Baku. Turbat Baghirova – APA. Turkey's position with regard to the normalization of relations with Armenia is clear. The relations between Turkey and Armenia can be restored only after liberation of Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun told APA on Tuesday.
He was commenting on the article titled “Reopening talks with Armenia” by Fatih Çekirge, a columnist for the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.
The ambassador recalled during his visit to Baku July 15, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Azerbaijani counterpart discussed the bilateral relations, regional issues, as well as the processes around the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Cavusoglu reiterated that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is as important for Turkey as for Azerbaijan, said the ambassador.
“With regard to relations with Armenia, I don’t think the minister expressed a resolute position on this issue,” the diplomat said.
The Turkish ambassador noted that the Azerbaijani side always states that keeping Azerbaijani lands under occupation, Armenia is isolating itself from regional cooperation and any joint activities.
According to him, the resolution of the [Nagorno-Karabakh conflict] within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity may pave the way for new projects that will involve Armenia.
The Turkish FM only repeated this constructive position of Azerbaijan, he added.
The ambassador also commented on the phrase 'Happy is the one who says I am an Armenian’ which was sounded in a commercial prepared after the July 15 military coup and aired by all Turkish TV channels.
“You rightly pay attention to the part about Armenians. Let the Azerbaijani people know that how the aggressive police of Armenia makes you suffer and anger, it in the same way affects Turkey,” said Coskun. “We should not forget that Turkey is going through difficult times. You naturally regard the issue from the point of view of Azerbaijan. But the phrase completely reads 'Happy is the one who says I am a Sunni, a Shiite, a Kurd and an Armenian. Thus, it is expressed that the Republic of Turkey demonstrated solidarity after the military coup attempt as 80 million people did during the War of Independence.”
The ambassador mentioned that the article by Fatih Çekirge and this campaign have nothing to do directly with each other.
The Turkish foreign minister’s statements regarding the regional development contain good expectations, he added.
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