Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 5 2009

Fraternal Turkey should not take steps contradicting Azerbaijan’s
interests: ruling party

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.5. / Trend News J. Babayeva /

The ruling New Azerbaijan Party considers that fraternal Turkey should
not take steps against the interests of Azerbaijan.

"We respect the Turkish Prime Minister’s statement made at the
Azerbaijani parliament that without resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, the Turkish-Armenian borders will not be opened," the Deputy
Chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, MP Ali Ahmedov, told
reporters on Sept.4.

We hope that the Nagorno-Karabakh problem will be the most important
issue among the issues to be discussed during the negotiations between
Turkey and Armenia, Ahmedov added.

On Aug. 31, Turkey and Armenia in the talks mediated by Switzerland
reached an agreement to launch "internal political consultations" to
sign the Protocol on Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and
Protocol on Development of Bilateral Relations, the Turkish Foreign
Ministry reported.

The political consultations will complete within six
weeks. Afterwards, two protocols to be submitted for approval by the
parliaments of two countries will besigned," the same source added.

At present, Turkey does not plan to disclose the borders with the
neighboring Armenia, Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davudoglu said.

There are no diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia and the
borders have been closed since 1993.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding
districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in
1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the
U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.