ALIYEV UNVEILS STANCE ON TURKEY-ARMENIA TIES

AzerNews Weekly
April 29 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed with the European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso energy, reforms in Azerbaijan
and Europe`s new regional cooperation program during a visit to
Brussels on Tuesday.

Although the parties told a news conference following the talks
that discussions had focused on these three topics, replies to
further questions revealed that the pressing issue of Turkey-Armenia
rapprochement was tabled as well.

According to Barroso, President Aliyev stressed that this was an
extremely sensitive issue for Azerbaijan. Barroso said the European
Commission fully supports efforts by Ankara and Yerevan to draw
closer. This, however, does not mean that the organization is taking
no action to advance resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh dispute, saying it backs conflict settlement
endeavors as well.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan had no intention to meddle in the affairs of
sovereign states, including the relations between Turkey and Armenia.

"All I want to say is this. We also have the right to rebuild our
policy due to the new realities in the region, and we will exercise
that right."

The president noted that only a plain simple question has arisen:
"will the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict be carried
out simultaneously, and, if so, at what stage is this possible?"

Aliyev said this simple question required a very simple answer and
he was still expecting that answer.

Turkey and Armenia have recently agreed a "road map" in an effort to
mend ties that have been historically strained over Armenian policy
of occupation against Azerbaijan, Turkey`s ally, and Armenian claims
on the alleged World War I-era genocide.

While in Belgium, the Azerbaijani leader is due to meet with NATO
Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Wednesday for talks on
bilateral cooperation.

On the same day, he is expected to hold discussions with the
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, according to the
EU website. The two will discuss Azerbaijan`s development as well
as EU-Azerbaijan relations, in particular, the summit on Eastern
Partnership, a program on Europe`s closer cooperation with its
ex-Soviet neighbors, which is due in Prague on May 7.