DAVUTOGLU PLEDGES NOT TO DISAPPOINT AZERBAIJAN
Today’s Zaman
Sept 16 2009
Turkey
FM Ahmet Davutoglu met with SP leader Numan Kurtulmus yesterday in a
bid to win the opposition’s support for plans to normalize relations
with Armenia.
In a bid to win the opposition’s support of the government’s plans
to normalize relations with neighboring Armenia, Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday held talks with several political party
leaders and reassured them that Turkey’s move to normalize relations
with Yerevan would not harm its friendly ties with Baku at all.
Davutoglu visited main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
leader Deniz Baykal, Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Masum Turker
and Felicity Party (SP) leader Numan Kurtulmus. The minister had
already met with Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin last week. Yet,
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, a strong critic
of the plans to restore relations with Armenia, rejected Davutoglu’s
request for a meeting. Under Switzerland’s mediation, Turkey and
Armenia announced on Aug. 31 that they had agreed to start internal
consultations before signing two protocols on the establishment of
diplomatic ties and the development of bilateral relations.
Davutoglu’s talks with opposition parties mark the beginning of the
domestic consultation process, which is expected to be concluded within
six weeks following the announcement of the deal. The conclusion of
the domestic consultations will then be followed by the ratification
of the protocols by the Turkish and Armenian parliaments. Parliament’s
role is thus vital in the normalization process. Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan has noted the accords would not go into effect until
the Turkish Parliament approves them.
All three political leaders with whom Davutoglu met tied the
normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan to the resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Baku and Yerevan, Today’s
Zaman has learned.
"We won’t take a step which will sadden our Azerbaijani brothers. They
are being informed of the entire process imminently and it will go
on as before," Davutoglu told the leaders in response.
Turkey closed its border and severed its diplomatic relations with
Armenia in 1993, in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan in a war
between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh
region. But nearly two years ago, Turkish and Armenian diplomats
launched closed-door talks on the normalization of relations. Reopening
the border and establishing ties with Armenia would increase
predominantly Muslim Turkey’s influence in the region and aid its
faltering bid to join the European Union. The bloc has long asked
candidate member Turkey to normalize ties with its neighbor, and
restoring diplomatic ties would also be beneficial for regional
security.
But the opposition is skeptical, saying a possible move to reopen
the border without an Armenian withdrawal from Azerbaijani territory
would be detrimental to Turkey’s national interests. In addition
to the mostly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh, seven adjacent
Azerbaijani regions were also occupied by Armenia during the 1991 war.
"There is an image that the process is under the control of the
Armenian side. We don’t find it appropriate. The process should
be taken out of the control of the Armenian side," Kurtulmus told
Davutoglu.
Speaking at a press conference following his meeting with Davutoglu,
Baykal remained skeptical on the government’s initiative, saying that
the protocols planned to be signed by Ankara and Yerevan included no
reference to the need to end occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia.
"There is an image that the process is under the control of the
Armenian side. We don’t find it appropriate. The process should be
taken out of the control of the Armenian side," Kurtulmus, meanwhile,
told Davutoglu during their meeting.
In response, the minister said: "Yes, as you said, the image is
like that. But this is not true. Nobody has been controlling the
process." Davutoglu and Kurtulmus, who said his party would not support
the process as long as the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute is not resolved,
agreed to meet once more after the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Davutoglu is paying visits and requesting meetings with all leaders
whose political parties won at least 1 percent of the vote in the
July 2007 general elections. As of today, Davutoglu is scheduled
to hold talks with Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Yalcin Topcu and
Democrat Party (DP) leader Husamettin Cindoruk. He is expected to
meet with Democratic Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Turk after the
Eid al-Fitr holiday.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
