‘TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN BENEFIT IN SITUATION WITH PROTOCOLS’
news.az
april 23 2010
Azerbaijan
Rasim Musabeyov ‘Armenia wanted to withdraw its signatures under the
protocols of Zurich’ said Rasim Musabeyov.
Political scientist Rasim Musabeyov has commented on the situation
in the Armenian-Turkish relations and Karabakh conflict settlement,
in the light of the freezing of protocols by Armenia.
‘Armenia wanted to withdraw its signatures under the protocols
of Zurich, but Sargsyan was explained during his visit to the
United States and Europe that Yerevan will not be allowed to do
this. It was made clear that West is interested in the opening of
the Armenian-Turkish border and even if this process has failed at
the current stage, it does not mean that they should reject all the
achievements between Turkey and Armenia’, the political scientist said.
‘By signing the Zurich protocols Armenia pursued the aim to sow a
discord between Turkey and Azerbaijan. The matter is that Turkey
is a military and strategic partner of Azerbaijan and in case of
hostilities in Karabakh Armenia will be in a difficult state.
Therefore, Yerevan ‘strategists’ hoped that the Armenian-Turkish
protocols will be of use in this direction. However, Armenia and those
backing it did not manage to sow a discord between Ankara and Baku’,
Musabeyov said.
‘On the contrary, Turkey and Azerbaijan benefited more in the
established situation with the Armenian-Turkish protocols. First
of all, Ankara was able to preserve ally relations with the United
States and the West has accepted Turkey as a growing superpower. The
west and the world community agreed to the growing role of Turkey in
international policy, because it cannot be otherwise.
Now, they will have a small trading with the West about the format and
the scale of growing Turkey’s positions in different regions. Turkey
has also received an active role in the Caucasus, including in the
resolution of the Karabakh conflict – from now on the Minsk Group
co-chairs agree to take into account Turkey’s interests and position
in this issue’, the political scientist said.
‘Second, Azerbaijan could prove and persuade the West that there will
be no use of the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border without the
resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Baku has insisted on its position
and the West decided to settle the Karabakh conflict to protect its
interests in the region and then to put efforts to normalize the
Armenian-Turkish relations.
West earlier hoped that the Armenian-Turkish border and Azerbaijan
will reconcile with it while later it will be possible to coax the
Azerbaijani side forcing Armenia to liberate some of the occupied
regions. But this plan failed which was admitted by the United States
and they approved Armenia’s freezing of protocols. And Turkey would
benefit from it because the freezing initiative came from Armenia
and the whole responsibility for the further developments is now on
Yerevan and its supporters’, Musabeyov said.