Turkey vows to keep its promises to S Caucasus ally
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has
reiterated assurances to Azerbaijan, making it clear the ally had
no grounds for concern over Ankara`s bid to normalize its strained
relations with Armenia.
Addressing the ruling AK Party`s lawmakers, Erdogan said he had hosted the 11-member Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation last week and discussed with them the developments ongoing in the volatile region, focusing on the recent signing of the Turkish-Armenian protocols on mending ties.
``I told them once again that I and my government stand by the statement I had made in the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani parliament). We will not take any steps defying our Azerbaijani brethren,`` the Turkish premier pledged.
Erdogan noted that provocateurs are seeking to sow a seed of discord between Turkey and Azerbaijan and mislead the public by spreading rumors and slander.
``Our citizens and Azerbaijani brethren should not listen to them. Everyone should be convinced that we deemed the Azerbaijani flag as the Turkish flag and the Azerbaijani land dear and sacred, as Turkey`s land, and this is still the case. Our martyrs in Baku are the glorious martyrs for this cause.
``This appeal of mine is especially addressed to the people of Azerbaijan. We do not place Azerbaijani interests below Turkish ones. We see Azerbaijan`s grief as our grief and Azerbaijan`s joy as our joy,`` Erdogan said.
Armenia and Turkey have been at odds for decades due to Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Yerevan`s claims on the World War I-era genocide. On October 10, Ankara and Yerevan signed two protocols seeking to forge diplomatic ties and open the Turkish-Armenian border. However, Ankara has repeatedly pledged that the border will not open until the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has been fairly resolved, and the protocols require parliamentary approval before taking effect.
Apparently referring to Turkey`s opposition Nationalist Movement Party, which has vehemently opposed the signing of the reconciliation papers with Armenia, Erdogan accused the bloc of trying to take advantage of the ongoing developments for its aims.
``In Turkey, itself, there are those supporting intriguers. They have been persistently instigating the people,`` he said.
Erdogan said Turkey was particularly offended by the removal of the Turkish and Azerbaijani flags around the monument honoring Turkish soldiers at a cemetery in Baku. ``We do believe that our Azerbaijani brethren will realize what this means.``
The flags of Turkey and Azerbaijan around the monument honoring Turkish servicemen at the Alley of Martyrs in Baku were removed last Thursday, amid a cool-down in bilateral relations caused by Ankara`s agreements with Armenia, Azerbaijan`s long-time foe. The memorial was erected to honor the Turkish soldiers who fell in battles with the troops of Armenian Dashnaks and Soviet Bolsheviks who committed carnage in Baku in 1918.
Ali Hasanov, the head of the Presidential Administration socio-political department, said the flag removal complies with Azerbaijan`s law on the rules regulating the use of the flags of other countries and international groups. He said that, from now onward, these flags will be permitted only in the areas where this is not prohibited by the law, including diplomatic representations, locations of international organizations` offices as well as residences housing high-level governmental delegations.
Addressing the ruling AK Party`s lawmakers, Erdogan said he had hosted the 11-member Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation last week and discussed with them the developments ongoing in the volatile region, focusing on the recent signing of the Turkish-Armenian protocols on mending ties.
``I told them once again that I and my government stand by the statement I had made in the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani parliament). We will not take any steps defying our Azerbaijani brethren,`` the Turkish premier pledged.
Erdogan noted that provocateurs are seeking to sow a seed of discord between Turkey and Azerbaijan and mislead the public by spreading rumors and slander.
``Our citizens and Azerbaijani brethren should not listen to them. Everyone should be convinced that we deemed the Azerbaijani flag as the Turkish flag and the Azerbaijani land dear and sacred, as Turkey`s land, and this is still the case. Our martyrs in Baku are the glorious martyrs for this cause.
``This appeal of mine is especially addressed to the people of Azerbaijan. We do not place Azerbaijani interests below Turkish ones. We see Azerbaijan`s grief as our grief and Azerbaijan`s joy as our joy,`` Erdogan said.
Armenia and Turkey have been at odds for decades due to Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Yerevan`s claims on the World War I-era genocide. On October 10, Ankara and Yerevan signed two protocols seeking to forge diplomatic ties and open the Turkish-Armenian border. However, Ankara has repeatedly pledged that the border will not open until the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has been fairly resolved, and the protocols require parliamentary approval before taking effect.
Apparently referring to Turkey`s opposition Nationalist Movement Party, which has vehemently opposed the signing of the reconciliation papers with Armenia, Erdogan accused the bloc of trying to take advantage of the ongoing developments for its aims.
``In Turkey, itself, there are those supporting intriguers. They have been persistently instigating the people,`` he said.
Erdogan said Turkey was particularly offended by the removal of the Turkish and Azerbaijani flags around the monument honoring Turkish soldiers at a cemetery in Baku. ``We do believe that our Azerbaijani brethren will realize what this means.``
The flags of Turkey and Azerbaijan around the monument honoring Turkish servicemen at the Alley of Martyrs in Baku were removed last Thursday, amid a cool-down in bilateral relations caused by Ankara`s agreements with Armenia, Azerbaijan`s long-time foe. The memorial was erected to honor the Turkish soldiers who fell in battles with the troops of Armenian Dashnaks and Soviet Bolsheviks who committed carnage in Baku in 1918.
Ali Hasanov, the head of the Presidential Administration socio-political department, said the flag removal complies with Azerbaijan`s law on the rules regulating the use of the flags of other countries and international groups. He said that, from now onward, these flags will be permitted only in the areas where this is not prohibited by the law, including diplomatic representations, locations of international organizations` offices as well as residences housing high-level governmental delegations.
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