Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

'Azerbaijan Seeking To Derail Turkey-Armenia Deal'

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • 'Azerbaijan Seeking To Derail Turkey-Armenia Deal'

    'AZERBAIJAN SEEKING TO DERAIL TURKEY-ARMENIA DEAL'

    Monday Morning
    http://www.mmorning.com/ArticleC.asp?Article=7317 &CategoryID=6
    Nov 2 2009
    Lebanon

    On October 16 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Turkish terms for
    buying Azerbaijani gas were unacceptable and that Baku was considering
    other routes for shipping its gas to Europe.

    The statement came amid deep Azerbaijani anger at a thaw in
    Turkish-Armenian relations and prompted Turkish Foreign Minister
    Ahmet Davutoglu to reaffirm that its close support for Baku remained
    unchanged.

    "Azerbaijan has been selling its natural gas to Turkey at a level that
    is one third of the world price. What country in the world would agree
    to sell its natural resources at 30 percent of world prices?" Aliyev
    told a government meeting.

    "Of course under such conditions, we have to explore alternatives",
    he said, adding that Azerbaijan could look to increase gas supplies
    through Russia or Iran.

    Analysts said Aliyev's remarks were a shot across Turkey's bow after
    it signed an agreement with Armenia this month to establish diplomatic
    ties and reopen their border following decades of hostility.

    Baku is incensed that Ankara is moving forward with the agreement,
    which must still be ratified by the Armenian and Turkish parliaments,
    and accused Turkey of betraying its interests.

    Ankara sealed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity
    with Baku after ethnic Armenian separatists, backed by Yerevan,
    seized the Nagorno Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts
    from Azerbaijan in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.

    "Azerbaijan feels personally betrayed by Turkey to some extent", said
    Ana Jelenkovic, a London-based Caucasus expert with the Eurasia Group.

    "They are feeling very threatened and are taking steps to make it
    overtly obvious to Turkey where they stand".

    Azerbaijani political analyst Rasim Musabekov said the Turkey-Armenia
    thaw has brought longstanding Azerbaijani concerns over gas prices
    to the surface.

    "Turkey's ignoring of Azerbaijan's national interests in its approach
    with Armenia has made Baku reconsider Turkey's selfish approach to
    gas prices", he said.

    "Where previously Azerbaijan could justify the very low prices because
    of brotherly relations with Turkey, now Baku is speaking solely in
    the language of business", he said.

    In response, Davutoglu declared that "Azeri soil is as sacred for
    us as our own" and Turkey would offer unstinting support for Baku in
    the Karabakh conflict.

    Commenting on Aliyev's remarks on gas, Davutoglu added: "The
    negotiations are continuing (...) I believe we will reach a positive
    outcome".

    Azerbaijan is the starting point for a key corridor of oil and gas
    pipelines from the Caspian Sea through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

    It is also seen as a key potential supplier for the European Union's
    ambitious Nabucco pipeline project, aimed at cutting Europe's reliance
    on gas supplies through Russia and Ukraine.

    Jelenkovic said the threat to pursue alternative routes was also
    aimed at Western countries, which have pushed hard for reconciliation
    between Armenia and Turkey.

    "They are making it very clear to Europe what this might mean,
    because Europe would certainly prefer not to have those supplies
    routed through Russia", she said.

    Tentative steps have already been taken with Moscow and recently the
    Azerbaijani and Russian state energy firms signed an agreement to
    start gas flowing to Russia as of next year.

    Azerbaijan is limited in how far it can push Turkey, as there is not
    enough infrastructure for major gas supplies through other countries
    like Russia. But emotions in Baku are running high. "We can say
    that we are now at the lowest point in relations between Turkey and
    Azerbaijan", said Baku-based analyst Ilgar Mamedov.

    In another development, an opinion poll released last week suggested
    that most Armenians oppose the agreement to establish ties with Turkey,
    but nearly half nonetheless want to see the border between the two
    countries opened.

    The survey of 1,000 people carried out by the Armenian Sociological
    Association found that 52 percent opposed the agreement to establish
    diplomatic ties. About 39 percent supported the deal. But 48 percent
    of respondents also said they wanted the border to open, compared
    with only 41 percent who wanted it to remain closed.
Working...
X