AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT ALIYEV BEGINS CRUCIAL US VISIT
Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 26 2006
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev set off to the United States
yesterday for a critical official visit taking place at a time when
the Iranian crisis has deepened. Aliyev will meet US President George
W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,
and Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman.
The issues in the nuclear crisis with Azerbaijan’s neighbor, Iran,
and the Upper Karabag (Karabagh) under the Armenian occupation,
are expected to mark Aliyev’s three-day visit. About 20 percent of
Azerbaijani territories have been under Armenian occupation and more
than 1 million Azeris have been refugees since the war.
Aliyev’s foreign policy adviser, Novruz Mammadov, told Turkish
newspaper Zaman that four main subjects such as dual relations,
energy, regional security and international terrorism will be handled,
but the Iran and Karabagh issues will be the main focus of the
Aliyev-Bush talks.
Mammadov announced Baku wants the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program
to be overcome by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the
United Nations.
“There are enough problems in the region already. As the nation of
Azerbaijan, we have never had and we will never have any intention
of interfering in Iran’s domestic affairs. We are ready to offer the
necessary support for this issue to be solved by peaceful means.”
The Azeri official also criticized Tehran for following a policy
favoring Yerevan over the Karabagh issue despite Baku’s policy of
mutual respect and good neighborly relations. The European Union and
the OSCE have named Armenia ‘occupier’ in the region. Iran claims its
regime is Islamist yet supports ‘Christian Armenia’ instead of ‘Muslim’
Azerbaijan. Dr. Nilgun Gulcan says that Iran does not follow an
Islamic foreign policy and the matter is not religion in the region”.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Davut Sahiner, from the USAK, also told the JTW
that there are two blocks in the region: “One is the Western Block
including Turkey, georgia, Azerbaijan and Israel with the US and
the EU. The second block includes Armenia, Iran and Russia. Armenia
has good relations with all the anti-American countries. However teh
Armenian diaspora tries to show the facts as the reverse” he added.
Aliyev’s foreign policy adviser, Novruz Mammadov, criticizing the
US on the Armenian issue, highlighted that Washington remains silent
regarding Armenia that continues to occupy one fifth of Azerbaijan’s
territory.
“The United States may instantly take action for disagreements in
other countries. We think it should show the same sensitivity for
Azerbaijan, too,” the Azeri official added.
Mammadov said the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe) Minsk Group co-chairs have not been able to make any concrete
progress in the Karabagh case for years. “We believe the problem will
be solved if the US shows necessary sensitivity.”
Strategist Rasim Musabaev said Aliyev’s visit, taken at a time when
the Tehran-Washington conflict is at its peak, is no coincidence.
One of the most important ways for Baku to emerge from the Iranian
crisis with least damage is to follow a policy parallel to Turkey,
Musabaev added.
The Azeri official maintained Turkey and Azerbaijan are facing
US pressure over the Iranian issue. “It is difficult for these two
countries to say ‘yes’ to the United States because Iran is neighbors
both countries; therefore, we should focus on ways of solving the
problem peacefully.”
The Azeris also indicate the importance of the visit Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay to Baku on May 5.
Turkey’s Ambassador to Baku Turan Morali said Turkey and Azerbaijan
carefully follow Iran’s nuclear crisis and said the two brother
countries want the problem to be solved through peaceful means.
Dr. Sedat Laciner, head of the USAK, says that the foremost problem
is the Armenian occupation in the region:
“Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan cannot form a strong block against
instablity in the region due to the Armenian occupation in Karabakh.
Armenia should also join these countries’ efforts to integrate with
the Western world instead of relying on Russia. As a matter of fact
that Armenia’s stability and welfare in co-operation with the Turkic
states and Georgia. However the ultra-nationalist and pro-Russian
groups prevent Yerevan Government to take concrete steps to solve the
problems with the neigbours. As a first step Armenia should recognise
Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s national borders, and the US should encourage
Armenia to do so. Otherwise Armenian aggressive foreign policy will
continue to undermine the Western policies in the region.”