AZERI-TURKISH TIES WITHSTAND TEST OF TIME
Xalq Qazeti
May 15 2009
Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani-Turkish fraternity has withstood the test of time,
Azerbaijani official Xalq Qazeti has highlighted this on its front
page. The latest visit of the Turkish prime minister to Azerbaijan has
removed all suspicions between Baku and Ankara over rumours that Turkey
was going to open borders with Armenia to end centuries-old enmity,
the official mouthpiece of the Azerbaijani government said. The article
slammed the "football diplomacy" between Armenia and Turkey, branding
it as an Armenian plot to mar ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan,
and contribute to Armenia’s efforts to end its isolation. The Turkish
prime minister put an end to expectations in Armenia that the border
opening was imminent and would be without any preconditions, the
article added. The paper hailed Erdogan’s statement that "unless
the occupation is over, the borders will not be opened", saying this
ended all rumours to this end.
Quoting the Azerbaijani president’s brief statement at the news
conference, the article adds that this is a proof of continuity of
ties with Turkey and presence of understanding in all spheres. The
following is the text of Ittifaq Mirzabayli report by Azerbaijani
newspaper Xalq Qazeti on 15 May headlined "Azerbaijani-Turkish
brotherhood has withstood the test of time" and subheaded "The Baku
visit of the Turkish prime minister completely destroyed provocation
of evildoers"; subheadings have been inserted editorially:
Over the last two years, political experts, pundits and statesmen
from across all political and geographical dimensions worldwide state
that day-to-day growing international influence of Azerbaijan has laid
the foundation for a fair resolution to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.
"Football diplomacy" criticized
Similar high assessments have troubled official Yerevan against the
backdrop of Armenia’s isolation at the international arena. Therefore,
pondering long on how [to influence the situation], Armenian experts
resorted to their old profession the disease of plotting a network
of provocation. The success of Azerbaijan’s oil diplomacy, being
implemented with precision, dazzled eyes of Yerevan officials so that
they devised a new game called the "football diplomacy".
When the scenario of this game was written, they humbly assumed that
with support of their patrons in several countries across the world,
they would mislead the Turkish leadership, succeed in the opening
of the Armenian-Turkish borders and spoil the Azerbaijani-Turkish
relations. Actually, it was not only the Armenian leadership that
wanted to take the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations off the normal course,
chill it and finally, undermine the relations.
As Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the fraternal country said
after the meeting between the delegations of the two countries in Baku
on 13 May, similar thoughts were coming to us from both the right
and the left. Seeing forces becoming active against the Ankara-Baku
brotherhood in several directions, the leadership of Yerevan has
begun to become heartened and took bolder steps.
Turkish state officials were invited to Yerevan, Armenian officials set
foot in Ankara, and as a result of "establishing mutual relations"
the issue of opening borders appeared on the agenda. That is to
say, the most acceptable option was chosen to prevent Armenia from
destruction as a state. But… [ellipses as published] even during the
discussion of this fateful issue, Armenians did not get rid of their
impudence: "The Turkish-Armenian borders should be opened without
any preconditions."
During his tour of Europe, the president of Armenia went even further
and said resolutely that the Armenian-Turkish borders would be opened
without any preconditions. There only left for him to say that "we
deceived the Turkish leadership". But the statesmen at the helm of
Ataturk’s Turkey demonstrated far-sightedness by holding high two
sacred values the Turkish pride and the moral heritage of Mustafa
Kamal Pasa. Although another stage of the Armenian intrigue did
not saw serious dissension or anxiety for Turkey and Azerbaijan, it
caused days, weeks and months full of nervousness and grief. It was
joyful and maybe, delightful that the absurd statement of the Armenian
politicians that "borders will be opened without any preconditions"
was similarly protested by both Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Azeri-Turkish fraternity has withstood test of time
The Anatolian Turks, who remember Heydar Aliyev’s "One nation,
two states", with Azerbaijani Turks remembering Great Ataturk’s
"Azerbaijan’s joy is our joy, Azerbaijan’s grief is our grief" saying
constantly, damned the pressure for the opening of the borders.
Actually, this test, which lasted more than three months but seemed
longer than tens of years, proved that Ankara and Baku are able
to withstand the test of time. The meeting held by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the fraternal country in Baku on 12-13 May,
his statements, answers to questions from the media representatives
removed the whole anxiety of the Azerbaijani and Turkish public.
Following an expanded meeting of the delegations, Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave
a news conference on 13 May. The prime minister’s statement at the
news conference likely caused a rumpus more in Armenia rather than
Turkey and Azerbaijan. Because the Armenian leadership was circulating
fabricated statements about the imminent opening of borders in order
to deceive their population again.
In Baku, Mr Erdogan put an end to deceits of the Armenian population:
"Azerbaijan’s perceptibility in the issue of Nagornyy Karabakh is
also our perceptibility. Speculations around the Nagornyy Karabakh
problem up to today are unacceptable for us as Turkey and the current
government of the Republic of Turkey. As it was unacceptable up to
today, it will not be acceptable similarly now, and I believe that
such a case would be impossible from now on as there is connection
between the cause and the effect.
The occupation of Nagornyy Karabakh is the cause and the closure of
the borders is the effect. Turkey has closed the borders because of
the occupation of Nagornyy Karabakh. The opening of the borders is
impossible unless the occupation is over. I am reiterating this in Baku
today as I said it in many places and very clearly. "That is to say,
Serzh Sargsyan’s absurd statement – "the Armenian-Turkish borders
should be opened without any preconditions" has already faced the
first condition: "First pullout of the occupied Azerbaijani lands,
then we can speak about the opening of the borders to improve your
economy and save your nation from starvation."
It was very important for us that the prime minister of the fraternal
country denied the issue that caused anxiety for the people of
Azerbaijan – rumours about the opening of the borders between Turkey
and Armenia exactly in Baku
Nevertheless, every Azerbaijani citizen wanted to hear comforting
words from own president and Supreme Commander-in-Chief about
this issue. Being deeply aware of the people’s wishes and dreams,
President Ilham Aliyev put an end to this anxiety in his statement
issued after the meeting with Mr Erdogan: "I am satisfied with our
talks and the conversation we had. I consider that as always, sincere
conversations shed light on a number of issues and the most important
is that it provided us with brilliant conditions for the future joint
activities and cooperation." That is to say, rumours flying around
since the beginning of the year were shed light on.
In a nutshell, the provocative plans of Armenia and the Armenian
lobby as well as of those forces plotting to worsen the relations
between Turkey and Azerbaijan were not realized. The bonds of tight
friendship and fraternity between Azerbaijan and Turkey have withstood
the test of time with dignity.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
