Turkish MP on whether Turkey will open border with Armenia for NATO exercises

Lately, Azerbaijani and Turkish societies have been concerned over the possible opening of the Armenia-Turkey border due to the upcoming NATO exercises to take place in Armenia in September…  

Turkey's stance on opening of the Armenia-Turkey border voiced by the president, prime minister, speaker of the parliament and foreign minister remains unchanged. Our position is clear enough. Turkey is not going to consider border opening with Armenia until Karabakh conflict resolution sees progress and Azerbaijan’s occupied lands are freed from occupation.

Speculations on this subject appear in the Armenian press from time to time. Turkey has made no changes to this condition.
 
What results can the upcoming September summit of Turkic countries in Istanbul have?  Will the summit discuss resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

The summit's agenda is not known yet. In any case, such meetings will serve not only greater economic integration, but also consolidation of positions of the Turkic countries on political issues.

Turkey took over chairmanship in the UN Security Council today. What steps Turkey plans to take as Security Council chair in terms of settlement of the Karabakh conflict?

It requires peaceful intentions from Armenia to resolve the Karabakh conflict. This is the main condition for a settlement. Without this, all attempts by international organizations to achieve progress in resolving the Karabakh problem will be futile.

Turkey suggested to conclude a security pact in the South Caucasus in 2008. Will it go ahead with this initiative?

Turkey is interested in sustainable peace and confidence in the South Caucasus. The recent expansion of the Turkish-Russian relations creates a good platform to establish peace in the region. I am sure that Turkey will continue to pursue a policy in this direction.

What events can we expect to occur in Azerbaijani-Turkish relations in the near future?

I think it is time to implement the principle of "one nation - two states" in all aspects. This applies particularly to the economic and cultural cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Can we say that the process of restoring the Armenian-Turkish relations, known as "football diplomacy", finally stayed in the history?

No. Everything depends on Armenia’s implementation of conditions set by Turkey. If these conditions are fulfilled, Turkey will take up the issue of ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols once again. First and foremost, it concerns a condition of liberation of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories.
 
How do you see development of the existing strategic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the military sphere?

Strategic cooperation between our two countries is possible in any area or in any form. This comes from the general principle for all of us: "one nation - two states.”


/Day.Az/