Azernews.Az

Baku stands by Ankara on all issues, including its fight against the rebel group of PKK, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim said.
"We are allies with Turkey…Turkey has always supported Azerbaijan, and this is mutual," he told a news briefing Monday.
The statement came as the separatist group carried out attacks on Turkey from mountain hideouts near the border. Ankara has not ruled out diplomacy as a way to end stand-off but threatened to send forces into northern Iraq to confront the guerrillas. Last week the Turkish parliament authorized the country's military to launch a military incursion at any time.
Ankara blames the PKK for the killings of over 30,000 people. Dozens of soldiers and civilians have been killed in recent weeks by the group's rebels. The United States, which relies on Turkey for logistical support for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, has called on Ankara to exercise restraint, fearing any incursion could destabilize the region.
Ibrahim stressed that the Kurdish group has been recognized by a slew of nations and international organizations as a source of threats, and that "Azerbaijan understands perfectly the threats posed by terror".
Head of the Atlas research center Elkhan Shahinoghlu called for all countries to unite in a broad coalition to combat terror.
As for ways Azerbaijan could assist Turkey in its bid to fight the PKK, he said that first of all, the Milli Majlis should recognize it as a terrorist group.
"When it comes to passing a decision, both officials and parliament members are hesitant for some reason," the analyst said.
Shahinoghlu said he had no doubt the Turkish military would destroy PKK bases in Iraq soon. "The Turkish government can no longer withstand this demand of the public."
Analyst Hikmat Hajizada agreed that the Azerbaijani legislature should recognize PKK as a terrorist group. He said Azerbaijan could provide valuable assistance to Turkey in its anti-terror efforts.
"The two countries could forge cooperation both in exchange of intelligence information and in capturing and extraditing terrorists attempting to cross the Azerbaijani border."
Hajizada said the PKK also poses a serious threat to Azerbaijan's economic interests, in particular, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export pipeline, as trans-national pipelines have always been one of the main targets for terrorists around the world.
"Therefore, this assistance would be pivotal both for averting the terror threat worldwide and in terms of Azerbaijan's economic and geo-political interests," Hajizada said.
Chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Ali Karimli said Baku and Ankara should hold substantial talks on the issue.
"These discussions should concern not only PKK terror, but also Washington's recognizing the 'Armenian genocide', because if the U.S. passes this decision, it would deal a staggering blow to both countries' interests," Karimli said.
Armenians say Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million people in 1915, a claim strenuously denied by the Turkic world.
The party leader said another reason Turkey has been subject to PKK attacks is the double standard approach of some countries to terrorism.
"How many more people do they have to kill before the world community admits that it is a terror group?" he queried.
Azerbaijani lawmakers on Friday called for assistance to Turkey in its bid to fight Kurdish extremists. Opposition MPs demanded that the PKK be recognized by the Azerbaijani parliament as a terrorist organization.
"The Azerbaijani and Turkish armed forces should wage joint struggle to ward off common threats," a member of the Musavat party Panah Huseyn said.
He emphasized that the United States and European Union have already recognized PKK as a terrorist group, but the Azerbaijani government has yet to follow suit.
Ankara's decision to fight the rebels came after the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on October 10 adopted a bill branding the alleged mass killings and deportations of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in the early 20th century as "genocide".
Armenians claim historical evidence and research support the use of the term, but Turkey argues that the deaths were part of the chaos of the war and the ethnic fracturing of the Ottoman Empire. The measure passed the committee hearings 27-21 despite adamant opposition from the Bush administration and Ankara's warnings that the move would damage ties with Washington.
Azerbaijani MPs condemned the passage of the "genocide" bill. An executive of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, MP Aydin Mirzazada suggested that the Milli Majlis hold a special session to discuss the US legislature's measure.