OFFENDED ILHAM OR TURKEY’S BETRAYAL
ArmInfo
2009-04-06 16:55:00
ArmInfo. After threatening to cut Turkey’s natural gas, Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev decided to boycott the Istanbul summit of
the Alliance of Civilizations in reaction to a Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation, prior to a breakthrough on the problem of Nagorno
Karabakh.
Turkish media reported that President Abdullah Gul called Aliyev last
Friday, but failed to change his mind on the summit. U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton also called ‘the present father of the
Azerbaijani people’ to convince him to come to Istanbul. Clinton’s
message that he would have a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama,
who will be in Istanbul during the summit, was not enough to convince
the offended Aliyev.
Aliyev is said to be angry at the fact that the opening of the borders
is no longer directly and clearly tied to the Armenian withdrawal from
‘occupied Azeri territories’. "Sufficient progress on the resolution
of the conflict of Nagorno Karabakh is required before the opening of
the border," says the protocol, according to reliable sources. Aliyev,
who is known to have told his close entourage that he feels betrayed
by Turkey is said to have asked the Turkish side what "sufficient
progress," means exactly.
Azerbaijan believes there should be no reconciliation between Turkey
and Armenia prior to Armenian withdrawal. Generous Aliyev has even
conceded to have the Armenians withdraw from just five regions,
postponing withdrawal from the strategic region of Lachin, a corridor
connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia and Kelbecher.
In addition, Azerbaijan wants an agreement on the general outlines of
a solution to the problem, including the future status of the enclave.
Concerned that a possible agreement between Turkey and Armenia is
under jeopardy, the U.S. administration has dispatched U.S. Assistant
Secretary Matt Bryza to Baku to calm Aliyev. The U.S. administration is
exerting pressure on both Ankara and Yerevan to announce a breakthrough
in their relations, before April 24, the date when the presidency will
issue a statement on Armenians’ claims of genocide. U.S. During his
election campaign, President Obama pledged to recognize the World
War I mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans as
genocide. Major progress on a Turkish- Armenian reconciliation might
enable Obama from backing down from his election promise.