AMERICAN AZERBAIJANIS WELCOME THE OBAMA-ERDOGAN NEGOTIATIONS

APA
08 Dec 2009 20:41

Washington. Isabel Levin – APA. American Azerbaijanis network welcomes
the Obama-Erdogan negotiations, held in Washington DC yesterday,
APA’s US correspondent was told at USAN. US Azerbaijanis notice,
that "the item of most interest to our community was on the subject
of the opening of the land border between Armenia and Turkey".

The U.S. Azeris Network is content with the public remarks and results
of the talks between the two leaders, "because they re-emphasize the
historic and umbilical link between the symbolism of the opening of
the land border between Armenia and Turkey, and the need for Armenian
military withdrawal from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region."

USAN also stresses that "It was precisely because of Armenia’s
military occupation of 16% of Azerbaijan and the ethnic cleansing
of some 800,000 Azerbaijanis from their homeland in 1991-1994,
culminating in the occupation of Kelbajar region in April 1993, that
the Republic of Turkey, complying with several UN Security Council
resolutions and OSCE decisions dealing with Armenian occupation and
military aggression, closed its border with Armenia".

They remind Turkey’s assistance: "Turkish action saved countless
Azerbaijani lives, and made an important precedent in the penalizing a
nation that broke all international laws and chose military aggression
and occupation as the way to develop".

USAN states, that today, with Armenia wanting to open the border,
"these talks and negotiations present a unique chance for the
international community, particularly Turkey and the U.S., to bring
the OSCE Minsk Group peace negotiations, that are going on since 1992,
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of
Azerbaijan, to a successful fruition."

The USAN calls on: Armenia to comply with the four outstanding UN
Security Council resolutions from 1993; the Armenian Diaspora and
its lobby and advocacy organizations to stop being an impediment to
the peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus; regional powers to
more strongly support the sequential course of actions; Turkey for
continued coordination of actions with Azerbaijan, and fending off
pressure to open the border unilaterally; United States for using its
unique influence to compel Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora to view
this sequential course of action as a necessity primarily for Armenia
and Armenians, as it is in full interest of the Armenian nation.