Category: Azerbaijan

CANADA: Scholarly Conference “Azerbaijan in the Caspian Geopolitical Context”

The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University

Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Canada

“Azerbaijan in the Caspian Geopolitical Context”

November 12, 2009

2017 Dunton Tower, Carleton University

1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa

Azerbaijan has become a key player in the Caspian region which emerged as a vital energy and transportation link between Central Asia and Europe. Due to Azerbaijan’s geostrategic location and energy resources, it attracts attention of policy makers and business circles. Yet, region’s security environment remains the subject of concerns for statesmen, experts and scholars. Despite difficulties Azerbaijan is developing and enhancing trad e and investment relations with Europe, Asia and North America.

The conference will focus on the two dimension of Azerbaijan’s geopolitical and geoeconomic environment: security and energy with a view to highlight issues and formulate expert recommendations for strengthening peace and international strategic partnership in the region. Last year’s August war in Georgia and its impact on the South Caucasus security, Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations, Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, the Nabucco energy project and other matters will be discussed at the conference.

AGENDA

9:30  10:00 Registration and Coffee

10:00 10:20 Welcoming Remarks

Dr. Dane Rowlands, Associate Director of the Norman Paterson School of

International Affairs, Carleton University

H.E. Farid Shafiyev, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Canada

10:20  12:00 Panel 1: Security and Energy Environment in the South Caucasus

Chair

Dr. Joan DeBardeleben, Chancellor’s Professor and Director of the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Carleton University

Speakers

10:30 -10:50 Mr. Paul Goble, Director of Publications, the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, “Evolving Security Environment in the South Caucasus”

10:50 – 11:10 Dr. Robert Cutler, Research Associate, Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Carleton University, “European-Caspian Energy Links”

11:10 -11:30 Mr. Taleh Ziyadov, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, “Energy and Transportation projects in South Caucasus”

11:30 – 12:00 Questions & Answers

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00  14:30 Panel 2: Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and Turkish-Armenian Rapprochement

Chair

Dr. Fen Hampson, Chancellor’s Professor and Director of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University

Speakers

13:10 -13:30 Dr. Thomas Ambrosio, Associate Professor, Political Science Department,

North Dakota State University, “Obama’s Foreign Policy toward Nagorno-Karabakh: Continuity or Change?”

13:30-13:50 Mr. Tofig Musayev, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN, “The International Legal Framework for the Settlement of the Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan”

13:50 -14:10 Mr. Hashim Gafarov, PhD Candidate in Political Science at the School of Political Studies of the University of Ottawa, “The Implications of Recent Rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia for the South Caucasus”

14:10 – 14:30 Questions & Answers

14:30  14:35 Closing Remarks

Dr. Fen Hampson, Chancellor’s Professor and Director of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University

For space reasons, please contact Mr. Tural Ganjaliyev if you intend to attend the conference at [email protected] or telephone 613-288 0497 ext. 248& nbsp;

Please send an email with the subject line “Azerbaijan Conference.” In the message body include your full name and institutional affiliation.

October 24, 2009
Turkish Foreign Minister in Azerbaijan

[ 22 Oct 2009 20:02 ]
Baku. Lachin Sultanova, Elbrus Seyfullayev-APA. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov visited Heydar Aliyev’s grave in the Alley of Honors, Martyrs’ Alley and Turkish memorial to Turkish soldiers.

APA reports that both ministers came to the alley in the cars carrying Azerbaijani and Turkish flags.

The foreign ministers issued a joint statement in the memorial to Turkish soldiers. Ahmet Davutoglu said he was pleased to visit Azerbaijan. Turkish Minister noted that he met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister and President Ilham Aliyev, they discussed Azerbaijan-Turkey relations, the problems of the two countries.
“We came to the conclusion that Turkish and Azerbaijani territories, flags are the same for us. We consider Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity our territorial integrity, Azerbaijan’s flag our flag. Our flags are alike, the crescent moon and star on them are the same. Turkey is concerned over the recent happenings as much as Azerbaijan is. The memorial to Turkish soldiers has been entrusted to our Azerbaijani brothers. Turkey and Azerbaijan will remain brothers forever. Both flags are Turkish flags. We will not allow anyone to insult these flags. Turkey will continue to defend Azerbaijan. Our common Turkish language, common flag is eternal,” he said.

Elmar Mammadyarov said he had one-on-one meeting with Ahmet Davutoglu, later they met with President Ilham Aliyev.
“The principle ‘one nation, two states’ is effective. We discussed the unpleasant incidents concerning the flags. Our views coincided. Ahmet Davutoglu said the incident in connection with Azerbaijani flag will be investigated in Bursa, criminal case will be launched. The wrongdoers will be punished. Azerbaijan-Turkey friendship, love, brotherhood will not be affected,” he said.

Both ministers answered the question of APA’s correspondent “Will Azerbaijani and Turkish flags be hung out in the memorial to Turkish soldiers again?”

Ahmet Davutoglu said the incidents concerning the flags should not affect the relations between the two brotherly countries.
“An incident happened in Bursa. Investigation is being carried out. Some videos broadcasted in media are provocations, they aim to stir up discord. We will not allow anybody to insult Azerbaijan’s flag in Turkey. Despite this, we are investigating this provocation and will take measures. The Turkish flag in the memorial is not the flag of others, this is the flag of our common Turkish language. The flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey were hung out here together. We hope these flags will soon be hung out in the memorial again,” he said.

Elmar Mammadyarov said all saw the attitude towards Azerbaijan’s flag in Bursa stadium.
“It has been decided to punish those persons. We will also take necessary measures,” he said.

October 22, 2009
Armenia Thanks U.S. For Help In Normalizing Turkey Relations

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Tina Kaidanow, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, meet in Yerevan.

October 21, 2009

YEREVAN — Armenia’s President Serzh Sarkisian has told visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Tina Kaidanow expressed gratitude on behalf of the Armenian nation to the U.S. leadership for its contribution to the normalization of relations with Turkey, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reports.

Kaidanow held talks with Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian in Yerevan this week.

Sarkisian told Kaidanow that normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia is very important for Yerevan, and to stability in the region.

Kaidanow said the United States is pleased with the progress in Turkish-Armenian relations, adding that relations should be established in reasonable terms and without preconditions.

Kaidanow stressed the importance of democratic reforms in Armenia, especially paying attention to the recently endorsed amnesty, which, as she said, was a very important step toward further democratization.

In a separate meeting with Nalbandian, Kaidanow discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

https://www.rferl.org/a/Armenia_Thanks_US_For_Help_In_Normalizing_Turkey_Relations/1857541.html

October 21, 2009
Azerbaijani Opposition Party Visits Turkish Soldiers’ Graves

The memorial to Turkish soldiers on the Alley of Martyrs in Baku on October 21.

October 21, 2009

BAKU — An opposition party has protested against the removal of Turkish flags from a memorial in Baku, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service reports.

The Azerbaijan People’s Front Party (APFP) put wreaths on the graves of the Turkish soldiers, who helped defend Azerbaijan from Armenian forces in 1918.

The protesters said their goal was to show the eternal solidarity of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Police detained three youths who raised both country’s flags.

Turkey’s flags were removed from the same cemetery last week, days after Baku sent a protest note to Turkey because the Azerbaijan flag was banned from a Bursa soccer match attended by the Armenian and Turkish presidents.

Government officials explained the removal by saying the law on national flags allows foreign flags to be displayed only in front of international organizations and diplomatic missions.

Azerbaijani lawmakers have begun revising the law to allow the Turkish flag at the cemetery.

https://www.rferl.org/a/Azerbaijani_Party_Visits_Turkish_Soldiers_Cemetery/1857826.html

October 21, 2009
Turkey Officially Protests Removal Of Its Flag In Baku

October 21, 2009

BAKU — Turkey has officially protested the removal of its national flag from a building in the Azerbaijani capital that belongs to the Turkish Embassy in Baku, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service reports.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov told journalists that the ministry received an official note from the Turkish officials and is investigating the incident.

Muzaffar Shahin of the Turkish Embassy told RFE/RL that several men in civilian clothes removed the flag on October 21 from the building housing Turkish Embassy’s Office for Religious Affairs without explanation.

On October 17, Azerbaijani authorities removed Turkey’s national flag from Baku’s Alley of Martyrs shortly after the Azerbaijani flag was not allowed at the historic Armenian-Turkish soccer match in the Turkish city of Bursa that was attended by Armenian and Turkish leaders.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey have grown tense since Armenian-Turkish fence-mending protocols were signed in Zurich on October 10.

https://www.rferl.org/a/Turkey_Officially_Protests_Removal_Of_Its_Flag_In_Baku/1857829.html

October 21, 2009
Turkish Foreign Minister to Meet with Azeri Counterpart, President

ANKARA (Combined Sources)—Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will travel to Baku on Thursday for a ministerial meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) where he will also address what Turkish media is describing as growing concerns by Azerbaijan over Turkey’s push to normalize ties with Armenia, the Turkish Hurriyet Daily reported.

Davutoglu is expected to meet with his counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov and President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the meeting, Hurriyet said.

The meeting will come a week after Aliyev threatened to derail the Western Backed Nabucco pipeline project to bring gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe via Turkey.

Media reports in recent weeks have said the historically strong Turkish-Azeri alliance is in danger of breaking down due to Baku’s uncompromising demands for the Karabakh conflict to be linked to Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.

Although Aliyev presented his threat as a purely commercial move, analysts believe the underlying motive was to send a signal on the Turkish-Armenian deal.

Baku’s outbursts have been seen as a tactic to force the Karabakh linkage on Armenia, which is already under heavy international pressure to quickly normalize its relations with Turkey and resolve the Karabakh conflict.

“The timing of Aliyev’s announcement, less than a week after the accord between Yerevan and Ankara was signed, left little doubt.” Said Brian Whitmore, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL. “Baku had argued strenuously that a deal to reestablish relations between Ankara and Yerevan should not be signed while Armenia continued to occupy Nagorno-Karabakh, and it threatened to take unspecified countermeasures if one was.”

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, meanwhile, phoned his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday to brief him on discussions with US President Barack Obama and Dmitri Medvedev on the Karabakh conflict, the Anatolian News Agency reported.

The two leaders also discussed the recent removal of Turkish flags from a diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan a monument for Turkish soldiers who fought for Azerbaijan in the early 20th century. The move, a breach of international agreements between Azerbaijan and Turkey, was officially protested by Turkey’s ambassador to Azerbaijan.

Diplomatic sources have said Turkey and Azerbaijan are confident that the two countries will overcome “this period of strain” and will continue their cooperation for providing regional stability.

According to the Anatolian, Gul and Aliyev agreed that “misunderstandings and misperceptions brought about by some emotional reactions” while the two countries “were passing through hard times have been cleared.” It added that the two leaders “confirmed that impressions that ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan had weakened were not good for both countries.”

The Turkish flag was removed after Azeri flags were banned by FIFA at the Turkey-Armenia World Cup qualifying match soccer match in Bursa on October 14. The Turkish flags were replaced Tuesday, Azeri media reported, speculating that the decision to remove the flags came in response to a “Turkish ban” on Azeri flags in Bursa.

Asbarez

October 21, 2009