FREEZING RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA MORE NECESSARY FOR TURKEY ITSELF: CO-FOUNDER OF AZERBAIJANI YOUTH MOVEMENT
Trend News Agency
Sept 3 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku, 3 September /corr. Trend News J.Babayeva /
Azerbaijani youth are concerned by Turkish President Abdulla Gul’s
visit to Armenia.
"We hope that the purpose of Gul’s visit to Armenia is not only to
watch the football match, but also to obtain from Armenia concrete,
significant reciprocal steps as a result of this gesture. If Gul does
not attain this, the results of his visit to Armenia can be dangerous
for Turkey and for the entire Turkic world," Co-founder of Azerbaijan
Youth Movement ‘Ireli’, Jeyhun Osmanli, on 3 September.
The President of Armenia, Serj Sarkisyan, invited Abdulla Gul to the
match of the Turkish and Armenian national football teams which will
take place on 6 September in Yerevan.
The public of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia attentively follows
whether Turkey will receive the invitation of Armenia, with which it
has no diplomatic relations.
There are no diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia and
the Turkish-Armenian borders have been closed since 1993. For the
re-establishment of the bilateral relations, Ankara calls upon Armenia
to give up its policy of internationally recognition of ‘Armenian
genocide’, reported to be committed by the Ottoman Empire, to recognize
borders of Turkey and withdraw from occupied Azerbaijani territories.
Accordign to Osmanly, some people erroneously think that Azerbaijan
is interested in the absence of relations between Turkey and
Armenia. "Freezing Turkish- Armenian relations is more necessary
for Turkey itself. Because the parliaments of more than 20 countries
of world officially recognized so-called genocide, claims on which
Armenians advanced against Turkey. But Armenia respectfully approaches
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan because today self-proclaimed
republic Nagorno-Karabakh was not recognized by any country, even by
Armenia itself.
The diplomatic victory of Armenia above Turkey is obvious. Until now
Turkey followed balance because of the absence of relations. Turkey’s
demonstration of unilateral softening of positions, while Armenia
does not reject claims against it and Azerbaijan, it will end with
the fact that the country will lose the existing means of political
pressure," said Osmanly.
According to Osmanly, Turkey pretends to become the center 300mln
Turkic world, and constantly voicing this desire, it undertakes
concrete steps in this regard. "In order to become the center, Turkey
must demonstrate sensitivity in moral questions of its supporters
and its people," he added.
Osmanly also noted that the majority of the youth movements of Turkey
negatively relate to Gul’s visit to Armenia. "They expect nothing new
from this visit. Young people hope, but probably among the purposes
of the visit there are moments unknown for them, of which results
will be in favor of Azerbaijan and Turkey," said Osmanly.