Agence France Presse
October 11, 2009 Sunday 8:23 AM GMT

Azerbaijan slams Armenia-Turkey deal, warns of instability

By Emil Guliyev
BAKU, Oct 11 2009

Azerbaijan on Sunday slammed its ally Turkey for agreeing to normalise
ties with Armenia and warned that the opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border could cause instability in the volatile South Caucasus.

"The normalisation of relations between Turkey and Armenia before the
withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied Azerbaijani territory is
in direct contradiction with the interests of Azerbaijan and casts a
shadow over the spirit of brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and
Turkey, built on deep historical roots," the Azerbaijani foreign
ministry said in a statement.

"Azerbaijan believes that the unilateral opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border calls into question the architecture of peace
and stability in the region," it added.

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and his Turkish
counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday signed landmark pacts to
normalise their two countries’ relations and open their shared border.

The deals, which must still be ratified by the two countries’
parliaments, are a first step to reconciliation after nearly a century
of bitterness over World War I-era massacres of Armenians under
Ottoman rule.

The Azerbaijani foreign ministry said Baku expected Ankara to follow
through on promises made by Turkish officials not to open the border
until Armenian forces withdrew from Azerbaijan’s disputed Nagorny
Karabakh region.

"Azerbaijan’s position on this issue is unequivocal," the statement said.

Azerbaijan has strongly objected to Turkey normalising ties with
Armenia and opening the border before the resolution of Baku’s
conflict with Armenia over Nagorny Karabakh.

Officials earlier this year hinted that energy-rich Azerbaijan could
cut off oil and gas supplies to Turkey if its interests are ignored in
the reconciliation effort with Armenia.

Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian separatists seized control of
Nagorny Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in
the early 1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan over the conflict.

Armenia has rejected any linkage between the conflict and its
reconciliation efforts with Turkey, with President Serzh Sarkisian
saying in an address to the nation Saturday that relations with Turkey
"cannot be connected with the question of the resolution of the
Karabakh conflict."

Armenia and Azerbaijan have cut direct economic and transport links
and failed to negotiate a settlement on the status of Nagorny Karabakh
despite years of talks.

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a ceasefire line in
and around Nagorny Karabakh, often facing each other at close range,
and shootings are common.

Fresh talks on Karabakh between Sarkisian and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev last week failed to produce a breakthrough. While Armenia
said the talks had been "constructive," Azerbaijan said there had been
"no results" from the negotiations.

The US, French and Russian co-chairs of the Minsk Group, which is
mediating the talks, have said negotiations are moving forward and
analysts say the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation efforts have given
fresh impetus to the peace process.