Friday, 5 August 2011Azerbaijan is closely monitoring the upcoming steps between Armenian and Turkish NGOs as part of confidence- building measures between the two countries, measures which include starting a direct Turkish Airlines, or THY, flight between Yerevan and Van. Azerbaijan would react if those steps could harm their national security, an Azerbaijan official said.
“We do not intend to interfere in the foreign affairs of any country, but if those developments harm our national security, we could debate them [with Turkey],” Elhan Polukhov, spokesperson for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry told the Hürriyet Daily News on Friday.
When asked if Baku has conveyed to Ankara any reservations on the plans, Polukhov said, “Those steps have not been realized yet. [We could put reserves] if they take place and we can debate them.”
Turkish and Armenian civil society groups are planning to introduce a set of confidence-building measures as part of normalization efforts between the two countries. One of the plans is the first direct Yerevan-Van flight, which will be carried out on Sept. 11, on the day a religion service is planned to be held at the Surp Haç Church in Van.
“We have not provided a plane for the first flight on Sept. 11 yet. Also we are waiting for Turkish authorities’ permission for the flight,” Abdullah Tunçdemir, member of Van Trade-Industry Chamber Council, told the Daily News. The second plan involves THY opening an office in Yerevan.
Turkey has briefed Baku regarding the Turkish and Armenian NGOs’ plans and their meeting in July with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told the Daily News. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan paid an official visit to Baku recently. Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov had a meeting with Davutoðlu in Ankara on Thursday.
Discussions with Azimov centered mainly on the issue of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents’ last meeting in Kazan on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In reference to the meeting, the Azerbaijani side said it did not play a part in causing the Kazan meeting to fail.
Turkey urges the U.S. to compel the parties to move further in the talks, the diplomat said.
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Friday, 5 August 2011
Hurriyet Daily News
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