ERDOGAN SEEKS RUSSIAN BACKING IN KARABAKH PEACE EFFORTS
Today’s Zaman
May 18 2009
Turkey
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia in weekend talks with his
Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as Ankara seeks to normalize
its ties with Yerevan without alienating Azerbaijan.
"Turkey and Russia have responsibilities in the region. We have to
take steps for the peace and wellbeing of the region," Erdogan said
at a joint news conference with Putin in Sochi on Saturday. "This
includes the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the Middle East dispute,
the Cyprus problem," he added.
Russia is one of the three countries leading international efforts
for resolution of the territorial problems between Azerbaijan and
Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, as
well as Azerbaijani regions adjacent to it have been under Armenian
occupation since the early 1990s. Turkey closed its border with Armenia
in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan in 1993, but is now in talks
with Yerevan to restore ties. In an effort to ease growing concerns
in Azerbaijan over Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, Erdogan visited
Baku last week, giving firm assurances that the closed border would
not be opened unless Armenia withdraws from Nagorno-Karabakh. The
statement has raised questions in Turkey as to whether this means
a policy change in the reconciliation efforts with Armenia and has
elicited a reaction from Yerevan, which said Erdogan should not
interfere in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, which Armenia insists is
not linked with the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process.
Erdogan has also been urging Russia, as well as the United States and
France, which co-chair the so-called Minsk Group, to step up efforts
for settlement. Putin said, "Russia and Turkey seek for such problems
to be resolved and will facilitate this in every possible way,"
but emphasized that a compromise on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem
should be found by the participants in the conflict themselves. "As
for difficult problems from the past — and the Karabakh problem is
among such issues — a compromise should be found by the participants
in the conflict. Other states which help reach a compromise in this
aspect can play a role of mediators and guarantors to implement the
signed agreements," Putin said.
Gas deal, second pipeline
Putin and Erdogan also agreed to work on extending a gas supply
deal and discussed switching to payments in their national
currencies. Russia is Turkey’s largest trading partner, while Turkey
is the fifth-largest trading partner for Russia.
"The agreement on gas supplies through the so-called Western
route signed in 1986 is expiring in 2012. We have agreed today to
immediately start work to prolong this agreement," Erdogan said at
the news conference, referring to gas supplied through Bulgaria.
Erdogan said Russia and Turkey would also continue work on their Blue
Stream pipeline project, which supplies just under half of Russian
gas to Turkey. Putin said construction of a second Blue Stream gas
pipeline has become a priority for both countries.
Erdogan also said Turkey would announce "within days" the results
of the tender to build a nuclear power station in Turkey in which
Russian firm Atomstroyexport is the sole bidder.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress