Azerbaijani FM expresses concern on Turkey-Armenia relations thaw

ISTANBUL – Azerbaijan’s foreign minister expressed concern on Thursday at the prospect of the border being opened between Armenia and Turkey.

“If the border is opened before the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, it would run counter to Azerbaijan’s national interests,” Reuters quoted Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov as telling Azeri ANS television.  

Ankara and Yerevan have agreed on the major parameters of a historic reconciliation in secret talks to start diplomatic relations and re-open their shared border, which Turkey closed in 1993 after Armenia occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region, sources told Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review earlier.

Mamedyarov said Azerbaijan had conveyed its opinion on the issue to Ankara, adding Turkey accepted his country’s concerns.