HULIQ , SC
Aug 9 2009

Turkmenistan Bigger Problem For Azerbaijan Than Karabakh

The leadership of Azerbaijan keeps insisting that it wants the Nagorno
Karabakh problem be solved keeping the territorial integrity of the
country intact. Now an expert from Turkey says that the territorial
dispute in the Caspian Sea with Turkmenistan is a bigger worry for
Azerbaijan than Nagorno Karabakh.

As the talks and negotiations have increased between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, the later has not missed a single opportunity to remind
the international community that the Nagorno Karabakh issue should be
solved within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and making the
right for self-determination of the Nagorno Karabakah Armenians
inferior to that. However, come and see that the international borders
of Azerbaijan are also disputed by Turkmenistan, which will take a
dispute with Azerbaijan over Caspian oil and gas fields to the
International Court of Arbitration.

Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, the head of the Center for International
Relations and Strategic Analysis (TÃ`RKSAM) Sinan OÄ?an
called the issues between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan "a bigger
problem." He said that Turkmenistan’s decision to sue Azerbaijan in
the last minute over the status of the Caspian Sea can create a
problem for the Nabucco pipeline’s gas supply. `It seems it will be a
problem,’ he concluded.

This growing problem will be another headache for Azerbaijan and as
TURKSAM expert from Turkey called it may create a problem for the
Nabucco’s gas supply. The feasibility of the Nabucco gas pipeline
project depends mostly on the ability to use the Caspian gas.

On July 24, speaking at government meeting, the president of
Turkmenistan Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov slammed Azerbaijan for its
"intransigence." "For a long time, mainly because of Azerbaijan’s
stance, the issue of settling seabed borders, dividing natural
resources and defining the boundary line between the two countries has
not been resolved," Berdymukhamedov said in televised comments.

According to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet the president of Turkmenistan
instructed its Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov to examine the legality
of Azerbaijan’s claims to disputed offshore fields. He said the case
would be taken to the international body and "we will accept any
decision on this questions made by the International Court of
Arbitration." Azerbaijan has begun unilateral development of disputed
oil and gas fields, and is seeking rights to other deposits in the
Caspian, Berdymukhamedov said.

Azerbaijan has been in another territorial dispute with Nagorno
Karabakh’s Republic, which used the right of self-determination and
has declared independence after a national referendum. United States,
France and Russia are mediating a process hoping to bring about a
peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. To this date
Azerbaijan’s actions are hindering the peace process because the
country is not willing to recognize the right of self-determination of
the people of Nagorno Karabakh. However, prolonging the conflict and
making occasional war-like statements and now being involved in a new
territorial dispute with Turkmenistan (which according to the Turkish
political expert is a bigger problem for NABUCCO) will weaken
Azerbaijan’s position and it may lose more than what the country can
achieve today by making honorable peace with Armenia based on mutual
compromise.

Otherwise, while Azerbaijan’s leadership has not so far explained how
a war can bring back Nagorno Karabakh it may seriously endanger its
another big project: the NABUCCO. Many European countries are hopeful
on NABUCCO’s gas supply and will be interested to see Azerbaijan to
solve these two disputes in peaceful and swift way.

Written by Armen Hareyan

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