ERDOGAN’S STATEMENT UNSETTLES YEREVAN

AzerNews Weekly
May 20 2009
Azerbaijan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s statement made during
a visit to Baku last week has been met with considerable concern in
Yerevan, prompting reactions at the highest level of the Armenian
government. Following Erdogan`s assurances to Azerbaijan that Turkey
will not open its border with Armenia before the occupation of
Azerbaijani territories ends, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian
claimed in a meeting with Brian Fall, the UK Government Special
Representative for the South Caucasus, that if Turkey is indeed trying
to facilitate a settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh conflict, it should not meddle in the peace process.

"Any interference with the conflict resolution by Ankara could only
jeopardize the process," the Armenian leader warned.

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has also commented on
Erdogan`s statement, claiming that this position of the Turkish premier
was impeding the process of rapprochement between Yerevan and Ankara.

Erdogan`s comments came during a joint news conference after talks
with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku last Wednesday in reply to a
question on the possibility of re-opening the border, which has been
shut since 1993 due to Yerevan`s policy of occupation and its claims
on alleged World War I-era genocide occurring within the Ottoman
Empire. The Turkish premier made it clear that Ankara`s position on
the Garabagh conflict remains unchanged, adding that any speculations
on the border opening issue were unacceptable.

"I am telling you this as Turkey`s prime minister. To my mind, no one
can make more assuring expressions here. Turkey closed its border with
Armenia in 1993 due to the occupation of Azerbaijan`s territories. And,
so long as occupation persists, that door will remain closed. Any
speculation on this topic is unacceptable, neither will this be
accepted afterwards."

President Aliyev welcomed the statement as "the best answer to a
simple question that Azerbaijan had asked of Turkish authorities." He
stressed that speculating on the issue was currently inappropriate.

"I appreciate both this question and the answer. There couldn`t have
been a more open and clear-cut answer than this.

"It is known that concerns have emerged to a certain extent among the
Azerbaijani public in past months about the border opening. Standing
here before the Azerbaijani people today, I say that there is no
room for any doubts any more. The Turkish leadership has repeatedly
clarified this issue, and today, Prime Minister Erdogan once again
articulated this in the best way possible," Aliyev said.

There have been recent signs of normalization in Ankara-Yerevan
ties. Earlier reports alleged that the Turkish-Armenian border
is expected to re-open soon, and the governments of Turkey and
Armenia agreed to a "road map" in April, which caused a cool-down in
Baku-Ankara relations. However, Ankara immediately assured Azerbaijan
that its ally`s interests are among its priorities. The Turkish
premier had said, prior to leaving for his first visit to Baku since
the roadmap agreement, that it aimed to "eliminate misunderstandings
and false impressions."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress