Relations with Turkish Cyprus to become a headache for Azerbaijan

Regnum, Russia
Oct 8 2005

Relations with Turkish Cyprus to become a headache for Azerbaijan
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As Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for Foreign Affairs,
said, creating relations with Northern Cyprus will lead to
prolongation of Azerbaijani connection to `Neighborhood Policy’ of
the European Union. `EU recognizes only the independence of Republic
of Cyprus. And this country express protests against creation of
flight routes between Azerbaijan and North Cyprus, as well as other
relations between Baku and Lefkosha’, said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, as
`Svoboda’ radio station reports.

In her speech in Committee for Foreign Affairs in the European
Parliament in Brussels, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said she had informed
Azerbaijan, that if the country would not change its position, EU
would ally only with Armenia and Georgia. `We hope that Azerbaijan
will settle this problem, but it will take several weeks’, she said.

In his turn, head of MFA Information Department of Azerbaijan Tair
Tagizade said, that he had received no official information about
European cooperation under program `Neighborhood Policy.’

`Azerbaijan is ready to take steps towards the assigned plan. But
plane flights are a commercial initiative, it has nothing to do with
foreign policy of the state,’ said Tair Tagizade.