AZERBAIJAN HOPES TURKISH POLICY ON ARMENIA REMAINS UNCHANGED

ANS TV
July 21 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has expressed the hope that its key ally, Turkey, will not
change its policy towards Armenia, the country with which Azerbaijan
has been at war since the early 1990s.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in protest at
the capture of Azerbaijan’s Nagornyy Karabakh region and several
adjacent territories by Armenian-backed separatists. Ankara insists
that Armenians pull their troops out of these territories and give
up their attempts to secure international recognition of the 1915
killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide.

"[Turkish Foreign Minister Ali] Babacan has said that the Turkish
policy is unchangeable. Therefore, we hope that Turkey’s actions will
be based on this policy," Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman
Xazar Ibrahim told reporters on 21 July. His comments were broadcast
by ANS TV.

"Turkey has its official position and we want all steps to be taken
within that format," Ibrahim said.

He also called for coordination of Turkish-Azerbaijani policies.

"Turkey and Azerbaijan are friendly and brotherly countries. Therefore,
we think that the coordination of our policies is very important,"
Ibrahim said.

The statement came following reports that Turkish and Armenian
diplomats met secretly in Switzerland earlier this month to normalize
ties.