TURKISH PRESIDENT PHONED HIS AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPART TO RELIEVE TENSION IN BILATERAL TIES

Azerbaijan Business Center
Oct 21 2009

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Today President Abdullah Gul has phoned Ilham
Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan.

The Presidential Administration’s press service reports that in
the course of the conversation the two leaders covered bipartite
relationships, ways of settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno
Garabagh conflict, and Turkish-Armenian links.

Mr. Gul reiterated that without solution of the matter of Garabagh
conflict Turkish-Armenian ties could not be normalized. President
Aliyev, in his turn, thanked him.

After signing of the protocols between the Ministries of Foreign
Affairs of Turkey and Armenia and the insulting of Azerbaijani state
flag before Turkish-Armenian soccer match (unfurling of Azerbaijani
flags at the stadium was banned and the Turkish police simply threw out
Azeri flags into garbage cans) the Azerbaijani-Turkish relationships
incandesced. Azerbaijan is also displeased with Turkey’s position on
the occasion of Azeri gas transit through Turkish territory and made
statements about possible refusal from gas transit through Turkey.

Yesterday Milli Majlis raised the discussion on whole range of
Azerbaijani-Turkish ties. In particular, it was offered to conduct
close sessions on the matter of normalization of Turkish-Armenian
links, further reduction of use of Turkish flags in accordance with
the rules established in the country.

Ali Ahmadov, executive secretary of ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan
Partiyasi (YAP), emphasized that Turkey’s latest actions diminished
belief in its Leaderships’ statements about refusal from normalization
of ties with Armenia before Garabagh conflict settlement. In his
turn, Milli Majlis first vice speaker Ziafet Askerov pointed out that
friendship between Turkey and Azerbaijan was everlasting and steadfast.