SENIOR OFFICIAL SAYS BAKU MIGHT RESORT TO WAR IF KARABAKH DIPLOMACY FAILS

Today’s Zaman
April 2 2010
Turkey

Azerbaijan is committed to a peaceful resolution of its
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with Armenia, but it may resort to military
measures in the future if efforts to end the dispute through talks
fail, a senior official of the Azerbaijani administration said
on Friday.

Ramiz Mehdiyev, the head of the Azerbaijani presidential
administration, complained that the international community was not
doing enough to pressure Armenia, which invaded Nagorno-Karabakh and
the adjacent territory in a war following the collapse of the Soviet
Union, to take steps for peace. International mediators of the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), comprising representatives from the US, Russia and France,
have been working for almost two decades now to find a negotiated
solution, but their efforts have not produced a concrete result yet.

Mehdiyev, speaking to editors-in-chief of television news programs and
newspapers in Ä°stanbul after two days of talks with Turkish officials
in Ankara, said the Minsk Group’s efforts have not brought about any
outcome and that the group was not doing what is needed to be done.

"Nobody tells Armenia, ‘You have invaded these lands; you must
withdraw.’ Why should Azerbaijan give up on its own lands?" Mehdiyev
asked. "Azerbaijan has committed itself to resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute peacefully. But we may bring to the table
other options, including military measures, in the future if this
method fails to produce an outcome. Our patience is wearing thin,"
he continued.

Turkey, a close ethnic and regional ally of Azerbaijan, signed
protocols with neighboring Armenia to restore bilateral ties and
open the border, but Parliament is unlikely to ratify the documents
unless there is concrete progress in resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute. Ankara closed the border and severed its diplomatic ties with
Yerevan in 1993 to protest the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh
and the adjacent territory. Azerbaijan has protested the protocols
and said the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border without progress
on Karabakh would be detrimental to efforts for peace in the South
Caucasus.

Ramiz Mehdiyev met with editors-in-chief of Turkish newspapers and
television programs at Ä°stanbul’s Cıragan Kempinski Hotel.

On Friday, Mehdiyev said the signing of the protocols cannot harm
Azerbaijani-Turkish relations because they are two "brother nations."

He dismissed suggestions that Turkey signing the documents could be
seen as a "betrayal" of Azerbaijan and asserted that the tensions that
emerged in Baku-Ankara ties over the protocols were now a matter of
the past.

He also said the Turkish officials he had met in Ankara reaffirmed
that the Turkish-Armenian border would not be opened before the
Karabakh problem is solved. Turkey closed its border because of
Nagorno-Karabakh, and it will not be reopened unless the occupation
of the territory is ended, he said.

Mehdiyev had talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliament
Speaker Mehmet Ali Å~^ahin and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during
his three-day visit. He described the meetings as "extremely useful"
at the meeting with media representatives.

The Azerbaijani official also underlined that Russia has recently
stepped up its efforts for a settlement. He called on the Russian
administration, which he said is the main supporter of Armenia in
the Caucasus, to adopt a clearer and more sincere attitude to help
peace efforts.

As for the United States, he said Washington is also backing Armenia.

"Armenia would have withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh by now had it
not been receiving support from other countries," Mehdiyev said. He
said helping a solution in the Caucasus is a responsibility for all
Western countries, not only for those in the Minsk Group, but lamented
that the Western states continue to "pat Armenia on the head."

Mehdiyev also lauded the progress his own country has achieved in
improving its economy and democracy, saying Azerbaijan has carried out
major reforms in both areas in recent years, while also strengthening
its military. "Azerbaijan is aspiring to become a leading country
in its region maintaining Western standards" to achieve a goal set
first by former President Heydar Aliyev and now pursued by President
Ä°lham Aliyev.

The Azerbaijani economy has kept up its dynamism despite the global
financial crisis, Mehdiyev said, noting that the economy grew by
9.3 percent in 2009. He also praised relations between Azerbaijan and
Turkey and promised that the two countries will soon take the necessary
steps for visa liberalization. Ankara and Baku are working to abolish
visa requirements for their nationals, but a final agreement to that
effect has not yet been signed.

02 April 2010, Friday BULENT KENEÅ~^ Ä°STANBUL

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