Ankara urges Yerevan to accept Baku's proposals for normalizing ties
By Vugar Khalilov
Turkey’s Presidential Administration has urged Armenia to accept Azerbaijan's five basic principles for normalizing relations, Trend has reported.
It stressed that these principles are a real push for regional peace and development, and their implementation is in Armenia's best interests.
The Presidential Administration emphasized the importance of "opening of transport and communications, building other relevant communications, and establishing cooperation in other areas of mutual interest" for Armenia.
The statement also acknowledged Turkey's ongoing support for Azerbaijan's efforts to ensure regional peace and stability.
On March 14, Azerbaijan made public the five basic principles for normalizing relations with Armenia.
For the normalization of relations, Azerbaijan proposes the following principles:
- Mutual recognition of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of internationally recognized borders and political independence of each other;
- Mutual confirmation of the absence of territorial claims against each other and acceptance of legally binding obligations not to raise such a claim in future;
- Obligation to refrain in their inter-State relations from undermining the security of each other, from the threat or use of force both against political independence and territorial integrity and in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the UN Charter;
- Delimitation and demarcation of the state border, and establishment of the diplomatic relations;
- Unblocking of the transportation and other communications, building other communications as appropriate, and establishment of cooperation in other fields of mutual interest.
To recap, after submitting fundamental principles to Armenia on the normalization of relations between the two countries, Armenia turned to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs for peace talks.
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov earlier told Anadolu news agency that Azerbaijan had sent a five-point proposal to Armenia to normalize relations and was awaiting a response from the opposite side.
"The message is this: the factor of occupation is gone. In this situation, the Azerbaijani side, despite all the difficulties and problems of the past, is in favor of normalizing relations with Armenia," he said.
He stressed that Armenia has not responded to Azerbaijan's proposal for almost a year.
The minister described Azerbaijan's recent new proposal to Armenia as a sign of goodwill.
"We have proposed to the Armenian side some fundamental principles, which include the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We expressed our readiness to develop relations on the basis of certain principles. Armenia should consider this and give its answer," he said.
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