TURKISH MEDIA ON CRISIS IN TURKISH-AZERBAIJANI RELATIONS

ArmInfo
2009-04-22 13:36:00

Although the storm in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations has settled
following assurances from Ankara that it will not open its borders
with Yerevan before a breakthrough in Armenian-Azerbaijani issues is
made, it seems difficult for the short term to eradicate the crisis
of confidence erupted recently between Ankara and Baku.

According to ‘Hurriyet’ Turkish newspaper, Ankara and Yerevan came
very close to a deal that would normalize relations between the two
countries but the process came to a sudden halt following reaction
from Azerbaijan, which is opposed to the opening of the border without
progress in the Nagorno Karabakh issue.

‘We were not informed of the talks between Turkey and Armenia, we
learned it from others’, the leader of the opposition Democratic
Reform Party Asim Mollazade said, the newspaper cites.

The lack of confidence is not a recent factor in relations. When
the Justice and Development Party, or the AKP, came to power, Baku
hesitated to fully trust the new government in Ankara. "There was an
apprehension towards the AKP. Baku was not sure whether the Turkic
world would appear high on the agenda of the AKP. There was a suspicion
that the AKP could prioritize other issues to the detriment of
Azerbaijan," said a foreign observer, who asked not to be identified.

Although the recent statements from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and President Gul have calmed down the administration’s
anxiety, the fact that the Turkish parliamentary group that went
to Baku last week did not include AKP parliamentarians did not go
unnoticed, the newspaper writes.

In every conversation in Baku that involves the Caucasus, Russia is
inevitably mentioned. Opponents of Russia see the hand of Moscow in
the rapprochement between the Turks and the Armenians, as it will
be detrimental to relations between Ankara and Baku. In the short
term, open borders between Turkey and Armenia will benefit Russia,
especially in light of the recent war with Georgia, as it will have
better access to Armenia where it still has military troops. Russian
flights presently carrying ammunition to troops in Armenia are flying
all the way from Turkmenistan. Furthermore, it will further isolate
Georgia.

Turkey and Azerbaijan forged good relations right after Azerbaijan
declared its independence. The Azerbaijani government, under Haydar
Aliyev, the father of the current president has been careful not to
alienate the Russians. "In fact we have always advised Azerbaijanis
to go very careful with Russia, to avoid policies that might anger
Russians," said a Turkish diplomat who is familiar with the early
stages of the bilateral relations.

Ever since independence, Azerbaijan has been the scene of rivalry
between Turkey and Russia for cultural, economic and political
supremacy. Turkey has the advantage of having linguistic, religious
and ethnic affinity. The Turkish dialect spoken by the Azerbaijanis
is easily understood by Turks. But the Russians have the advantage of
having kept Azerbaijan under Soviet domination for half a century. Many
Azerbaijanis still speak Russian.

No matter how the two sides’ officials perceive the cultural wars, the
fact remains that the recent developments seem to have reinforced the
suspicion on the part of the Aliyev administration toward the AKP. "The
recent events have shown to us that the motto ‘one nation two states’
has remained only rhetoric. We have not been able to substantiate it,"
said Nesibli. "The Turkish government made the mistake of conducting
talks with Yerevan without consulting Baku. Our administration,
however, made the mistake of making its discontent public, instead
of handling it through the diplomatic channels," Nesibli added,
criticizing the decision of Aliyev not to go to Turkey.

‘What I see is the need to talk more, we need to be more in touch with
each other’, Mollazade said of how to overcome the confidence crisis
between the two countries known until recently as strategic partners.