TURKISH MEDIA "PROTEST" AGAINST DECISION TO DEPLOY RUSSIAN BASES IN ARMENIA VIA TURKISH TERRITORY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.08.2009 14:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Russia has several times applied to us with a
request to supply its base in Armenia, but every time we responded
that Turkey can allow Turkey to supply its base in Gyumri only with
non-military products, such as clothes, food etc. We’ll never allow our
territory to be used for providing arms supplies to Armenia," Turkish
Foreign Ministry’s official representative Burak Ozugergin said in an
interview with Turkish Huriyyet newspaper. "It’s an obvious provocation
aimed at breaking friendly relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan."

In the meantime, Turkey’s opposition-run independent media have made a
big fuss over the report as they believe Russia supplies those weapons
to Armenia for directing them against Azerbaijan in future. Thus,
Turkish Milliyet reports that Turkey should immediately break off
negotiations with Russia. "Russian arms supplied to Armenia will be
used against Azerbaijan. That’s why, assisting Russian military base
is out of the question," today’s newspapers report.

Director of Armenian Center for Strategic and National Research Richard
Giragosyan announced earlier that Armenian-Turkish border opening
was first of all advantageous to Russia. That’s why he believed the
focus was shifted on Russian-Turkish rather than Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement.

"After Russian-Georgian war, Russia has certain expectations of
Turkey," Giragosyan said, noting in the meantime that Ankara and Moscow
had signed a secret agreement allowing Russia to use Turkey’s air
spaces for providing supplies to Russian military base in Gyumry. The
expert, however, did not specify what kind of supply was meant.