STATEMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC
Baku, October 12 (AZERTAC). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Azerbaijan Republic has disseminated a statement for the press in connection with signing on October 10 current year in Switzerland of the reports on establishment and development of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Armenia.
The Statement reads:
“The position of the Azerbaijani side on this question is unequivocal. In 1993, Turkey in protest to occupation of the Azerbaijani lands by Armenia and the aggression against Azerbaijan has closed borders with Armenia. As a result of the Armenian aggression, 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands were occupied, about 1 million citizens of Azerbaijan, undergone to ethnic cleaning became refugees and IDPs on their homelands, and on occupied territories the cultural-historical heritage of Azerbaijan has been destroyed. Armenia ignored numerous resolutions and documents condemning aggressive policy of Armenia, accepted so far by Security Council and General Assembly of the United Nations, OSCE, the PACE, OIC and other international organizations, demanding withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and returning of the refugees to their homes, and any advance for liquidation of consequences of the said aggression has not been reached.
In connection with this question, the Azerbaijani side refers to numerous statements of the high-ranking officials of the Republic of Turkey, and also Prime Minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in particular on his words during statement on May 14, 2009, in Milli Majlis of the Azerbaijan Republic “Turkey has closed borders with Armenia after occupation of the Azerbaijani lands by it. Borders can be opened after elimination of occupation. As long as demands of our Azerbaijani brothers will not be satisfied, we will not recede from this position on a step”, and also at iftar organized on September 17, 2009, with representatives of Turkish mass media “We cannot open borders until the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is settled. We cannot undertake this step without settlement of the said problem”.
As we already repeatedly marked, establishment of relations of each state with other states, basically, is its sovereign right. However, normalization of relations of Turkey with Armenia before withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories directly contradicts national interests of Azerbaijan and casts shade on brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, basing on historical roots. Taking into account importance of opening of all borders and communications in region, Azerbaijan considers that opening unilaterally the Turkish-Armenian borders will call into question architecture of the regional world and security”.
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