Sort out occupied land first, Azeri officials say
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 17, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - The uproar in Azerbaijan over claims that Turkey could reopen its borders with Armenia, before the occupied Nagorno Karabakh is back under Baku control, has prompted female deputies in Azerbaijan and their Turkish counterparts to stress their opposition to such a deal.
Deputies from both countries were reassured yesterday by President Abdullah Gül, who reportedly said Turkey would not take any action that would hurt Azerbaijan's interests.
Visiting Azerbaijani lawmakers held a press conference yesterday with the participation of Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, İzmir deputy, Şenol Bal, who noted that national policies could not be changed without political consensus. Speaking at the press conference, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, İzmir deputy Canan Arıtman said that the government was under pressure. "They will not dare to open that border," she said. Azerbaijani deputy Güler Ahmedova noted that Nagorno-Karabakh was Turkish territory, and that Azeris would struggle to the end in the name of all Turks to retake it. Bal underlined that the delegation received the full support of Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan, CHP leader Deniz Baykal and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Turkey’s northeastern province Kars, Hasan Sultanoğlu, said that opening the Armenian Turkish border would have double the economic, cultural and national effect on Turkey than it would on Azerbaijan. "Prime Minister asserted that the border would not be opened without a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Armenian groups come to Kars to tell locals they are living on Armenian soil. We see no positive attitude from the Armenians," Sultanoğlu said.
Visiting Azerbaijani lawmakers held a press conference yesterday with the participation of Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, İzmir deputy, Şenol Bal, who noted that national policies could not be changed without political consensus. Speaking at the press conference, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, İzmir deputy Canan Arıtman said that the government was under pressure. "They will not dare to open that border," she said. Azerbaijani deputy Güler Ahmedova noted that Nagorno-Karabakh was Turkish territory, and that Azeris would struggle to the end in the name of all Turks to retake it. Bal underlined that the delegation received the full support of Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan, CHP leader Deniz Baykal and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Turkey’s northeastern province Kars, Hasan Sultanoğlu, said that opening the Armenian Turkish border would have double the economic, cultural and national effect on Turkey than it would on Azerbaijan. "Prime Minister asserted that the border would not be opened without a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Armenian groups come to Kars to tell locals they are living on Armenian soil. We see no positive attitude from the Armenians," Sultanoğlu said.