AZERBAIJAN CASTS DOUBTS ON ARMENIA-TURKEY BORDER OPENING

Agence France Presse
September 1, 2009 Tuesday 7:54 AM GMT

Azerbaijan said Tuesday it did not expect Turkey to re-open its border
with Armenia until the conflict over its breakaway Nagorny Karabakh
region is resolved.

Armenia and Turkey announced Monday they had agreed a plan on
establishing diplomatic relations and re-opening their border following
decades of hostility.

But Azerbaijani foreign ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov told AFP
that Baku was confident Ankara would not agree to open the border
without a deal on Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan’s position is based on numerous statements from
high-ranking officials in Turkey on the question of opening the
Armenian-Turkish border," he said.

"The opening of the border without the settlement of the Nagorny
Karabakh conflict would contradict the interests of Azerbaijan,"
he added.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Baku in May that
Ankara would not agree to re-open the border until "the occupation"
of Azerbaijan’s territory by Armenian forces ends.

Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian separatists seized control of
Nagorny Karabakh and some surrounding territory during a war in the
early 1990s.

The agreement announced Monday foresees the opening of the border
within two months of the signature of two protocols on establishing
diplomatic relations and developing bilateral ties.

The protocols are to be sent to the Armenian and Turkish parliaments
for ratification following six weeks of "internal political
consultations", according to a joint statement by the Armenian and
Turkish foreign ministries.

Turkey has long refused to establish diplomatic links with Armenia
over Yerevan’s efforts to have World War I-era massacres of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks recognised as genocide — a label Turkey strongly
rejects.

Turkey also closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity
with ally Azerbaijan over Yerevan’s backing of the separatists in
Nagorny Karabakh.

Azerbaijan has demanded that any final deal be linked with the
withdrawal of Armenian forces from Nagorny Karabakh and hinted that
it could consider cutting gas supplies to Turkey if the Karabakh
issue is ignored in talks with Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress