ANKARA GOES EASY WITH FLIGHT ACCESS TO ARMENIA

Gözlem Gazetes
Aug 20 2008
Turkey

As Ankara relaxes its air space quota for Armenia, it appears Turkey
has spotted an opportunity to use the crisis in Georgia to ease its
strained relationship with Armenia.

Ankara decided to loosen its air space quota for Armenia to allow
easier access for humanitarian aid to war-torn Georgia. The most
visible aim is to contribute to aid efforts by facilitating the
transfer of material via Armenia and to help civilians leave Georgia by
using Yerevan as an alternative to Baku, which is already overcrowded.

European countries mostly used Georgian and Russian air space before
the war. Charter flights from Istanbul and Trabzon to Yerevan were
already available; now all planes flying to and from Yerevan are
granted flight permission.

Ankara’s move is also considered a new gesture towards Armenia,
in addition to considerations of aid to civilians. The neighboring
countries’ ties are strained over genocide claims, Armenian occupation
on Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian referral to eastern Anatolia as
western Armenia’in official documents. However, the possibility of
a thaw has been seen in recent months, as Armenian President Serge
Sarkisian invited Turkish President Abdullah Gul to watch a World
Cup 2010 qualifying game between the two countries in Yerevan on
Sept. 6. Gul’s answer to Sarkisian’s invitation is still not clear.

It is not known whether Ankara will extend its relaxed air space
quota until the match date.

Armenia to be drawn to Caucasus stability platform Meanwhile, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go to Azerbaijan to talk over
his proposal for a Platform for Stability and Cooperation in the
Caucasus. Erdogan is expected to go to Baku today to present his plan
with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. We will discuss the project
with Armenia to construct a cooperation region with five countries,
Erdogan said during a lunch at the Turkey-Africa summit in Istanbul
yesterday.

Erdogan previously held talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin following the outbreak of war. He
also shared the proposal to form a platform for promotion of
multilateral dialogue with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

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