TURKEY PROTESTS OVER REMOVAL OF FLAGS IN AZERBAIJAN

Kyiv Post
Oct 21 2009
Ukraine

The Turkish embassy in Azerbaijan protested on Wednesday over the
removal of Turkish flags in the capital Baku, reflecting strained
ties between the allies over Turkey’s thaw in relations with Azeri
foe Armenia.

Oil-producing Azerbaijan is angry at a rapprochement between fellow
Muslim ally Turkey and Christian Armenia, Azerbaijan’s enemy in the
conflict over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh.

Muzafar Shahin, religious affairs adviser of the Turkish embassy,
told Azeri news agencies that the Turkish flag outside its religious
affairs office in Baku had been removed by unidentified men, "without
any explanation".

It followed the removal of Azeri flags at a monument in Baku to fallen
Turkish soldiers.

The Azeri Foreign Ministry confirmed it had received a protest note.

"We received a note to the foreign ministry, and we are preparing
a reply," Azeri news agency APA quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman
as saying.

Azeri authorities say they are implementing legislation by which
flags of foreign countries can only fly outside diplomatic missions,
consulates and residences of ambassadors.

Turkey and fellow Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan share deep historical
and cultural ties, as well as a key energy relationship based on the
transit of Azeri oil and gas from the Caspian Sea to the West.

But ties are under strain from a bid by Turkey and Armenia to establish
diplomatic relations and open their land frontier under plans to end
a century of hostility stemming from the World War One mass killing
of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

Turkey closed the border in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan during
its war with ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian-backed forces drove the Azeri military from the mountain
region and seized seven surrounding Azeri districts, which they still
control today.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has said the accords on
diplomatic ties and the reopening of the border will only be ratified
by parliament after progress between Armenia and Azerbaijan in
negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azeri news agencies said President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish counterpart
Abdullah Gul spoke by telephone on Wednesday.

The Azeri state news agency quoted Gul as saying: "Relations between
Turkey and Armenia cannot be normalised before a solution to the
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh."

Further testing ties, Aliyev said last week Turkish terms for the
transit of Azeri gas were unacceptable and the country would look
for other options. Turkey said negotiations were ongoing.