Has Baku started blackmailing Armenia?
2009-04-04 11:53:00
ArmInfo. Concerned that the Turkish government might open its border
with Armenia before reconciliation is reached, the Azerbaijani
government has signaled it might stop selling natural gas to Turkey.
The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet says, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
told third parties that Baku would cut gas supplies to Turkey if Ankara
reaches an agreement with Yerevan before substantial progress is
underway on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, the Hurriyet Daily News &
Economic Review has learned. As a sign of how serious it is, Azerbaijan
signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia last week for
long-term supply of gas at market prices.
The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, has been the target
of severe criticism in the Azerbaijani press with commentators there
accusing the Turkish government of selling out. The Turkish Foreign
Ministry has been informed that Aliyev has told third parties that were
Turkey to open its borders to Armenia, cooperation on energy supplies
would end.
Ankara and Baku have been trying to reach an agreement over the price
of natural gas Turkey buys from Azerbaijan through the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline. The agreement to buy natural gas for
$120 per 1,000 cubic meters for the duration of the first year
following the opening of the pipeline has long ended and the two failed
to reach an agreement as Azerbaijan wants to sell its gas at
international market prices, which is around $350 per 1,000 cubic
meters.