TURKISH PROFESSOR: AZERBAIJAN ABUSES KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
by Armen Hareyan

HULIQ
Nov 3 2009
SC

Here is what is happening between Turkey and Azerbaijan in regard
to Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan in late 1990s started war against
the civilian population of the Nagorno Karabakh Armenians, who voted
to be independent from Azerbaijan due to cultural and human rights
related oppression. Armenia supported the move and Turkey blockaded
Turkish-Armenian border showing solidarity with Azerbaijan. The later
holds Turkey hostage to relations with Armenia. Turkey says you can’t
do that.

Today the most prominent newspaper in Turkey, Hurriyet in its lead
story quotes a university professor who speaks of Azerbaijan’s abuse
of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. "Turkey cannot unilaterally
resolve the Karabakh dispute. This is being abused by Azerbaijan,"
said Huseyin Bagcı, an international relations professor at the
Middle East Technical University, based in Ankara.

On October 10 in Zurich Armenia and Turkey signed protocols aimed at
normalizing the relations. While the process seems to be in a deadlock
in the Turkish parliament the protocols have met with criticism in
Turkey, parts of Armenian diaspora and Azerbaijan.

In Turkey the criticism comes from the opposition. It is concerned
that Turkey should not open its borders with Armenia and establish
diplomatic relations before there is any progress on the issue
of Nagorno Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia, US,
Russia and European mediators say these to processes are separate
and not linked.

Significant circles of the Armenian diaspora criticized the protocols
voicing concerns that the international inter-governmental historical
commission, establoished to deal with the consequences of the Armenian
genocide carried on by the government of Turkey between 1915 and 1921
may question that fact. However, while Turkey calls it "historical"
commission despite the absence of the word "historical" in the
protocol, and hopes that it may question the fact of the Armenian
genocide, Armenia rejects the approach and says stresses that it’s an
inter-governmental commission aimed at dealing with the consequences
of the genocide, but not questioning it. In fact, in a response to
the concerns of the powerful US Armenian diaspora Senate Majority
Leader senator Harry Reid from Nevada called on U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton to meet with Armenian-American leaders, sharing
his concerns with the Armenian American community.

In Azerbaijan the criticism toward the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement
comes from the fact that Azerbaijan feels that it is losing
an important factor in solving the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. In the past twenty years of the conflict – ceasefire achieved
and maintained without peacekeepers since 1994 – Azerbaijan has used
Turkey and the Turkish blockade of Armenia as a factor in pressuring
Armenia for concession.

Now more voices from Turkey emerge saying Azerbaijan can’t expect
Turkey to unilaterally solve the Nagorno Karabakh problem. In fact
Azerbaijan has not rendered the same support to Turkey in regard to
Cyprus issue. Azerbaijan has also removed the Turkish flags from many
prominent locations and has threatened to supply its natural gas to
Turkey charging higher prices.

The international community hopes that the both parliaments of Turkey
and Armenia will ratify the protocols and put it into force. If Turkey
helps Azerbaijan to have more realistic expectations it may actually
help to speedy resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Madrid
principles, put forward by the Minsk group call for a referendum to
determine the final status of the Nagorno Karabakh’s Republic. In
the meanwhile, more people in Turkey think that Azerbaijan should be
more constructive and not expect Turkey to solve the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict "unilaterally."
From: Baghdasarian