TURKEY BACKS AZERBAIJAN
Baku Sun, Azerbaijan
April 27 2007
BAKU – A top Turkish security official on Wednesday said the unresolved
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan was a major
threat to regional peace and stability.
Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, who was visiting Baku for
talks on security cooperation, said the continuing Armenian occupation
of Azerbaijani territories was unacceptable.
"We think this conflict should be resolved within the framework of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity," Aksu told a joint press conference
with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ramil Usubov. "We believe that the
conflict can be resolved peacefully."
Armenian troops captured Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region along
with seven surrounding districts in early 1990s, displacing hundreds
of thousands of civilians. Nagorno-Karabakh – a predominantly
ethnic-Armenian populated region that enjoyed autonomy within
Azerbaijan under the Soviet Union – and the seven occupied districts
account for nearly 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory.
Aksu reiterated Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan on the settlement
of the conflict. He said Turkey’s security agencies were closely
cooperating with Azerbaijan’s law-enforcement bodies in the fight on
terrorism and human trafficking.
Azerbaijani Interior Minister Ramil Usubov said the two countries’
interior ministries had reached agreement on exchange of information.
Usubov said the interior ministries of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia
would meet in a few months to discuss the joint fight against organized
crime, terrorism and trans-national crimes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
