Baku and Ankara upholds the hostile policy towards Armenia
10.03.2007 13:13
Tatul Hakobyan
"Radiolur"
The forum of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations, featuring
more than 500 participants from 50 countries, started in Baku
yesterday. Among the guests are the Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and leader of the unrecognized Northern Cyprus Mehmet
Ali Talat. Undoubtedly, the forum mainly focused on the statements of
the Turkish Premier and the President of Azerbaijan, which have a
clear anti-Armenian character.
Ilham Aliyev declared in his speech that `Azerbaijan will never put up
with the occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent regions and
will not allow building a second Armenian state on Azeri land.’ Aliyev
urged Armenia to reconsider its policy and `refuse from the ungrounded
demands on Azerbaijan and Turkey.’
`Armenia should implement changes in its policy; it should withdrow
from Azerbaijan land and refuse from demands on Turkey connected with
the Armenian Genocide,’ he said, adding that otherwise the future of
Armenia may be questionable. It’s still nothing. From Aliyev’s next
sentence it becomes clear to what extent Baku is ready for concessions
and the settlement of the Karabakh issue. `Armenia has no territorial
demands on Armenia, although it could have, since today’s Armenia has
been created on historically Azerbaijani lands.’ ` Zangezur and
Yerevan were the lands of our predecessors, these are old Turkish
territories. If we lay claims on these lands, the self-determination
of Armenians will be under question.’
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared in his speech that only
through close cooperation Azerbaijan and Turkey will manage to solve
the problems and issues they face and. He said `Armenia has occupied
Azerbaijani lands, but earlier or later justice will triumph.’ Among
the challenges to Turkey Erdogan stressed the `demand of the Armenian
Diaspora to recognize the Armenian Genocide,’ as well as `the unfair
isolation of the Turkish community of Cyprus.’ `The pain of
Azerbaijan is Turkey’s pain, the joy of Azerbaijan is the joy of
Turkey,’ Erdogan underlined.
In an interview with the Azeri APA agency Erdogan cited departed
President Heydar Aliyev as saying that `Azerbaijan and Turkey are
separate states, but Turks and Azerbaijanis are the same people.’
Highly assessing the Ankara-Baku relations, Erdogan emphasized the
construction of pipelines with neighboring Georgia and friendly
Azerbaijan, as well as other regional programs, including the
Kars-Akhalkalaki rail project.
It’s worth mentioning that Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship is
particularly strong especially when the question refers to the policy
towards Armenia. For many years these two countries have been keeping
Armenia in blockade, which is considered a hostile activity. Turkey
associates the normalization of relations with Armenia and
establishment of diplomatic relations with the resolution of the
Karabakh issue.
Certainly, the word `resolution’ has no negative meaning, but by
saying ` resolution’ Turkey means unilateral concessions by Armenia.