Category: Southern Caucasus

Slow Progress in Turkish-Armenian Normalization

Slow Progress in Turkish-Armenian Normalization

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 139

July 20, 2010

By Saban Kardas

Turkey’s prospective participation in a six-day NATO exercise in Armenia in September, and the informal Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Astana, reignited the debate on the stalled Turkish-Armenian normalization process. The Armenia 2010 exercise will focus on post-earthquake civil emergency drills.

A senior columnist in the daily newspaper, Radikal, Murat Yetkin, first publicized Turkey’s agreement to participate in the exercise and, if the need arose, the Turkish border would be opened to vehicles in order to supply the disaster-hit areas in the scenario. Local administrative sources were examining the condition of the transportation infrastructure, which corresponded with the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, visiting the region, promoted speculation that it might lead to the “border opening” (Radikal, July 14).

According to a subsequent story in Hurriyet, Turkish diplomatic sources confirmed Ankara’s participation, involving three or four personnel, and added that they were also making the necessary preparations to temporarily re-open the Turkish-Armenian border. Such an opening of the border would involve the transfer of NATO equipment into Armenia, through the Dogukapi border crossing in the Turkish city of Kars, where the governor’s office concluded the roads and railways were in good condition, also adding that the crossing could stay open for a month (Hurriyet, July 15).

Turkish media speculated that such cooperation might help to reduce political tension, and this incident may serve as a model to test the ground for the long-delayed opening of the Turkish-Armenian border. However, Armenian diplomatic sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, signaled that they were not planning to request Turkey’s assistance in this matter. They dismissed the Turkish statement as “a public relations stunt aimed at burnishing Turkey’s image” (Radio Free Europe, July 16).

This harsh reaction underscored the extent of the divisions between Turkey and Armenia. After taking various groundbreaking steps in 2009, which culminated in the signing of the protocols in October, Turkey and Armenia failed to sustain the initial momentum. For its part, the Turkish government had to put the rapprochement process on the backburner, faced with resistance from the nationalist domestic opposition and the concerns raised by Azerbaijan. Nonetheless, Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, maintained on many occasions that Turkey remained committed to the spirit of normalization and would seize every opportunity to continue with the process. For Davutoglu, relations with Armenia remain a major challenge to his “zero problems with neighbors” policy. He maintains that the normalization process, though slow, still continues and if Armenia takes constructive steps, it could prove successful.

However, as Turkish leaders previously emphasized on various occasions, without any concrete progress in the Azeri-Armenian dispute, Turkey will not undertake further steps towards the normalization of its diplomatic relations with Armenia, including the re-opening of the border. Therefore, Turkey has urged the Minsk group to refocus on the Karabakh dispute on the one hand, and work to facilitate the resolution of this conflict on the other.

Responding to a question submitted by a Member of Parliament from the Nationalist Action Party during a parliamentary debate, Davutoglu defended the government’s policy, arguing that the Turkish-Armenian process also stimulated efforts to resolve the Azeri-Armenian dispute.

Davutoglu also noted that the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan pertaining to the return of the occupied Azeri regions were underway. He indicated that negotiations have reached the level of discussing the details for the deployment of an international peacekeeping force in zones from which Armenian forces are withdrawn, though he denied rumors that Turkey also submitted a proposal to supply such peacekeeping units (Anadolu Ajansi, July 16).

Moreover, addressing the Karabakh dispute has been of great concern internationally, especially considering the fluctuating tensions in the region due to deadly armed exchanges between Azeri and Armenian forces along the ceasefire line.

Ahead of the informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the OSCE in Astana, expectations were raised that Azerbaijan and Armenia might achieve some progress. Prior to his departure for Astana, Azeri Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, said that he was expecting that an Armenian withdrawal from the Kalbajar and Lachin regions, currently under Armenian occupation, would be tabled during the discussions in Astana. Since these issues were previously agreed upon through Russian mediation, he asked the Armenian side to abide by earlier promises. Nonetheless, he complained that Armenia was raising fresh issues, and deviating from the earlier consensus (www.azernews.az, July 16).

Baku argues that only after its demand for the immediate return of occupied territories is met, can it reciprocate on other demands by Armenia, such as the status of the Lachin corridor connecting Karabakh to Armenia. This position has also been supported by Turkey for some time, so that it could reenergize its own normalization process with Armenia. The meeting between Mammadyarov and his Armenian counterpart, Edward Nalbandian, in Astana as well as the efforts by the Minsk group co-chairs, however, failed to meet such expectations. The Minsk group released a statement stressing that “the efforts made so far by the parties to the conflict, were insufficient to overcome existing differences” and expressed “regret over recent developments that have exacerbated tensions in the region (www.azernews.az, July 17).

Following his meeting with Davutoglu, Mammadyarov held a press conference concerning his meeting with Nalbandian. He criticized his Armenian counterpart, arguing that the Armenian side made a last minute move and stepped back from a deal, despite the fact that they had come close to reaching an agreement. He expressed disappointment with the Armenian side, saying they were not interested in any progress (Dogan Haber Ajansi, July 17).

Davutoglu also regretted the failure to reach an agreement. In an apparent show of solidarity with his Azeri counterpart, he referred to the speculation about re-opening the border. He ruled out this possibility for the time being, adding that no one should have such expectations (Cihan Haber Ajansi, July 17). Last week’s developments underscored, once again, the complicated manner in which Turkish-Armenian normalization is mired in the Azeri-Armenian dispute.

https://jamestown.org/program/slow-progress-in-turkish-armenian-normalization/

July 21, 2010
Armenian woman seeks asylum in Turkey

Marian Gishyan, a mother of five children, who was thrown out of her house in Northern Avenue in 2004, is leaving for Turkey today, July 10, to seek asylum there.

Mariam lived in a 6-house in Northern Avenue. She was not allowed to privatize her house, the Hraparak newspaper reads. According to the source, the territory now belongs to Samvel Mairapetyan, the director of the Toyota-Yerevan Company and owner of the G2 TV company. Mariam Gishyan was offered U.S. $20,000. She refused, but even if she had taken the money she would never purchase a flat in Yerevan.

Marian Gighyan has the second disability group, and two of her children are epileptics. What will be the Turkish authorities decision? At present about 15,000 Armenian immigrants are living in Turkey.

http://news.am/eng/news/24632.html, July 10, 2010

July 11, 2010

THE NEWSLETTER Embassy of Azerbaijan

Subject: Newsletter of the Embassy of Azerbaijan – Vol.II


	THE NEWSLETTER Embassy of Azerbaijan Washington D. C.
Volume III, Issue # 8	July 7, 2010
In This Issue: Secretary Clinton visits Azerbaijan: Relations are “deep, important, and durable” American Jewish Committee delegation travels to Azerbaijan: “Azerbaijan is a critically important country” Armenian Occupation Costs USD 87 billion Azerbaijani receives U.S. President’s Education Award Previous Issues Contact Us	SECRETARY CLINTON VISITS AZERBAIJAN: RELATIONS ARE “DEEP, IMPORTANT, AND DURABLE” On July 4 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid an official visit to Azerbaijan. She became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Azerbaijan in 18 years Secretary Clinton was received by President Ilham Aliyev. Energy and security cooperation between the two countries, as well as the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were the major topics of discussions in Baku. At a joint press conference with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov dedicated to the outcomes of the visit, Secretary Clinton praised the bonds between Azerbaijan and the U.S. as “deep, important, and durable”. “Our soldiers have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. And we deeply appreciate the commitment and sacrifice of the people and government of Azerbaijan, as we continue these important missions. Today the President and I discussed the ways of the deepening of this partnership”, the Secretary said. “We continue to support the efforts that are undertaken by the government to expand and protect free expression and independent media…We believe that there has been a tremendous amount of progress in Azerbaijan. But as with any country, particularly a young, independent country like this one, there is a lot of room for improvement. Since it’s the Fourth of July, I should say that when we began our journey toward freedom, independence, and democracy 234 years ago, we had a very long road that we are still not yet at the final destination,” Secretary Clinton said in response to a question on democracy and human rights protection. Back to top AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE DELEGATION TRAVELS TO AZERBAIJAN: “AZERBAIJAN IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT COUNTRY” On July 4-5 an American Jewish Committee (AJC) leadership delegation led by the Committee’s Executive Director David Harris paid a visit to Azerbaijan The 11-member delegation was received by President Ilham Aliyev. The delegation also met with Chairman of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis (Parliament) Oqtay Asadov, Deputy Foreign Minister Vaqif Sadiqov and other officials. This was AJC’s second trip to Azerbaijan in the past two years. The first visit took place in August 2008. Earlier, in January 2008, AJC leadership met with President Aliyev on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. At that meeting, President Aliyev invited AJC to pay a visit to Azerbaijan. “Azerbaijan is a critically important country,” said David Harris following the visit. “We were delighted to be there at the same time as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a month after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, underscoring Washington’s deep interest.” “It is important for Americans to understand the key role that Azerbaijan today plays in our nation’s counter-terrorism efforts, energy security, and military operations in Afghanistan,” added Harris. “And Jews and friends of Israel need to be aware of the long and rich history of the Jewish community in Azerbaijan, and of the country’s close and mutually beneficial ties with Israel.” “We were very warmly and graciously received by our Azerbaijani hosts,” Harris said. “Given the importance we attach to Azerbaijan, we shall look forward to our next visit and to frequent contact in between.” Back to top ARMENIAN OCCUPATION COSTS USD 87 BILLION According to Ali Hasanov, Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the total amount of damage suffered by the country due to the occupation of its territories by Armenia is estimated at 70 billion manat ($87 billion) He said the amount of damage and the total cost will be reevaluated after Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends and all Azerbaijani IDPs return to their previous homes in Karabakh. Hasanov said a large number of lawsuits by Azerbaijani IDPs against Armenia have been filed with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. He added that the Azerbaijani government is expected to increase spending from the State Oil Fund on the resettlement of IDPs. “The State Committee was ordered to start the resettlement of IDPs from dormitory rooms and to build a new settlement in Aghdam,” Hasanov said. “With all of the new projects the overall budget spending for IDPs will exceed $100 million in fiscal year 2010. Every single displaced family will be considered.” As a result of the occupation, around 750,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 adjacent districts in 1992-1993. Back to top AZERBAIJANI RECEIVES U.S. PRESIDENT’S EDUCATION AWARD Mehdi Huseynov, an eighth-grade student of the Gunston Middle School in Arlingon, Virginia, and a son of an employee of Azerbaijan’s Embassy to the U.S., has received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence signed by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan The President’s Education Awards Program was developed to recognize and honor students who have achieved high academic goals through hard work and dedication to learning. To be eligible for the President’s Award for Educational Excellence, students must meet the requirements of having a grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale. Since 1983, the program has provided individual recognition from the U.S. President and Secretary of Education to those students whose outstanding efforts have enabled them to meet challenging standards of excellence.

July 10, 2010

Iran Opposes Any U.S. Peacekeeping Role For Karabakh

A HALO Trust road sign in an area in Nagorno-Karabakh that was cleared of land mines.

June 24, 2010

YEREVAN — An Iranian diplomat says Tehran is strongly opposed to U.S. involvement in a multinational peacekeeping force that would be deployed around the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in the event of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reports.

Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Ali Saghaeyan issued the warning at a news conference in Yerevan on June 23.

Such a peacekeeping operation is an important element of the current and previous peace proposals made by the United States, Russian, and French mediators spearheading international efforts to settle the dispute over the breakaway Azerbaijani region.

Analysts have long speculated about the possible composition of foreign troops that would enforce a future peace deal.

According to Saghaeyan, the United States is keen to have troops in Azerbaijan’s Fizuli district, which borders Iran and was mostly occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces in 1993. He claimed such a move would pose a serious threat to Iran given its tense relations with Washington.

“Iran is the only country adjacent to the conflicting parties, and in terms if ensuring its own security, it will not allow the deployment of American forces,” Saghayean said.

Meanwhile, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian on June 22 urged Western powers to respect Iran’s geopolitical interests in the South Caucasus and held up Armenia’s economic projects with the Islamic republic as a model for regional cooperation.

Ending an official visit to Germany, Sarkisian also asserted that the Western-backed energy projects involving Azerbaijan and excluding Armenia have only complicated a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

In a speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, he said: “I do realize that in the light of the sanctions imposed on Iran some people will treat my approach with skepticism, but I am convinced that it is wrong and not possible to ignore Iran in regional solutions.”

Sarkisian did not specify what concrete role Iran should play in regional security. Nor was it clear whether he thinks Tehran should have a major say in the Karabakh peace process.

https://www.rferl.org/a/Iran_Against_Any_US_Peacekeeping_Role_For_Karabakh/2081078.html

June 25, 2010
Turkish-Azeri Deal May Herald New Competition in Southern Corridor

Turkish-Azeri Deal May Herald New Competition in Southern Corridor

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 115

June 15, 2010

By: Saban Kardas

On the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit held in Istanbul, Turkey and Azerbaijan concluded agreements on natural gas cooperation. On June 7, during a ceremony attended by Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Recep Erdogan, Azeri President, Ilham Aliyev, the Turkish Energy Minister, Taner Yildiz, and his Azeri counterpart, Natiq Aliyev, signed an agreement which will end a two year long price dispute on Turkey’s gas imports from the first phase of Azerbaijan’s offshore Shah Deniz-I, as well as setting the volume and price for Turkey’s imports from the second phase of the field, expected to come online in 2016-17. A related agreement will regulate the terms and mechanisms for the sale and transit of Azeri gas to Europe through Turkey.

Turkey currently imports 6 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from Shah Deniz-I, paying $120/thousand cubic meter (tcm), well below the current market prices. However, the original agreement allowed for price renegotiation, which is exactly what Azerbaijan asked for when the pricing terms expired in April 2008. As the negotiations were underway, Turkey continued to import gas, though stressing that it would compensate for the price differences retroactively. Despite several rounds of negotiations, which were eclipsed by the discussions on gas transit, the parties failed to bridge their differences, which also raised concerns in the West that the delays might undermine Nabucco and other projects seeking to ensure supply diversification from the Caspian basin to Europe (EDM, February 26). Moreover, the gas disagreements also aggravated the diplomatic row between Baku and Ankara, caused by Turkey’s efforts to normalize relations with Armenia, raising questions about future relations between the two fraternal countries (EDM, October 21, 2009).

Earlier, both parties announced that they had reached a breakthrough, and during Erdogan’s Baku visit in May, they expressed their determination to sign the deal in Istanbul (EDM, June 1). The recent deal, which apparently came about only after intense negotiations, signifies not only their willingness to reactivate the energy partnership, but also in repairing Turkish-Azeri strategic ties. As statements issued during Aliyev’s trip attest, Turkey will continue to place Baku at the center of its South Caucasus policy.

Still, energy is likely to remain the most important component of Turkish-Azeri ties. For instance, the Azeri State energy company SOCAR is already a major player in Turkey’s energy market, through its control of the country’s largest petrochemicals group PETKIM. Recently, it was announced that PETKIM would expand its operations through new multi-billion dollar investments in the coming years (www.azernews.az, June 3).

The exact details of the agreements have not been disclosed and some sources maintain that both parties still have to work towards elaborating many details. Yildiz declined to specify the revised price, indicating that it will be flexible in order to allow for adjustment to market conditions. Yildiz also added that it will be more favorable compared to what Turkey is currently paying to Russia (Anadolu Ajansi, June 8). However, Turkish media speculated that the price will be raised from $120 to $300/tcm. Turkey will have to pay around $1.5 to $2 billion to compensate for price differences. The price for Turkey’s imports from Shah Deniz-II, which will be around 6-7 bcm annually, is likely to be higher than $300 per tcm, and will be assessed by taking into account investment costs (www.haberturk.com, June 8).

The other major item, terms for the transit of further Azeri gas to Europe, was also settled. Ankara had been insisting on purchasing Azeri gas and then re-exporting it to Europe on its own terms, as was the case for Shah Deniz-I. Neither side clarified whether Turkey retained that right (Hurriyet Daily News, June 8), but Yildiz indicated that Turkey would be able to re-export the gas it imports from Azerbaijan in collaboration with PETKIM (Cihan, June 7). Some sources maintain that Azerbaijan will pay Turkey $45 per tcm in transit fees for its direct export to Europe, passing through Turkish territory (Sabah, June 8). There remains some uncertainty over who exactly will export Azeri gas to Europe, as Azeri sources failed to confirm that Turkey retains the re-exporting rights (www.enerjivadisi, June 9).

Previously, delays in negotiations with Turkey had invited the ire of Azerbaijan, because the development of the Shah Deniz-II had to be postponed. The resolution of the transit issue and the interest from different pipeline projects is definitely welcome news for Azeri officials, as they can now discuss with their European partners the commissioning of Shah Deniz-II. Both parties also publicized the agreement as a positive step that would facilitate other projects to transport gas to Europe, most notably Nabucco. Natiq Aliyev emphasized that they were willing to support Nabucco, but they still had not received any purchase commitment from Nabucco. Currently, Turkey is able to export Azeri gas to Greece through the Turkey-Greece Interconnector (TGI) which integrates Turkish and Greek grids. The planned Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which will run from Greece to Italy, also seeks to tap into Azeri gas.

Impending competition between Nabucco and other pipelines forming the EU’s Southern Corridor seems certain. While many believe Nabucco will be a non-starter without locking in Azeri gas, TAP has been awaiting the conclusion of the Turkish-Azeri negotiations.

Representatives from both TAP and Nabucco welcomed the Turkish-Azeri deal (www.today.az, June 8). Azeri officials, anticipating the country’s gas output to increase substantially in future, welcome such outside demand which will boost their export potential. However, as the initial phase of Shah Deniz-II might only have limited extra output after it was allocated for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, it remains to be seen if Azerbaijan can supply all the Southern-corridor pipelines simultaneously at their desired levels. Turkish media maintain that Italy might soon sign a transit agreement with Ankara and a supply commitment agreement with Baku, which will commit the entire remaining volume from Shah Deniz-II to TAP, leaving no extra capacity for Nabucco (Referans, June 9). Yildiz stated that Turkey supports both projects and the final decision will be taken by the Shah Deniz consortium (ANKA, June 9). In any case, the Turkish-Azeri agreement might herald new competition in the Southern Corridor.

https://jamestown.org/program/turkish-azeri-deal-may-herald-new-competition-in-southern-corridor/

June 17, 2010
Foreign Ministers of the OIC countries recognize Khojaly massacre as a crime against humanity

A resolution was adopted today on the activities of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC) at the final plenary meeting of the 37th session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) held on 18-20 May 2010, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The resolution calls on the OIC Member States and the OIC institutions to actively participate in the activities of the “Justice for Khojaly” international civil awareness campaign and recognition of the Khojaly mass massacre as a “crime against humanity” in both international and national levels.

The document praises the work of the Forum, particularly the implementation of the program “Humanitarian catastrophes in the OIC countries throughout the XX century”, carried out together with ISESCO. The resolution also calls on Member-states to support the international campaign of “Justice for Khojaly” initiated by Mrs. Leyla Aliyeva, the General Coordinator on Intercultural Dialogue of ICYF-DC to disseminate the truth on Khojaly mass massacre among the international community.

“This is the first resolution, in which Ministers of foreign affairs from 57 countries, which came together in the second largest international organization after the United Nations, unambiguously voted for resolution using the term ‘crime against humanity’ as a definition and declared their position for the historical truth on Khojaly tragedy. The term has both political and international law components. It is being considered one of serious violations of the international humanitarian law, including genocide” said the Secretary General of ICYF-DC Ambassador Elshad Iskandarov who participated at the ICFM session in Dushanbe as a head of delegation.

“The facts that the document was adopted by the experts of foreign ministers of Member states and then by ministers with consensus is an indication of increasing confidence of the true nature of Khojaly genocide by the OIC. The current document assesses the Khojaly tragedy as the resolution adopted by Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member-states in January 2010 which creates a solid political and legal framework for the recognition of Khojaly mass massacre as a crime against humanity and to raise the issue of recognition in international level” mentioned E. Iskandarov while commenting the adopted resolution.

“Effective actions of the “Justice for Khojaly” campaign initiated and consistently coordinated by General Coordinator of the Forum Mrs. Leyla Aliyeva played important role in the formation of such a position of 57 OIC Member States. The resolution highly appreciated the work of the campaign and the Member States are called upon to actively participate in the campaign”, Secretary General of the ICYF-DC said.

The international civil awareness campaign “Justice for Khojaly” was launched in 2009 and was presented in more than 35 countries including OIC, European and Latin American countries.

Justice for Khojaly campaign

To be part of global awareness campaign and to have your voice heard at the highest political level visit:

It takes just a few second to send Petition to Wrold leader to ask them to recognize this tragedy as crime against humanity:

June 16, 2010