GUL AND ALIYEV DISCUSS PARTICIPATION OF ARMENIA IN KARS-AKHALKALAK PROJECT IN BAKU
By Hakob Chakrian
AZG Armenian Daily
21/06/2006
Organization of Islamic Conference Demands Not to Ignore the Issue
of 1 Million Azeri Refugees
On June 19, Baku hosted the 33d session of foreign ministers of
the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). In his opening speech
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev underscored that Islam preaches
love, brotherhood and peace and therefore cannot be equalized to
terrorism. Meanwhile, he turned to the participants "with a hope to
help overcome the Armenian occupation."
Only Zaman daily perhaps reports on Aliyev’s speech.
Interestingly, Turkish press slurs over Turkish foreign minister
Abdullah Gul’s speech and focuses on the latter’s meeting with his
Iranian counterpart instead. In his speech Gul touched upon Armenia
in the context of the so-called occupied territories, and this fact
was covered only by small circulation newspaper Turkie.
According to Turkie, Abdullah Gul called on the participants for
unity and reconciliation for restoring peace, stability and security
in the region.
Gul touched on the blockade against Moslem Turks in Cyprus and then
went on to warn Armenia.
Turkie writes that Gul viewed the "frozen and unsettled" conflicts
in the South Caucasus as an obstacle on the path of stability and
democracy in the region and said: "Despite the 10 year long Armenian
occupation we are still looking forward to liberation of occupied
lands." Meanwhile he reminded of 1 million Azerbaijani displaced
people adding:: "Other international structures can ignore this fact
but the Organization of Islamic Conference ought not do that."
Rounding off Gul called on Armenia to respect international regulations
and implement long-term constructive policy towards its neighbors. The
same Ilham Aliyev received Gul. According to Turkie, they exchanged
thoughts over the construction of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku railway
link and probability of Armenia’s participation in the project.
Despite the reports of Day.az that every participant of the session
clearly backed Baku in Nagorno Karabakh issue and the serious document
prepared by OIC experts, bypassing of Turkish foreign minister’s
statements about Armenia and "Armenian occupation" by Turkish printed
media and public TV allow us to conclude that his words were directed
to the Azerbaijani audience.
Contrary to this, Aliyev-Gul discussion of Armenia’s participation in
the railway project must be considered a signal to the international
powers.
Though this signal is conditioned by international powers’ reluctance
to finance the project, by doing so Gul offsets his warning to Armenia
that was only covered by Turkie newspaper.