Azerbaijan's interests important for Turkey
By Sara Rajabova
Turkey's top official said Azerbaijan's interests must be taken into account in efforts to restore the Turkish-Armenian relations.
Turkish Vice-Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan made the remark at a press-conference during an international conference of media representatives on November 4.
He said, certainly, Azerbaijan's interests are of particular importance for Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is also a problem of Turkey.
Turkey cut diplomatic ties and closed its border with Armenia because of Yerevan's claims over recognition of the so-called Armenian 'genocide' in the world and occupation of Azerbaijan's territories.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Turkey has set Armenia's withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan as a precondition for establishing diplomatic relations with the country.
While commenting on the events of 1915 and the so-called "Armenian genocide", Akdogan said Turkey and Azerbaijan must work together on the issue of the 100th anniversary of "genocide" initiated by Armenia.
Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor the Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out the "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Turkey in turn has always denied the "genocide" as baseless.
While strengthening the efforts to promote the so-called "genocide" in the world, Armenians have succeeded to gain the recognition of the parliaments of some countries.
Azerbaijan-Turkey relations have always been strong due to a common culture and history and the mutual intelligibility of Turkish and Azerbaijani languages.
Turkey was the first country in the world to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 and has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity, and realize its economic potential that derives from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea.