ERDOGAN STICKS TO KARABAKH LINKAGE AFTER MOSCOW TRIP

Asbarez
Jan 15th, 2010

ANKARA (RFE/RL)-The normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations remains
conditional on a Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement acceptable to
Azerbaijan, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly
said after this week’s high-profile visit to Russia.

"The process of normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations and the
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem are interconnected. These
processes may be going on separately, but they are interconnected
behind the scenes," Erdogan told journalists on his way back
from Moscow, according to a "Hurriyet" newspaper report cited by
Azerbaijani media.

"Once the problem between Armenia and Azerbaijan is resolved, once
the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh ends, the Turkish-Armenian issue
will find a solution," he said. "If Armenia has good intentions let
it prove them by starting the liberation of the districts around
Nagorno-Karabakh."

A senior Turkish lawmaker clarified on Friday that Turkey’s parliament
will not even debate the ratification of the two "protocols" signed
with Armenia in October in the coming weeks. The Anatolia news agency
quoted Murat Mercan, chairman of the parliament’s foreign relations
committee, as saying, "We are all eager to bring the protocols to the
committee and the parliamentary floor, and we do want to see relations
get normal, but at this time it would be useless to debate the issue
which is highly likely to be revoked by the committee."

Mercan is a member of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, which
has a clear majority in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

Armenian leaders have repeatedly rejected the Turkish precondition,
arguing that neither protocol makes any reference to the
Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute. The United States, the European Union
and Russia have also voiced support for an unconditional and speedy
implementation of the Turkish-Armenian agreements.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly urged Ankara to drop
the Karabakh linkage at a joint news conference with Erdogan on
Wednesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stood by that call
during a visit to Yerevan on Thursday.

Erdogan signaled his disappointment with the Russian position as he
flew back to Ankara. He said Moscow can speed up a Karabakh settlement
by putting pressure on Armenia, a Russian ally. "If Russia falls back
on this issue, achieving a result will become more difficult," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress