TURKISH FM’S VISIT RAISES QUESTIONS
AzerNews Weekly
Feb 11 2009
Azerbaijan
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan`s short visit to Baku and his
meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov are being widely discussed in local political circles.
It is also indicative that unlike his previous visit, the two ministers
did not hold a news conference after the talks on Monday.
Babacan`s visit, which followed his meeting with his Armenian
counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian, on the sidelines of a security
conference in Munich and came prior to Turkish President Abdullah
Gul`s visit to Moscow, is considered extraordinary.
Khazar Ibrahim, spokesman for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, said
there was no need for a special reason for paying such visits between
fraternal states.
"This was a working visit. The situation in the region, including
bilateral and international issues, were a focus of attention during
the meeting and views were exchanged on those issues in amicable
conditions. Such visits are quite regular among friendly and brotherly
countries and may take place any time."
According to the Foreign Ministry, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
praised Turkey`s Caucasus Peace and Stability Platform, pointing out
the importance of this proposal that seeks to promote peace in the
turbulent region and the need to continue discussions to make peace
a reality.
Babacan, for his part, stressed the importance of restoring peace in
the region, saying it was pivotal to find a speedy solution to regional
conflicts. He emphasized that settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh conflict was possible only within Azerbaijan`s
territorial integrity.
In a meeting with President Aliyev, the parties discussed
Azerbaijani-Turkish relations and ways of resolving the Garabagh
problem.
Some political analysts point out that the Turkish minister had visited
Baku about two months ago and that the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry`s
statements overlap those it made during the previous visit, thereby
claiming that other reasons may be the catalyst for this latest visit.
Arastun Orujlu, the head of the local East-West Research Center
believes that, currently, one of the main issues of concern for Ankara
is the potential threat of war in the region becoming a reality in the
backdrop of the latest actions by Russia. After a brief Russia-Georgia
war in August 2008 Turkey, which undertook the responsibility of
promoting regional security, is trying to prevent a military stand-off.
Political analyst Rasim Musabayov says Turkish President Abdullah Gul`s
upcoming visit to Russia lies at the core of the talks held in Baku.
"Ankara was looking to inform the Azerbaijani side about the essence
of the discussions to take place in Moscow so that Baku would not
receive any unexpected news from Russia thereafter.
Ankara is also trying to clarify Azerbaijan`s stance, as the parties
will discuss the situation in the Caucasus, including the Garabagh
problem, in Moscow," Musabayov said.
Another pundit, Zardusht Alizada, says Turkey-Russia talks are about
to enter a crucial stage.
"Russia is trying to make Turkey a partner in its policy on the
Caucasus and the East. In this respect, there are certain conditions
that Ankara will put forward to Moscow. Turkey is trying to bring
into compliance its diplomacy with that of Azerbaijan and adhere to
a common stance. Ali Babacan therefore came to a friendly country to
determine a common ground."
Alizada added that Turkey has turned into a powerful regional state
with an active policy on the Caucasus, Russia, Iran, Europe and
the Islamic world. This policy, he said, is considerably different
from that pursued by the United States and allows it to take broad
initiatives. From this standpoint, not only Turkey-Russia talks
but also those between Turkey and Armenia could be beneficial for
Azerbaijan.
The Turkish foreign minister had arrived in Baku after attending the
45th Munich Security Conference held Febuary 6-8. While in Germany,
he had meetings with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Foreign
Minister Eduard Nalbandian. Afterwards, participants addressed a
panel entitled "The Balkans and Caucasus states."
Babacan said the goal of the meetings with Armenian leaders was to
normalize relations in the region. "If we manage to fully normalize
relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and those between Turkey
and Armenia, the situation in the region will drastically change."
The Turkish minister said achieving regional peace would bring
considerable benefits to all parties involved.
Sarkisian claimed that if intense talks continue, the second half
of 2009 might see the establishment of "very different ties" between
Turkey and Armenia.
He said, further, that the negotiating process that started with
the Turkish president`s visit to his country last year has advanced
considerably since then. Additionally, a meeting of the Turkish and
Armenian presidents was followed by several meetings between the two
countries` foreign ministers.
Sarkisian said he was optimistic about the future due to "the
abundance of those ready to take courageous steps in the region." He
said Yerevan was seeking to expand cooperation with all regional
states to bolster the importance of the South Caucasus region as
an alternate transportation route, adding that a lesson should be
learned from the bitter developments of the past.
Armenia and Turkey currently maintain no diplomatic ties and the
border between the two countries has remained closed since 1993.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress