MPS FROM OPPOSITION CRITICIZE TURKISH FM’S STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT

Trend
Oct 21 2009
Azerbaijan

The Turkish MPs from the opposition sharply criticized the Turkish
government for signing of the Turkey-Armenia protocol on normalization
of relations with Armenia, TRT 3 TV channel reported.

On Oct.21, the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davudoglu made statements
at the Turkish parliament on these protocols.

Davudoglu’s statements urging that by ratification of the
Turkey-Armenia protocol the Turkey-Armenia borders will be officially
recognized were subject to criticism.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the protocols Ankara-Yerevan in Zurich on October 10.

Problems in the region should be solved step by step and the
Armenia-Turkey protocols will accelerate settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Davudoglu said.

"Turkey has always supported Azerbaijan and there is no country in
the world that so strongly supports Azerbaijan. The Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute has always been a priority for the Turkish government,"
the minister stated.

Davudoglu said Turkey will do its best to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

There is no stable political environment to solve the frozen conflicts
in the Caucasus, Davudoglu stated.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey have been broken due
to Armenia’s claims of an alleged genocide, and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. The border between them has been broken since 1993.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7
districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed
a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia,
France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.