ERDOGAN’S U.S. VISIT WAS TEST FOR TURKISH LEADERSHIP’S PUBLIC ASSURANCES FOR AZERBAIJAN: POLITICAL ANALYST
I. Mammadov
Today.Az
09 December 2009 [13:17]
Most likely, Azerbaijan and Armenia watched Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the U.S. and his meeting with President
Obama with more tension than Turkey itself, Azerbaijani political
expert Rasim Musabayov said.
"Armenians hoped that President Obama will influence Erdogan so that
normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations will progress without
regard to Azerbaijan. For Azerbaijan, this visit was a test for Turkish
leadership’s public assurances that Armenian-Turkish border will not
open till a progress in resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,"
the expert said.
"Apparently, Azerbaijanis can feel more satisfied from
Erdogan’sWashington visit than Armenians. The Turkish leader said at
a press conference that at the talks with President Obama he debated
intensification of efforts of the Minsk Group, co-chaired also by
the United States, in resolving the Karabakh conflict," he added.
"He has also publicly stated that without progress in this direction
the Turkish parliament will not ratify the protocols signed with
Armenia, and the government can not impose its will on the MPs. It is
important that Erdogan has publicly said it all while the U.S. did not
oppose, and prefers to keep silent for the time being. As a result,
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) explicitly declares
that Turkey managed to push its preconditions through the normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations," the analyst noted.
"It is difficult now to say how far Prime Minister Erdogan could push
the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh through the foreign policy priorities
of the United States, but it is obvious that Armenians should not
expect anything positive for them and distressing for the Azerbaijanis
atleast for the coming months. Armenian will fail to strengthen its
position in the negotiations held under the Minsk Group mediation,"
the expert said.