Today’s Zaman , Turkey
Oct 25 2009

Davutoğlu’s remarks in Baku alleviate tension in Azerbaijan

Tense relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan, prompted by a `flag
crisis,’ were diffused following a visit by Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu to Azerbaijan on Thursday.

The flag crisis was a result of Turkish police throwing banned
Azerbaijani flags into what looked like a trash can with `WC’ written
on it during a World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia
at Bursa Atatürk Stadium on Oct. 14 and Azerbaijan’s retaliation by
removing Turkish flags around a monument dedicated to Turkish soldiers
who died during Azerbaijan’s war of independence in 1918 and in front
of the Turkish Embassy in Baku. As Davutoğlu noted in his speech at
the Turkish Parliament on Oct. 21, he once again underlined that the
Azerbaijani and Turkish flags are equally sacred during his interview
to the media in front of the cemetery of Turkish soldiers during his
visit on Thursday.

Calling the flag, land and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan the
flag, land and territorial integrity of Turkey, Davutoğlu said the
fallen soldiers in the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over
Nagorno-Karabakh and Turks who died for the independence of Azerbaijan
in 1918 were fighters defending the same ideology, country and
independence of Azerbaijan.

The foreign minister expressed discontent over insults to the
Azerbaijani flag at the Bursa Atatürk Stadium during the match, as
well. Expressing his views on the tension between Azerbaijan and
Turkey, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said there is
no tension between Azerbaijan and Turkey and that the countries still
enjoy brotherly relations.

Subsequent to the announcement of a six-week process of internal
political consultations on Aug. 31 by the Turkish and Armenian
governments, the Azerbaijani government and public expressed their
concern over improving relations between Turkey and Armenia.

`The Azerbaijani reaction to Turkish-Armenian reconciliation is
normal; there is a ground for that. However, both the Turkish and
Azerbaijani sides should take patient steps while assessing ongoing
processes in the region,’ said Vefa Guluzade, a political analyst and
a political advisor to the late President Haydar Aliyev as well as the
head of the Baku-based Caspian Research Center.

Analyzing Turkish-Armenian rapprochement on the local and global
levels, Guluzade said: `Approaching the issue from the local
perspective, there is a possibility of deterioration in
Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. Azerbaijanis view the process through
the local lens, which shows the situation is not to their benefit at
all.’ The expert also asked how it would be possible to expect a
positive attitude from the Azerbaijani public if they see Turkey
enjoying good relations with Armenia, a country that is occupying 20
percent of Azerbaijani land. `Turkey means a lot to the Azerbaijani
public. Azerbaijanis have confidence in Turkey and in their Turkish
brothers. In this atmosphere, the signing of protocols on the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations is neither understandable
nor acceptable to Azerbaijanis,’ he said.

Addressing the global view, Guluzade said: `We should be patient and
approach the issue from a much broader aspect.’ Assessing the changing
geo-strategic and geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus,
Guluzade said Azerbaijan stands to gain much from Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation. He believes Turkish-Armenian rapprochement could
considerably contribute to the peaceful solution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has been in stagnation for more than
a decade. `The South Caucasus is gradually falling under the influence
of the United States and Turkey. The US is explicitly interested in
stability and cooperation in the region. Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation could pave the way for a change in the Armenian
international political outlook, and that could work to the benefit of
Azerbaijan,’ the expert concluded.

Speaking on Azerbaijani public TV on Thursday while assessing the
increase in tension between Azerbaijan and Turkey, Rauf Arifoğlu,
editor-in-chief of the Yeni Müsavat daily, said: `We all saw the
Azerbaijani flags fluttering in the hands of our Turkish brothers
while the Turkish-Armenian World Cup match was taking place at the
Bursa Atatürk Stadium. They were there for their Azerbaijani brothers.
We should not lose the country [Turkey], one that has always been a
staunch supporter of our cause, as a result of emotional reactions.’

Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Şahin İsmayılov, the president of the
Student Youth Organization at the Azerbaijan University of Languages,
expressed his faith in Turks and Turkey’s Justice and Development
Party (AK Party) government. Mentioning the promise reiterated by
Turkish leaders, namely, that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be
solved prior to any opening of the Turkish-Armenian border, he said:
`The AK Party has always supported Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis. We
believe the Turkish-Armenian border will not be opened before the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is solved.’

Noting the `flag crisis’ between Azerbaijan and Turkey, İsmayılov said
this unfortunate situation serves the interests of other powers with
interests in the region. Assessing the event as a provocation, he
said: `The inexperienced Turkish police should be blamed for
mishandling the Azerbaijani flag. We should not evaluate this action
as a step taken by the Turks and the Turkish government [as a whole].
Turks are people who know the value of the crescent and star on the
flag and appreciate it.’

Opinions among Azerbaijani citizens, however, vary. Elçin Musayev, 23,
said Turkey is too patient with what Azerbaijan is doing in response
to the handling of the Azerbaijani flag during the match. `I would not
say there is a growing anti-Turkish atmosphere in Azerbaijan yet, but
there are people who are trying to instigate the public. Azerbaijan
needs to conduct smarter politics,’ Musayev said while speaking to
Sunday’s Zaman.

Muhammed Aliyev, an Azerbaijani citizen from Nakhchivan, told Sunday’s
Zaman that there is growing anxiety within the Azerbaijani public.
`Everyone says Turkey betrayed us. I don’t think Azerbaijan is on the
right track. The removal of the [Turkish] flags was not right,’ Aliyev
said.

25 October 2009, Sunday
LAMİYA ADİLGIZI BAKU