ALL WORDS UTTERED BY ERDOGAN IN BAKU, ARE SIMPLY… WORDS
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.05.2009 GMT+04:00

Coming to power in 2002, the Justice and Development Party led by
Erdogan promised "zero problems with neighbors".

And again everything resumes its normal course: Heads of States declare
what their citizens seek to hear from them, curtseys are dropped,
but in reality everything proves to be exactly the opposite. Prime
Minister Erdogan’s visit to Baku, called as if to quiet the latter,
was not an exception. However, all the words pronounced by Erdogan
in Milli Majlis and at the press conference were nothing else but
simply… words.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Our stance on Nagorno-Karabakh is clear, and there
has never been any deviation from this stance," stated Erdogan in the
Azerbaijani parliament. "We want the problem to be resolved on the
basis of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. We have never taken
any steps that could harm the national interests of Azerbaijan and
will never take such steps. There will be no normalization until the
occupation of Azerbaijani territory is over." And straight off – "Our
government’s policy of reconciliation with Armenia is advisable. Lack
of solution in the disputes in the South Caucasus region serves no
one’s interests." Erdogan also said Turkey`s efforts were aimed not
only at normalization of ties with Armenia but also at contributing
to the welfare and stability in the entire region.

Coming to power in 2002, the Justice and Development Party led by
Erdogan promised "zero problems with neighbors". For this very reason
the Head of Turkish MFA is now Ahmet Davutoglu, careful and experienced
a diplomat. Actually, Ali Babacan carried out his unskilled labor, and
now it’s time for more delicate and accurate work. Especially because
after April 22 Yerevan turned to be sharper in expressions. This was
the price for the instantaneous reaction of the RA Foreign Ministry and
the President to the attempt of Turkey to interfere in the regulation
process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "The most useful thing
Turkey can do to contribute to peaceful settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, is to abstain from the interference into this process",
declared RA President Sargsyan and FM Nalbandyan.

Meanwhile, on the one hand the USA and the European Union are allegedly
looking forward to the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations,
but on the other they fear to lose Azerbaijan, which would weaken
the energy dependence of Europe on Russia.

And here we come to the central aim of Erdogan’s visit to Baku: the
rate for the Azerbaijani gas. It was clear from the very beginning
that Baku would press Ankara by raising prices for the gas. It was
obvious the moment secret negotiations between Armenian and Turkish
diplomats began in Switzerland. Not in vain did the newspaper Today’s
Zaman appear with the title "Gas price increase on the way."

Erdogan, who travelled to Baku accompanied by Energy Minister Taner
Yildiz and other ministers, said officials from the two countries would
discuss changing the price at which Ankara purchases the Azerbaijani
natural gas. Price for the gas Turkey receives from "Shah Deniz"
gas-condensate field will be reviewed in accordance with market prices
for gas. According to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner
Yildiz, the price $120 per 1,000 cubic meters corresponded to the
cost of gas in 2001, when the contract was concluded. The contract
concluded between Azerbaijan and Turkey stipulates that the price
for the gas from "Shah Deniz" be reviewed only one year after the
commencement of the supply process, i.e. the new price can be used only
since April 15, 2010. But Baku made a different decision. However,
Erdogan doesn’t seem to be one to obey Ilham Aliyev; he is eager to
establish his country as a regional power. And in order to achieve
his goal he had better sacrifice Azerbaijan, especially because the
latter is simply being troublesome…

"The main idea of the Armenian-Turkish agreement on the road map is
that normalization of relations should proceed simultaneously with the
process of the Karabakh conflict settlement but at the same time be
independent of it," stated Mustafa Aydin, Head of the International
Relations Department at TOBB University of Economics and Technology,
Ankara. He emphasized that opening of the Armenian-Turkish border
is not linked to the Karabakh conflict resolution. "The border will
certainly be opened and, possibly earlier than we expect," he noted.

As to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to
Azerbaijan, Prof. Aydin said it was "to the audience" just like
Erdogan’s statement made in Baku on normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations. "Actually, Turkish PM visited Baku to negotiate some
energy issues, specifically the Nabucco project and the Azerbaijani
gas price," he said. We have all the grounds to more believe the
Turkish professor than the Azeri media outlets.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress