AZERBAIJAN, TURKEY DENY INCIDENT BETWEEN TOP DIPLOMATS

Turan
April 20 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku, 20 April: "Reports about a conflict in Yerevan between Turkish
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister
Mahmud Mammadquliyev is another invention by the Armenian media. This
misinformation is aimed at casting shadow on relations between the
two fraternal nations. Such rumours cannot affect relations between
Azerbaijan and Turkey," acting press secretary of the Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry, Elxan Poluxov, told Turan.

To recap, Armenian media outlets reported that Babacan had roughly
interrupted a conversation with Mammadquliyev during the session of the
foreign ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization
in Yerevan last week and hurried to a meeting with Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry also denied the reports about the
incident. The ministry described Armenian media reports as "fantasy".

"Turkey and Azerbaijan are historically connected with friendly and
fraternal relations. Such reports are aimed at sowing confusion in
the Azerbaijani society," says the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement
that Turan received from the Turkish embassy [in Baku].