TURKEY AWARE OF IMPOSSIBILITY TO BUILD CIVILIZED RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
Lala B.

news.az
May 3 2010
Azerbaijan

Fikret Sadikhov News.Az interviews Fikret Sadikhov, Azerbaijani
political scientist.

Head of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Vasif Talibov held high
level meetings in Turkey. By results of the talks Turkish FM Ahmet
Davutoglu made a statement about Ankara’s loyalty to the Kars treaty
and that Turkey remains the guarantor of Nakhchivan’s security. What
can you say about it?

Nakhchivan is a special regional unit that has been fixed in the
international documents since last century. There are guarantees of
Turkey, Kars document and interregional cooperation between Nakhchivan
and Turkey which is developing in most directions. This is quite
natural and normal. The main border of Azerbaijan and Turkey lies via
Nakhchvan. Naturally, Talibov’s meetings were to be on the high level.

Meanwhile, the fact that Davutoglu makes such statements says
that Turkey’s support to Azerbaijan will continue. Turkey has
never rejected this support. This also proves that Turkey facing
Armenian political obstinacy, whims and ambitions in the issue of
normalization of ties has become convinced that Azerbaijan is its
only ally in the region. In addition, it is not merely an ally,
it is also a like-minded people and partner in residing separatism,
territorial claims and protection of Turkey’s position in the issue
of fictional "Armenian genocide". Azerbaijan holds an active foreign
policy activity on resisting propaganda on the so-called "genocide".

Therefore, Davutoglu’s statement of support to Nakhchivan is in terms
of these relations, especially since Turkey has become convinced
that it is merely impossible to build and form civilian relations
with Armenia or open borders and set diplomatic ties with it.

What was the need for the Turkish FM to persuade the Nakhchivan leader
that Ankara will continue being the guarantor of its security? Has
there been any threat to Nakhchivan’s security?

Nakhchivan has long been in a state of blockade. This land has
repeatedly been attacked by Armenia. In addition, Nakhchivan remains
an object of the territorial claims of Armenia. The statements about
it are periodically voiced in Yerevan. There have always been frontier
clashes there. Armenia has insatiable appetites which are growing.

Armenians are always dreaming of expanding their territory by means
of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Yerevan periodically voice statements
both on official and unofficial levels that Nakhchivan is part of
"Great Armenia" Today we observe the period of the biggest tensions in
regional relations. This tension also comes from Armenia’s failure to
give a rational response to the renewed Madrid principles proposed by
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and its suspension of the normalization
process with Turkey. Armenia continues pushing its resolutions on
"genocide" throughout the world, Armenia puts territorial claims
to the neighbor states. Therefore, I consider that Davutoglu’s
statement is quite in terms of this context, it sounds actual and is
a serious remembrance to some hot heads in Yerevan about existence
of international law, Kars treaty of 1921 and existence of Turkey as
a guarantor of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Do you think Talibov would have visited Turkey and Davutoglu would
have made the statement if the process of normalization of the
Turkish-Armenian relations did not fail?

I am almost sure that there would have been neither this visit
nor the statement, because we can recall the reaction of Baku and
Azerbaijani public regarding the signing of the Zurich prootocls. We
have expressed our discontent without hiding it at all levels. We
have mentioned that the unsettled Karabakh problem and the occupation
of Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan is a center of
serious tensions and instability in this region. By opening borders
and restoring diplomatic relations with Armenia, Turkey will never
gain stability and security in this region. In addition, by signing
and ratifying these protocols, Turkey is thus damaging itself since
Armenia has, in fact, changed the essence of these documents by
introducing amendments to these protocols in its Constitutional Court.

Meanwhile, under the amendments, Armenia will continue striving
for the international recognition of 1915 events as "genocide"
and Yerevan does not reject its previous territorial claims to
Turkey. If Turkey has ratified these protocols without respect to
the Azerbaijani regions, first of all, stability would never be
restored in the region, since the enemy would feel itself a stronger
player and take an irreconcilable position in the negotiations on
Karabakh. Second, the destabilization of the situation would start
in Turkey, because there were many opponents of protocols in this
country. On the whole, if Turkey has ratified the Zurich protocols,
these would have destabilized the situation in the region. Under such
tensions in relations there would have been no visit of the chairman
of the Supreme Medjlis of Nakhchivan or any other official to Turkey,
The situation would be inadequate in which the whole configuration
of relations in this region would have changed and Azerbaijan has
already been prepared for this.

Though Armenia has officially initiated the suspension of normalization
of ties with Turkey, some consider that Yerevan will lose more from
this. What do you think about it?

Certainly, Armenia will lose. Only Turkey will benefit from it. The
opening of borders would have been profitable for Armenia. But its
untimely political ambitions, constant whims played a bad game with
it. Armenia wants the protocols signed with Turkey to come effective,
because it is in a state of economic collapse and political deadlock.

In this situation it is in a great need of access to the wider space,
which lies via Turkey. But Armenians do not want to disavow their old
ambitions and claims. Armenians want to restore ties with Turkey,
have open borders and diplomatic relations with it but at the same
time they are not going to reject the claims for Turkish lands and
resolutions on 1915 events, they have no intention to liberate occupied
Azerbaijani lands. But there can never be like this in policy. This
is nonsense. If Armenia still does not understand this, it will remain
in this state, winning absolutely nothing from this situation.

As is known, the normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations
and Madrid basic principles of the Karabakh conflict settlement have
been initiated by the same states, the so-called superpowers. Both
these directions are successfully hampered by Yerevan. Can these
superpowers be expected to put pressure on Armenia to incline it to
be more constructive or will they forgive it, like they usually do?

Despite all this, Armenia is not under pressure of the leading states.

Superpowers have just nominated these proposals but they do not press
on Armenia for it to adopt them. Azerbaijan demonstrates tolerance.

Though we have been negotiating on the Karabakh issue for many years,
we are ready, we accept the Madrid principles, even with definite
difficulties for ourselves. Meanwhile, Armenia is maneuvering, just
because the superpowers do not put pressure on it. Unfortunately, the
superpowers continue taking into account Yerevan’s whims thus arising
problems. Superpowers understand that truth is in Azerbaijan’s favor.

Our lands are under occupation and we are ready to grant a high status
to Nagorno Karabakh. But the tragedy of the situation is that the
negotiation process has been protracted so much that Yerevan dares
to play with world superpowers and instead of putting pressure
on Yerevan for Armenia to accept the proposals worked out by the
mediators, new Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov
is flirting with Armenians. He visits Armenia, Khankendi, holds some
senseless and unnecessary talks with Bako Saakyan who settles nothing
in this negotiation process. Armenians will continue this game,
unless superpowers put any serious pressure on Yerevan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress