DAVUTOGLU: WE CONSIDER THE "OCCUPIED" AZERBAIJANI LANDS OUR LANDS AND WILL CONTINUE OUR STRUGGLE TO RELEASE THEM

AZG DAILY
23-10-2009
Turkey-Azerbaijan

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu gave interview to APA and
some other Azerbaijani news agencies on October 22.

To the question "Can Turkey-Armenia border be reopened unless Nagorno
Karabakh problem is solved?" Davutoglu answered, "Our President, Prime
Minister and I being Foreign Minister, have several times expressed
our position on this issue. I said in the parliament yesterday that
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is as important for us as Turkey’s
territorial integrity and is a strategic priority for us. Nothing
is more important than Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, welfare,
stability and Turkey-Azerbaijan friendship. As this is the fundamental
principle of our foreign policy your question has also been replied.

One should ask – Does the status-quo favor Azerbaijan, Turkey or
Armenia? For 17 years Azerbaijan’s territories – our territories, as
we consider it so, – are under "occupation". Turkey has always made
efforts to end this "occupation". Previous ministers, governments
supported Azerbaijan after the country gained its independence. It
will always be so. Nothing can change the reality that Turkey is always
with Azerbaijan. But we should think over changing the status-quo. We
should find ways to end peacefully the "occupation" lasting for 17
years. We said to the entire world the day when the protocols were
signed, earlier and later: Turkey-Armenia normalization may improve
only if there is large-scale normalization in the region.

It means that Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict should also be solved. How
can it be solved? Of course, by ending the "occupation". This is such
an open position that no one in Azerbaijan should doubt it. We consider
the occupied Azerbaijani lands our lands and will continue our struggle
to release them. We think that these protocols will give an impetus
to this process. Dynamism has been observed in this direction in the
past five months. A delegation went to Lachin to carry out technical
analysis. This is connected with Turkey’s Caucasus policy. We touch on
Karabakh problem at every meeting, every international event that we
attend. I discussed Karabakh conflict with Hillary Clinton in Zurich
when the protocols were signed. The representative of our ministry Unal
Cevikoz is attending the meeting of the Minsk Group in Vienna. Even
if Azerbaijan does not put Karabakh problem for discussion, Turkey
will do it everywhere. This is one of our national problems. We do
not discriminate between Azerbaijani and Turkish lands, Azerbaijani
and Turkish flags".