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ERDOGAN BORDER WITH ARMENIA NOT TO OPEN BEFORE OCCUPATION ENDS
AssA-Irada
May 14 2009
Azerbaijan
Turkey will not open up its border with Armenia before the Armenian
occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with President Ilham Aliyev
during a visit to Baku on Wednesday. Erdogans comments came during
a joint news conference with Aliyev in reply to a question on the
possibility of re-opening the border, which has been shut since
1993 due to Yerevans policy of occupation and its claims on the
alleged World War I-era genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish
premier said he had consistently stated this view in his addresses
at international functions and repeatedly made it clear that Ankaras
position on the Garabagh conflict remains unchanged. I am telling
you this as Turkeys prime minister.
To my mind, no one can make more assuring expressions here. Turkey
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 due to the occupation of
Azerbaijans territories. And, so long as occupation persists, that door
will remain closed. Any speculations on this topic are unacceptable,
neither will this be accepted at all afterwards. Commenting on the
statement, President Aliyev said this was the best answer to a simple
question that Azerbaijan had asked of the Turkish authorities. He
stressed that speculating on the issue was currently out of place. I
appreciate both this question and the answer. There couldnt have
been a more open and clear-cut answer than this. It is known that
concerns have emerged to a certain extent among the Azerbaijani
public in the past months about the border opening. Standing here
before the Azerbaijani people today, I say that there is no room for
any doubts any more. The Turkish leadership has repeatedly clarified
this issue, and, today, Prime Minister Erdogan once again articulated
this in the best way possible, Aliyev said. There have been signs of
normalization in Ankara-Yerevan ties of late. Recent reports alleged
that the Turkish-Armenian border is expected to re-open soon, and
the governments of Turkey and Armenia agreed a road map in April,
which caused a cool-down in Baku-Ankara relations. However, Ankara
immediately assured Azerbaijan that its allys interests are among
its priorities. The Turkish premier said prior to leaving for his
first visit to Baku since the roadmap agreement that it aimed to
eliminate misunderstandings and false impressions. Prior to the press
conference, Aliyev and Erdogan held a one-on-one meeting, followed by
broad discussions. During the private meeting, the two mulled prospects
for expanding Azerbaijani-Turkish relations in the political, economic
and other fields, as well as regional and international issues. During
the broad discussions, the Azerbaijani leader regarded his meeting with
Erdogan as very efficient. Aliyev noted that Baku-Ankara relations were
multi-faceted and had abundant history. He emphasized that Azerbaijan
and Turkey have combined their potential as two independent states
and are working to further expand their ties. Baku attaches great
importance to the visit by the Turkish head of government. Such
meetings strengthen the steps being taken toward the future of
our cooperation. The Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are continuously
developing and are highly assessed. I am content with the talks, the
conversation we had. I believe that sincere conversations have brought
clarity to a number of issues. Erdogan, for his part, said his meeting
with President Aliyev was a due response to those trying to cast a
shadow on the historical partnership between Turkey and Azerbaijan,
a friendly and fraternal state. This is the most important issue in
our discussions. The one nation, two states notion lies at the core of
our relations. Just how sensitively Azerbaijan approaches the Garabagh
problem, we approach it the same way. We will not accept the false
views being stated in this regard, Erdogan said. The Turkish prime
minister arrived in the Azerbaijani capital on Tuesday evening. He
is accompanied during the visit by his spouse Emine Erdogan, as
well as a number of members of his newly-formed cabinet, including
the ministers of foreign affairs, transport, energy, and culture and
tourism. Prior to holding official meetings, Erdogan paid tribute in
the morning hours to the grave of the Azerbaijani national leader,
former President Heydar Aliyev at the Alley of Honors, the Alley of
Martyrs, the cemetery where Garabagh war victims were laid to rest,
as well as the monument to Turkish soldiers. Further, he visited the
Mosque of Martyrs, a Turkey-built shrine located in the area of the
Alley of Martyrs, which is frequented mostly by his countrys believers,
and enquired about the repair and restoration work underway at the
site. The Turkish premier wrapped up his visit by making an address
at the Azerbaijani parliament. Erdogan emphasized that some hostile
forces are seeking to harm the brotherly Turkey-Azerbaijan relations
on the basis of false reports. He noted that the recent tensions
had been caused by a false report posted in the Armenian section of
a website alleging that Ankara would back down from its demand on
liberating Upper Garabagh from occupation for the sake of normalizing
its relations with Yerevan. Dear brothers, even talking about Turkeys
relinquishing that condition sounds like major libel to us. I am
rejecting this slander once again in your presence, Erdogan said. He
added that after the mentioned report had been published, Turkish
officials made a number of relevant statements. However, reports
based on false information continued circulating, and the issue even
turned into a platform for waging a campaign against Turkey. Erdogan
explained the fact that details of the Ankara-Yerevan dialog are being
kept confidential with diplomatic norms. He reminded that under the
existing rule of diplomacy, the gist of talks is not disclosed until
a final result is achieved, and the same principle is being taken as a
basis in his countrys negotiations with Armenia. No one should conclude
from this that anything is being hidden from the public. Should one
believe the words of the prime minister or information posted on an
Internet site on any given issue? Erdogan queried. The Turkish premier
has left Azerbaijan for Poland. On Saturday, he is expected to head
to Sochi for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
AssA-Irada
May 14 2009
Azerbaijan
Turkey will not open up its border with Armenia before the Armenian
occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with President Ilham Aliyev
during a visit to Baku on Wednesday. Erdogans comments came during
a joint news conference with Aliyev in reply to a question on the
possibility of re-opening the border, which has been shut since
1993 due to Yerevans policy of occupation and its claims on the
alleged World War I-era genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish
premier said he had consistently stated this view in his addresses
at international functions and repeatedly made it clear that Ankaras
position on the Garabagh conflict remains unchanged. I am telling
you this as Turkeys prime minister.
To my mind, no one can make more assuring expressions here. Turkey
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 due to the occupation of
Azerbaijans territories. And, so long as occupation persists, that door
will remain closed. Any speculations on this topic are unacceptable,
neither will this be accepted at all afterwards. Commenting on the
statement, President Aliyev said this was the best answer to a simple
question that Azerbaijan had asked of the Turkish authorities. He
stressed that speculating on the issue was currently out of place. I
appreciate both this question and the answer. There couldnt have
been a more open and clear-cut answer than this. It is known that
concerns have emerged to a certain extent among the Azerbaijani
public in the past months about the border opening. Standing here
before the Azerbaijani people today, I say that there is no room for
any doubts any more. The Turkish leadership has repeatedly clarified
this issue, and, today, Prime Minister Erdogan once again articulated
this in the best way possible, Aliyev said. There have been signs of
normalization in Ankara-Yerevan ties of late. Recent reports alleged
that the Turkish-Armenian border is expected to re-open soon, and
the governments of Turkey and Armenia agreed a road map in April,
which caused a cool-down in Baku-Ankara relations. However, Ankara
immediately assured Azerbaijan that its allys interests are among
its priorities. The Turkish premier said prior to leaving for his
first visit to Baku since the roadmap agreement that it aimed to
eliminate misunderstandings and false impressions. Prior to the press
conference, Aliyev and Erdogan held a one-on-one meeting, followed by
broad discussions. During the private meeting, the two mulled prospects
for expanding Azerbaijani-Turkish relations in the political, economic
and other fields, as well as regional and international issues. During
the broad discussions, the Azerbaijani leader regarded his meeting with
Erdogan as very efficient. Aliyev noted that Baku-Ankara relations were
multi-faceted and had abundant history. He emphasized that Azerbaijan
and Turkey have combined their potential as two independent states
and are working to further expand their ties. Baku attaches great
importance to the visit by the Turkish head of government. Such
meetings strengthen the steps being taken toward the future of
our cooperation. The Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are continuously
developing and are highly assessed. I am content with the talks, the
conversation we had. I believe that sincere conversations have brought
clarity to a number of issues. Erdogan, for his part, said his meeting
with President Aliyev was a due response to those trying to cast a
shadow on the historical partnership between Turkey and Azerbaijan,
a friendly and fraternal state. This is the most important issue in
our discussions. The one nation, two states notion lies at the core of
our relations. Just how sensitively Azerbaijan approaches the Garabagh
problem, we approach it the same way. We will not accept the false
views being stated in this regard, Erdogan said. The Turkish prime
minister arrived in the Azerbaijani capital on Tuesday evening. He
is accompanied during the visit by his spouse Emine Erdogan, as
well as a number of members of his newly-formed cabinet, including
the ministers of foreign affairs, transport, energy, and culture and
tourism. Prior to holding official meetings, Erdogan paid tribute in
the morning hours to the grave of the Azerbaijani national leader,
former President Heydar Aliyev at the Alley of Honors, the Alley of
Martyrs, the cemetery where Garabagh war victims were laid to rest,
as well as the monument to Turkish soldiers. Further, he visited the
Mosque of Martyrs, a Turkey-built shrine located in the area of the
Alley of Martyrs, which is frequented mostly by his countrys believers,
and enquired about the repair and restoration work underway at the
site. The Turkish premier wrapped up his visit by making an address
at the Azerbaijani parliament. Erdogan emphasized that some hostile
forces are seeking to harm the brotherly Turkey-Azerbaijan relations
on the basis of false reports. He noted that the recent tensions
had been caused by a false report posted in the Armenian section of
a website alleging that Ankara would back down from its demand on
liberating Upper Garabagh from occupation for the sake of normalizing
its relations with Yerevan. Dear brothers, even talking about Turkeys
relinquishing that condition sounds like major libel to us. I am
rejecting this slander once again in your presence, Erdogan said. He
added that after the mentioned report had been published, Turkish
officials made a number of relevant statements. However, reports
based on false information continued circulating, and the issue even
turned into a platform for waging a campaign against Turkey. Erdogan
explained the fact that details of the Ankara-Yerevan dialog are being
kept confidential with diplomatic norms. He reminded that under the
existing rule of diplomacy, the gist of talks is not disclosed until
a final result is achieved, and the same principle is being taken as a
basis in his countrys negotiations with Armenia. No one should conclude
from this that anything is being hidden from the public. Should one
believe the words of the prime minister or information posted on an
Internet site on any given issue? Erdogan queried. The Turkish premier
has left Azerbaijan for Poland. On Saturday, he is expected to head
to Sochi for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.