Hürriyet , Turkey
May 9 2009
‘Turkey could open border if Armenia withdraws from Nagorno-Karabakh’
ISTANBUL – Turkey could open its border with Armenia if the
neighboring country withdraws its forces from the occupied Azeri
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said late
on Friday. (UPDATED)
Erdogan said during an interview with state-run broadcaster TRT Turk
that Turkey could open its border if Armenia lifts its occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Ankara cut diplomatic links with Yerevan and closed the border in a
show of support to Azerbaijan in 1993 after 20 percent of its
territory was invaded by Armenia in the disputed region — a frozen
conflict legacy of the Soviet Union known as Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turkey and Armenia, however, agreed last month on a "road map" deal
for U.S.-backed talks that could lead to the normalizing of ties and
the opening of their border.
Erdogan also told the TV channel that there were no problems in
relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which has been reportedly
disturbed by the Ankara-Yerevan thaw.
The Turkish prime minister said Saturday he would travel to Baku on
May 13 to meet President Ilham Aliyev and address Azerbaijani
parliament.
"I will give important messages to those who tried to destroy
friendship between us," Erdogan was quoted by Anatolian Agency as
telling at a party meeting in the central province of Afyonkarahisar.
Azerbaijan, which has strong cultural and historic ties with Turkey,
says opening the border before the withdrawal of Armenian troops from
the country’s occupied territories would run counter to its national
interests.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and his Azeri counterpart Ilham
Aliyev met Thursday for talks in Prague, under supervision from the
Minsk Group of international mediators.
The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed on the "basic
ideas" of resolving a long-standing territorial conflict during a
meeting in the Czech capital of Prague, according to mediators.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
