AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY URGES TURKEY TO BE CAREFUL IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH ARMENIA
Trend News Agency
Nov 27 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku, 26 November /TrendNews corr. A.Huseynbala/ The
Azerbaijani opposition party supports Turkey to be more active in
policy of South Caucasus and to develop relations with Armenia.
"Both Turkey and Armenia are greatly interested in negotiations between
themselves," Isa Gambar, leader of Musavat Party, told TrendNews on
26 November.
Relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken off in 1993, as
Armenia has held a campaign against Turkey in the international
arena with false Armenian genocide claims and has occupied 20% of
the Azerbaijani territory. Turkish President Abdullah Gul received
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s invitation and left for Yerevan
to watch a football match between the National teams of Armenia and
Turkey under qualification stage of the European Championship on 6
September in 2008.
Diplomatic efforts are being made to normalize relations between
two countries after Gul’s visit. At the same time, Turkey seeks to
mediate in settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. Ali Babacan, Turkish Foreign Minister, organized a meeting
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers in New York
at the end of October. A trilateral meeting is expected to take place
again soon.
According to Gambar, Armenia’s one of interests in development of
relations with Turkey is to make Nagorno-Karabakh a matter of second
importance in Turkey’s foreign policy priorities.
" Armenia wants that steps, which will meet Armenia’s interest,
should be taken in settlement of other problems with Turkey, by
freezing situation on solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,"
Gambar said. Therefore, governmental officials and politicians
of Turkey should not enable to realize Armenia’s intention to make
Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, which contradict Armenia’s interests,
a matter of second importance, the leader of Musavat said.
Opposition Musavat party was founded in Baku in October 1911. The
third (restoration) sitting of Musavat party was held on 7 November
1992 in Republican Palace in Baku. Gambar was elected head of the
Musavat party in a landslide in a secret vote.
Gambar was the speaker of Azerbaijani Parliament from 1992 to 1993. In
2003, he ran for presidency. The party is represented by 4 MPs in
the Parliament.