Azernews.Az

By Gunay Hasanova

Due to unfounded claims of Armenia about 'Armenian genocide' and the country's claims on the lands of neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan, Ankara declared that it has no intentions on opening the border with Armenia. Apparently, recent statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on normalization of relations with neighboring countries do not apply to the case with Armenia.

Commenting on the issue of opening borders with Armenia, Turkish Ambassador Ismail Alper Coskun said that Turkey doesn't intend to open the borders with Armenia.

“The reasons why Turkey closed its border with Armenia and after what it can open the border are obvious,” he stressed. "Turkey as in the past favors peace and stability in the region since it is in the interests of all countries in the region, including Turkey itself."

The diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey severed in 1993, when Turkey announced on closing its borders with Armenia due to Yerevan's claims over Armenia's illegal "genocide" claims and occupation of Azerbaijani lands.

Turkey takes an active part in the efforts of OSCE Minsk Group, which seeks a peaceful solution to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which emerged upon Armenia's territorial claims to neighboring Azerbaijan. Armenian keeps under control over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory and ignores four UN Security Council resolution on immediate withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied lands.

Political, military, social and economic relations are at the high level between the two friendly and brotherly countries, which are bounded with the principle of “one nation, two states”.

Turkey and Azerbaijan are in are in close cooperation in the areas of energy and transport as well. The two countries have conducted massive regional projects of strategic importance, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project. The cooperation between two countries are expected to enhance further after the commissioning the Trans-Anatolian Natural sas pipeline (TANAP).

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