ARMENIA TRYING ‘TO PROVOKE TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN’
news.az
March 15 2010
Azerbaijan
Rasim Musabeyov Political scientist Rasim Musabeyov has commented on
the established complex situation in the relations between the South
Caucasus countries.
‘There are several factors that taken together have led to the
deterioration in relations between Turkey and the western world.
Following the signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols and the
complexities in the process, the interests of several European
countries have coincided and the countries raise the "genocide"
issue in their parliaments in order to make clear their opposition
to Turkey’s EU membership. In this way, they are trying to provoke
Ankara into taking some harsh counter measures which will create new
obstacles to Turkey’s EU accession,’ Musabeyov said.
‘Armenians across the world and official Yerevan are another reason for
the worsening of the situation around Turkey and the South Caucasus,
as they are mobilizing their efforts to put mass pressure on Ankara
via the world community. Yerevan has reached deadlock because of the
updated Madrid principles. The Armenian authorities cannot agree to
these updated principles as [President] Sargsyan and his team may lose
their seats in the country’s leadership, but they do not dare to reject
the Madrid principles either. Therefore, they are doing everything
to provoke Turkey and Azerbaijan to some extraordinary steps in order
to justify their rejection of the Armenian-Turkish protocols and the
updated Madrid principles,’ the political scientist said.
‘The US and Israeli attempts to put pressure on Ankara and bargain
on the strategic and geopolitical issues concerning Washington and
Tel Aviv are another cause of tensions over Turkey and the South
Caucasus, including in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. I
think the West should not be playing like that with Turkey, which is
in fact indifferent to where and how many times the countries raise
the issue of the Armenian "genocide". On the contrary, by such steps
the West is merely allowing Turkey to justify its harsh actions in
international politics. The West will lose more from this game both
in the Islamic world, where Turkey is almost a key factor, and in the
geopolitical issues that are vitally important for the United States,
Europe and Israel,’ Musabeyov said.