BAKU UPSET OVER TURKISH-ARMENIAN EFFORTS

UPI – United Press International
September 2, 2009 Wednesday 1:29 PM EST

Recent sentiments regarding diplomatic relations between Turkey and
Armenia are in direct opposition to the interests of Azerbaijan,
officials say.

The governments of Turkey and Armenia in a joint statement Monday
said they would work toward repairing diplomatic relations, damaged
from decades of acrimony.

Turkish relations with Armenia were complicated by claims of genocide
during the Ottoman Empire. Recent ties are complicated over disputes
regarding the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area of dispute between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in May that the
borders would remain closed until Armenian forces withdraw from the
contested territories.

Ankara in April, however, said it would open its borders with Armenia
in time for an October qualifying match for the World Cup tournament.

The foreign minister of Azerbaijan in official statements Tuesday
said Baku recognized Ankara’s sovereign rights, but noted many of
the issues were in opposition to Azeri national interests.

Elkhan Pokhulov, a spokesman for the Azeri Foreign Ministry, told
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman that the border issue was of particular
concern.

"If it opens," he said, "it is in opposition to Azerbaijan’s national
interests."