cypriots.
`The population of northern Cyprus suffers from economic isolation,’
said Tagizade. `Azerbaijan hopes that the Turkish community of
Cyprus, which supported the plan of the general secretary of the UN
Kofi Annan, will benefit from an even-handed attitude by European
states. And Azerbaijan is ready to give equal help to both the
Turkish and Greek communities of Cyprus.’
Rufat Abbasov is a reporter with Reuters news agency in Baku.