ZARDUSHT ALIZADE: "IT WOULD BE EASIER FOR US TO FIND A COMPROMISE WITH THE ARMENIAN SOCIETY WHICH IS FRIENDLY TO TURKEY, BUT NOT THE ARMENIAN SOCIETY, WHICH DEPENDS ON RUSSIA"
Today.Az
litics/47494.html
Sept 9 2008
Azerbaijan
"In the early 1990s Turkey was greatly interested in Azerbaijan and
started to support our country strategically. Yet Azerbaijan turned out
to be not quite a good partners. Turks began to train our servicemen,
supply ammunitions and weapons here, but, in the end, they saw that
Azerbaijan does not take due interest in the Karabakh issue", said
famous political scientist Zardusht Alizade, speaking of the recent
visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Armenia.
According to him, Turkey maintains good neighbor relations with Syria,
Iraq, Iran, Georgia, Russia – with everyone except for Armenia.
"The security of any country is measured with its relations with
neighbors. In these conditions a government should set a dialogue and
improve relations. In this sense, Turkey has done much: without having
diplomatic relations with Armenia, it allowed Armenian citizens to
come to Turkey for earning a living, thus making a part of Armenian
society economically dependent on itself, like Russia did it with
Azerbaijanis".
He said Ankara started to encourage development of Armenian-Turkish
business relations and today some Armenians even voice statements that
Turks are not enemies but neighbors and a gate to Europe. According
to him, these voices are so far weaker on the background of those
supporting relations with Russia, however, the struggle started, there
is a split in the Armenian society and Turkey takes an advantage of it.
"Therefore, I think Gul’s visit to Yerevan is a wise and brave step on
the way of intensive dialogue. It reminds me of a ping-pong diplomacy
between the US and China in the 1970s and "fighter diplomacy" when
Iranian fighters went to the United States and US ones to Iran.
I think Gul has taken a positive step, which will promote improvement
of relations between Armenia and Turkey and raise security and mutual
understanding level in the region".
He said Gul’s visit to Armenia will improve relations between Armenia
and Turkey, Armenian economy will be bound to Turkish, Armenian society
will start orienting on Turkey, thus reducing tensions between these
two countries. "In these conditions, it will be easier for us to find a
compromise with the Armenian society which is friendly to Turkey, but
not the Armenian society, which depends on Russia, though there are a
number of factors, including a military base used to control Armenian
society and army, Armenian national myth of enmity towards Turks,
Karabakh army around Yerevan, which controls Armenian opposition,
Armenian politicians speaking for the union with Russia, including
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and Baku Saakyan, who controls Serzh and Robert
and ensures Russia’s control over Armenia".
According to the political scientist, Turkey has already started to
change its policy, using the potential of peace, economy, cooperation
and Azerbaijan should also change its approaches, as our country’s
current policy in this direction is completely ineffective.
Nevertheless, he thinks that initiative of the platform of cooperation
and security is senseless, as the regional countries look in different
directions.