Erdogan`s statement unsettles Yerevan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s
statement made during a visit to Baku last week has been met with
considerable concern in Yerevan, prompting reactions at the highest
level of the Armenian government. Following Erdogan`s assurances to
Azerbaijan that Turkey will not open its border with Armenia before
the occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends, Armenian President
Serzh Sarkisian claimed in a meeting with Brian Fall, the UK
Government Special Representative for the South Caucasus, that if
Turkey is indeed trying to facilitate a settlement to the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, it should not
meddle in the peace process.
"Any interference with the conflict resolution by Ankara could only jeopardize the process," the Armenian leader warned.
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has also commented on Erdogan`s statement, claiming that this position of the Turkish premier was impeding the process of rapprochement between Yerevan and Ankara.
Erdogan`s comments came during a joint news conference after talks with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku last Wednesday in reply to a question on the possibility of re-opening the border, which has been shut since 1993 due to Yerevan`s policy of occupation and its claims on alleged World War I-era genocide occurring within the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish premier made it clear that Ankara`s position on the Garabagh conflict remains unchanged, adding that any speculations on the border opening issue were unacceptable.
"I am telling you this as Turkey`s 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 Azerbaijan`s territories. And, so long as occupation persists, that door will remain closed. Any speculation on this topic is unacceptable, neither will this be accepted afterwards."
President Aliyev welcomed the statement as "the best answer to a simple question that Azerbaijan had asked of Turkish authorities." He stressed that speculating on the issue was currently inappropriate.
"I appreciate both this question and the answer. There couldn`t 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 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 recent signs of normalization in Ankara-Yerevan ties. Earlier reports alleged that the Turkish-Armenian border is expected to re-open soon, and the governments of Turkey and Armenia agreed to a "road map" in April, which caused a cool-down in Baku-Ankara relations. However, Ankara immediately assured Azerbaijan that its ally`s interests are among its priorities. The Turkish premier had said, prior to leaving for his first visit to Baku since the roadmap agreement, that it aimed to "eliminate misunderstandings and false impressions."
"Any interference with the conflict resolution by Ankara could only jeopardize the process," the Armenian leader warned.
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has also commented on Erdogan`s statement, claiming that this position of the Turkish premier was impeding the process of rapprochement between Yerevan and Ankara.
Erdogan`s comments came during a joint news conference after talks with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku last Wednesday in reply to a question on the possibility of re-opening the border, which has been shut since 1993 due to Yerevan`s policy of occupation and its claims on alleged World War I-era genocide occurring within the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish premier made it clear that Ankara`s position on the Garabagh conflict remains unchanged, adding that any speculations on the border opening issue were unacceptable.
"I am telling you this as Turkey`s 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 Azerbaijan`s territories. And, so long as occupation persists, that door will remain closed. Any speculation on this topic is unacceptable, neither will this be accepted afterwards."
President Aliyev welcomed the statement as "the best answer to a simple question that Azerbaijan had asked of Turkish authorities." He stressed that speculating on the issue was currently inappropriate.
"I appreciate both this question and the answer. There couldn`t 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 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 recent signs of normalization in Ankara-Yerevan ties. Earlier reports alleged that the Turkish-Armenian border is expected to re-open soon, and the governments of Turkey and Armenia agreed to a "road map" in April, which caused a cool-down in Baku-Ankara relations. However, Ankara immediately assured Azerbaijan that its ally`s interests are among its priorities. The Turkish premier had said, prior to leaving for his first visit to Baku since the roadmap agreement, that it aimed to "eliminate misunderstandings and false impressions."
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