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CONFLICTS
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AZERBAIJANIS AND ARMENIANS ARE LIKELY TO CLASH
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Source: `Resonansi’ newspaper (Georgia) [July 02, 2005]
Author: Manana Mchedlishvili
Azerbaijani residents of Sadakhlo village, located at
Georgian-Armenian border, have suspicions their co-villager Sadradin
Palangov, missing for a few days, fell victim to Armenians, who have
kidnapped and killed him. They demand to start criminal proceedings
and threaten to take countermeasures. It should be emphasized that
several days before Palangov’s disappearance, Armenian frontier guards
arrested four Sadakhlo Azerbaijanis, cutting wood in the border forest
of Armenia. According to some data, Minister of Interior, Vano
Merabishvili intended to ease tension in Sadakhlo, however the
notorious `wrestlers’ rebellion’ in Tbilisi forced the Minister to
change his plans.
Sadradin Palangov is a reputable person in Sadakhlo. According to some
data, he is the mullah of the village, according to other -`Mullah
Gara’- the nickname he got during hadj to the sacred city of the
Muslims, Mecca. During the search for Palangov, the law and order
bodies got only his hat and seven bullet cases from `Makarov’ gun,
which tuned the suspicions of the villages to the `Armenian
track’. However, the Armenian side categorically refutes any
information about Palangov. At the same time, it is a fact that he
disappeared near a watercourse in close proximity to the Armenian
border. Based on the evidence of the villagers, that evening they
heard shots from the Armenian side. In a while, several residents of
Sadakhlo headed for that direction to find out the details. Close to
the watercourse, they saw traces of blood. It was then that they found
the hat and the bullet cases.
The indignant residents of Sadakhlo organized a protest action and
blocked the Georgian-Armenian highway. Amiran Shubitidze, head of
Marneuli regional administration, which includes Sadakhlo village, was
to visit the site. During the meeting with him, protest participants
demanded that leading specialists of the Ministry of Interior, General
Prosecutor’s Office and heads of Kwemo Kartly regional administration
take up the case.
The search for Palangov is still underway. The Azerbaijani deputies of
Georgian Parliament strangely showed no interest in the accident. None
of them visited Sadakhlo, while the staff of Azerbaijani Embassy in
Georgia arrived at the site.
As for the four arrested Azerbaijanis, they returned home. According
to Amiran Shubidze, he held negotiations with the Armenian side
concerning their release. `Armenian frontier guards arrested them when
they chopped wood in the forest on Armenian territory. Our citizens
trespassed the border by accident. The Armenians understood it and
released the detained. However, we did not manage to find out anything
about the missing Palangov from them’, Shubitidze stated.
The investigation on Palangov case includes central investigation
bodies. The President’s representative in Kwemo Kartli region, Zurab
Melikishvili stated to `Resonances’, `The investigation is conducted
quite intensively. It includes specialists from the Ministry of
Interior. Several versions of the accident are worked out. However, it
is still too early to make any conclusions, since no new details are
revealed yet. The current situation in Sadakhlo and the border regions
is quite calm, the interstate route is opened’. }
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NEIGHBOURS
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ERDOGAN: TURKEY WILL NOT BE IMPOSED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF ARMENIAN BORDER
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Source: “Milliyet” newspaper (Turkey) [June 30, 2005]
Author:
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev stated that Azerbaijan plans to
launch an air flight to Northern Cyprus that will soon be visited by a
delegation of Azerbaijani businessmen. `We just cannot tolerate
further isolation of our Turkish brothers in Northern Cyprus’.
After the meeting of President Aliev with Prime Minister Erdogan, on
official visit to Baku, a press conference was held. Aliev stated that
during the meeting the issue of Cyprus was considered thoroughly, `On
behalf of Azerbaijan, we will do our best to stop the isolation of
Northern Cyprus. Various companies, travel agencies of Azerbaijan will
soon start air flights to Northern Cyprus. Soon, the delegation of
Azerbaijani businessmen will go there too. `We cannot tolerate our
Turkish brothers in Northern Cyprus to go on living like
this. Isolation should be stopped. Azerbaijan will do its utmost for
it’.
On his behalf, Prime Minister Erdogan stated that he welcomes the
unanimity of Azerbaijan and Turkey in their stance on Cyprus issue,
thus confirming Aliev’s intention to launch air flights for ceasing
isolation.
The Border With Armenia Is Not A EU Requirement
Prime Minister Erdogan stated that Turkey intends to support
Azerbaijan in Armenian issue. In his opinion, Council of Europe
resolution, qualifying Armenia as `occupier’ of Mountainous Karabagh,
was adopted through the efforts of Turkey.
Erdogan stated that opening the border with Armenia is not ratified in
the Copenhagen resolutions Turkey is to comply with for full
membership in EU, `Turkey cannot be imposed such measures, we do not
accept them. This is Turkey’s decision. Besides, the frame document,
referred to yesterday, states all the conditions of EU. On this basis,
EU negotiations will start October 3′.
President Aliev, answering the question about elections in Iran,
stated that Azerbaijan has good relations with Iran and will try to
keep this level of relations in the period of Ahmedinecad presidency.
Aliev also emphasized the necessity for activating trade relations
between Turkey and Azerbaijan, and pointed to the significance of
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline for both countries and the world
overall.
According to Prime-Minister Erdogan, the turnover between the two
countries will increase up to1 milliard dollars. Erdogan emphasized
that due to the pipeline both countries became an energy corridor
joining the group of three on a par with Georgia. He stated that
President Aliev, by his request, will take part in the ceremony of oil
shipment on a tanker in the port of Ceyhan, October 27.
}
WHAT IS BAS BAKAN THINKING ABOUT
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Source: “Zerkalo” newspaper (Azerbaijan) [June 30, 2005]
Author: K. Guluzadeh
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan Arrived in Baku
On June 29, evening, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
arrived in Baku on a two-day visit. Today, he will have meetings with
President Ilham Aliev, Speaker of Mili Mejlis Murtuz Aleskerov and
Prime Minister Arthur Rasizade.
Besides, Erdogan will make a speech for the Parliament deputies and
have meetings with the Turkish businessmen, working in Azerbaijan.
The ceremony of laying the foundation for the new building of the
Turkish embassy is fixed for the evening.
By the official schedule, Turkish Prime Minister does not plan to meet
the representatives of the opposition and public in Azerbaijan.
In the past two decades, the role of Turkey in the domestic and
foreign policy of Azerbaijan has undergone repeated changes and
transformations. If previously Ankara was a foreign strategic partner
of Baku and Turkey was capable of initiating a power change in
Azerbaijan, now the situation is quite different.
With Erdogan coming to power, Turkey took the course of EU accession.
On this strenuous path, Ankara started to reduce the levers of
pressure in the region of Central Asia, South Caucasus and Middle
East. Cyprus almost abandoned, Iraq headed by a Kurd, withdrawal from
both coasts of the Caspian form an incomplete list of the foreign
policy concessions by Turkey in the race for the much-desired EU
membership. In the context of a truly pragmatic saying about a bird in
the hand being worth two in the bush, Ankara has not moved a single
step on the way to EU, having lost all the previous achievements. No
one has given Turkey any guarantees for accession to the `closed
Christian club’ in the tactical perspective.
It was during Suleyman Demirel’s rule that the omissions started, when
the state interests of Turkey were sacrificed for the economic
interests of the entourage of Turkish Prime Minister. In particular,
it is no secret in Azerbaijan that certain contracts and licenses were
received by the Turkish businessmen through active lobbying of their
interests by S. Demirel.
Further on, Erdogan simply `gave a final strike’ to Turkey’s
withdrawal from Azerbaijan’s domestic policy. His statements
concerning Kurdish protégés within Azerbaijani authorities could
hardly improve bilateral relations. Up to now, the general public is
uncertain about the reasons for the notorious statement of Erdogan and
his refusal to hold further discussions of this issue after such
high-flown accusations.
For the current stage, the relations between the countries are based
on Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and a common `headache’ in the shape
of Armenia. At the same time, Turkey becomes still more active in
voicing the calls for ignoring the Karabagh issue and opening of
communications with Armenia, as implied by EU. However, the Karabagh
issue is almost the only trump to be used by Turkey, constantly
pressured by the events of 1915 that are qualified by some members of
EU as `Armenian Genocide’. The Turkish representatives, demanding
opening of communications, are allegedly unaware that the main problem
between Ankara and Yerevan is not Karabagh as such, but Armenia’s
territorial claims to Turkey. Opening of communications with Armenia
is a start of implementing the Armenian plan on `getting Western
Armenia back’.
True, on the level of various international organizations Azerbaijani
and Turkish delegates have a common stance and show mutual
support. However, it is just a minor detail inherited from the
previous relations of the two states.
Anyway, the previous proximity was more of advantage to Turkey
-pro-Western at the time – than to Azerbaijan, left with the
alternative of an extra regional payer. The brotherhood was unequal
since Ankara could impact all the processes in Baku with no other
opportunity left for Azerbaijan.
At present, Turkey still remains a state closely supporting
Azerbaijan. However, it is not the support it used to be several years
back. In the relations between the two countries, emotions prevail
over pragmatism.
It is possible that the current visit of Erdogan will show Azerbaijani
authorities that Turkey has interest in the internal political
processes of Azerbaijan. The `velvet’ analysts do not exclude the fact
that USA assigned a certain role to Turkey in November elections,
similarly to Poland and Latvia in the Ukrainian `revolution’. Still,
these are just guesses and suppositions, since Turkey is currently not
a decisive player in the domestic policy of Azerbaijan. For the time
being, it still has a positive role in foreign policy, whereas the
domestic policy of Azerbaijan is now in the hands of other players. }
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INT. STRUCTURES
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IT IS NOT TURKEY BUT ITS POSSIBLE STATUS OF US PLENIPOTENTIARY THAT IS
UNACCEPTABLE TO EU
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Source: “Azg” newspaper (Armenia) [July 02, 2005]
Author: Hakob Chakrian
On June 29, the European Commission ratified the decision `on starting
negotiations with Turkey, October 3′, adopted at EU summit on December
17, 2004. At the same time, the idea of enlarging Europe did not raise
special enthusiasm, whereas Turkey’s membership in EU provoked serious
protests.
The protests are obvious after the unfavorable political events
allowing the leading media of the world to declare that EU
disintegration is close. It is primarily American and British media
that are concerned.
As for the recent events, they led EU to political and economic
crisis. The political crisis is conditioned by the rejection of a
common European Constitution by France and the Netherlands. The
economic decline is caused by June 16-17 EU summit in Brussels where
the heads of EU member states failed to agree on the common budget. In
the issue of June 22, `Azg’ turned to political and economic crisis in
EU, thinking regress of Union enlargement to the background as natural
under the conditions. `If enlargement is not accompanied by expanding
areas of influence, EU members view as priorities their own national
interests, which leads to internal contradictions’.
It was not an accident. We thus emphasized that the regress of EU
enlargement prospects to the background is not related to the
negotiations for Turkey’s accession but to the crisis that will
inevitably impact the negotiations. In other words, the EU problem is
not so much Turkey’s membership as disproportion of territorial
expansion and areas of influence.
This disproportion is caused by a number of factors, among which the
difference between levels of economic development, pro-American
orientation of new members and candidates for EU membership,
disagreement among England, France and Germany and their competition
for leadership, involvement of other countries in this competition,
constant rivalry of EU and USA, the intention of the latter to impede
the process of transforming EU into an independent pole.
The attempts of EU for rapprochement with Turkey to balance US
influence assign special importance to this state. Its attempts to
improve relations with neighboring Iran and Syria with the prospect
for penetrating the region attract leading European powers.
Therefore despite these protests, EU cannot give up negotiations with
Turkey; otherwise the European Commission would have postponed the
ratification of the decision `on the start of negotiations with
Turkey, October 3′.
Thus, USA also protests against Turkey’s rapprochement with EU. Then,
how can we explain the numerous statements about US support of
Turkey’s EU membership? Apparently, there is an intention of having
one more plenipotentiary within EU alongside England. In this case
Turkey will get into the ranks of the countries taking pro-American
positions. It will lead to the failure of all EU aspirations to get to
Middle East via Turkey and to establish control over the Transcaucasus
and other countries of the region.
This allows assuming that it is not Turkey but its status of US
plenipotentiary that is unacceptable for EU. Apparently, the
government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not accept this option, since
at the current stage they have unresolved contradictions with US on
the one hand and no guarantees for Turkey’s EU membership on the
other. }
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