Hungary’s EU presidency: What should the Eastern Partnership’s future posture be toward the South Caucasus?

Hungary assumes the European Union presidency in a troubled period, as all of Europe struggles under the economic crisis. As a new member of the EU, Hungary wants to prove its capacity to take on the challenging role of improving the capabilities of the partnership program for the EU’s Eastern European neighbors.

Due to the economic crisis and the different approaches of the program participants, though, it is hard to realize all Eastern Partnership countries’ aspirations. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » December 2010

Turkey says Karabakh must be settled within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Thursday that Turkey supports solution of Nagorno-Karabakh problem, a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, based on securing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

“Turkey wishes restoration of peace and order in southern Caucasus within the framework of this solution. We want normalization of relations not only between Turkey and Armenia but also between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Davutoğlu told reporters during the 11th summit of the heads of state and government of the Economic Cooperation Council (ECO) in İstanbul.

Asked if pressure on Turkey would change Turkey’s stance on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Davutoğlu said Turkey defends a solution on Nagorno-Karabakh problem based on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. “This is norm of international relations. Similarly, Turkey wishes peace and order to prevail in southern Caucasus within the scope of this solution. Turkey is eager to normalize relations with Armenia,” Turkish foreign minister said. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » December 2010

Armenian vote to recognize Karabakh independence fails

The Armenian opposition criticized the government on Thursday after a parliamentary vote to recognize the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state was scuttled by the governing coalition.

“The ruling coalition is wrong to refuse to even consider in parliament the recognition of Karabakh’s independence,” said Larisa Alaverdian of the opposition Heritage party.

The vote failed because parties making up the governing coalition abstained, leaving too few lawmakers participating to make the vote valid. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » December 2010

Armenian parliament to discuss Karabakh independence

Armenia’s parliament will discuss Thursday the possibility of recognizing breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence, yet many admit that international considerations effectively preclude Yerevan from making any such acknowledgement.

“Armenia cannot make this decision at the moment, no matter how much they want it, because they attach the utmost importance to mediators’ diplomatic efforts for a solution to the [Nagorno-Karabakh problem],” Manvel Sargsyan, a Karabakh political figure, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

The issue has been brought to the agenda by the country’s strongest opposition party, Jarankutyun. Although the party raised the same issue in 2007, it failed, said Sargsyan. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » December 2010

Mr. Iskandaryan: “Nagorno-Karabakh is an Integral Part of Armenian Political Identity”

[JTW Interview] Mr. Iskandaryan: “Nagorno-Karabakh is an Integral Part of Armenian Political Identity”
Interview by Gulay Kilic (JTW)

Journal of Turkish Weekly conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Alexander Iskandaryan, the Director of Caucasus Institute, on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and Armenia’s position.

Q: If we take Sarkissjan era into consideration, is there a remarkable deviation from the former President Robert Kocharyan’s policy concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh problem?

A: No, the policy is very similar. Of course there are some adjustments stemming from changes in external factors, such as the Five Day Russia-Georgia War, the course of Armenia-Azerbaijani negotiations, the role of Russia in the process etc. However, the position of Armenian political elites has not undergone any dramatic changes since Robert Kocharyan’s presidency. The stance of Armenia with regard to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is that Armenia will agree to any solution which satisfies the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia believes that Nagorno-Karabakh must by no means be excluded from the negotiation process. It also adheres to the principles on which the Minsk group bases the negotiation process. These are three fundamental principles of international law: the self-determination of nations, the territorial integrity of states, and the non-use of force in conflict resolution.  Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » December 2010

Turkey remains indifferent to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton departed for Astana to attend the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit, many claimed back home in the US that Europe’s largest security watchdog “is not of any use at all.”

Amid such increasing concerns regarding the whole structure of the organization, one should also be worried if mechanisms used by this organization would be proper platforms to resolve conflicts, particularly those dealing with ethnic animosities, decades-long hostilities and persistent hatred. Besides being a platform for reconciliation, the OSCE summit this week has turned into a battleground between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » December 2010

Sarkozy-Aliyev meeting discusses energy, Karabakh

French President Nicolas Sarkozy met with Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev in Paris on Wednesday.

In a written statement, the French presidency said the leaders had agreed to expand bilateral relations and trade volume between the two countries and expressed their wish to develop a “strategic partnership.”

France said it wants to develop economic relations with Azerbaijan, including those in the field of energy, such as oil and natural gas.

The topic of Nagorno-Karabakh was also discussed. The Azerbaijani region has been the cause of deteriorating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the beginning of the 1990s. Ethnic Armenian forces backed by Yerevan seized control of the region and seven surrounding districts in an early-1990s war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives. Talks to resolve the conflict continue. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » December 2010