CHP ready to negotiate with Armenia without any preconditions

Turkey’s ruling and main opposition parties are ready to normalize relations with Armenia and open the border, but the two are on conflicting sides of the debate over preconditions for negotiations.

“We are ready to negotiate with Armenians without preconditions,” Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, told a group Turkish, Armenian and U.S. journalists late Monday. The statement in response to a question from a U.S. journalist who said the CHP’s policy regarding ties with Armenia was not different from that of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, as both parties were putting Armenia’s withdrawal from disputed Nagorno-Karabakh as a condition. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » June 2011

Moscow pushes Karabakh settlement ahead of talks

The Russian Foreign Ministry is convinced that resolution of the Karabakh conflict cannot be delayed any longer.

This will be the thrust of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s message to his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts when they meet in Moscow on 11 June, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » June 2011

Armenia expects Russian support in Karabakh war

Armenia is counting on support from its ex-Soviet military allies, including Russia, if war breaks out with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, the defense minister said Thursday.

A member of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO, which has been touted as a post-Soviet answer to NATO, Armenia is locked in an increasingly tense dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » May 2011

Rising tension in the Caucasus and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

2010 was a year of increasing tension in the Caucasus. An increase in bombing activities in Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia, along with armed skirmishes in Nagorno-Karabakh brought questions of stability to Turkey’s doorstep.

It is clear that the region has significant importance as a Turkey main gateway to Russia and the Caspian basin as well as a transit route of energy resources. Therefore, any increase in tension in the region will have significant impact in Turkey. It also has some capacity to generate negative impacts on the political atmosphere and cause problems for ongoing and future projects. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » April 2011

The Khojaly Massacre and the ‘Armenian Genocide’

Have you ever, dear readers, heard of the Khojaly massacre of February 25-26, 1992? Or do you have any idea where on earth Khojaly might be?

Khojaly was a small village with a population of approximately 2,000 people in Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed enclave between Azerbaijan and Armenia. After the immigration wave at the start of 1990, nevertheless, its population increased to almost 6,000. First came the Meskhetian Turks who were deported during the World War II to Central Asia by the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, and then Azeri families which were sent packing from Hankendi (Stepanakert) by the Armenians. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Khojaly, Turkish Press No Comments » April 2011

Azerbaijani jets hold exercises near Armenian border

More than 10 fighters and military helicopters belonging to the Azerbaijani Air Forces are holding military exercises in a “front-line zone” close to Armenian military forces.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev has been stationed at the front-line zone near the Nagorno-Karabakh region since Wednesday, Trend News Agency reported. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » April 2011

Turkish, Azeri defense ministers meet in Ankara

Turkey’s Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül met Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Safar Abiyev to discuss regional and bilateral ties in Ankara on Friday.

Speaking prior to the meeting, Gönül referred to the statement of former Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev on Turkey and Azerbaijan in which he had described the two countries as, “one nation, two states.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » April 2011

Azerbaijan threatens to down Armenian flights

Azerbaijan on Wednesday threatened to shoot down civilian planes flying to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region if the separatist Armenian authorities who control the region reopen an airport there.

Azerbaijan considers Karabakh to be occupied by the Armenians, and Baku’s state aviation agency said it has told the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, that the region’s airspace was closed and any flights would be unauthorized. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » March 2011

Ankara, Baku champion staged settlement to Karabakh dispute

A staged plan for a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute shared by Ankara and Baku with international actors is based on an understanding that aims to bring normality to Armenia in its relationship with Turkey and Azerbaijan. The plan foresees the gradual withdrawal of Armenians from Azerbaijani territories as well as the opening of Turkish-Armenian border.

A multi-staged approach that includes the gradual withdrawal of Armenian troops and the reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border is being proposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan to resolve the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » March 2011

Turkish-Azerbaijani relations: reality check

By ELDAR MAMEDOV

At the meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, in Astana in December 2010 the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan were at pains to downplay the damage that WikiLeaks could cause to the historically close relations between their countries.

The documents released by WikiLeaks contain harsh criticisms of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, by Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev, who reportedly dismissed its foreign policy as being “naive” and a “failure.” These revelations merely confirmed an open secret: behind the rhetoric of “one nation, two states,” tensions and misunderstandings abound. Yet, if well-handled, the leaks could help to build a healthier and more mature relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by admin Posted in: Turkish Press No Comments » February 2011

« Previous Entries Next Entries »