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Deniz Baykal: â€œYou canâ€™t deal with PKK but hit Azerbaijan?!â€

20 October 2009 15:33 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. â€œWithout interfering in the recent disputes as to who is right between Turkey and Azerbaijan, I want to say that Turkey did not take into account its interests and took a wrong step in Armenian issue. Saying that they are solving a problem they created another more serious problem,â€ leader of Turkish opposition Deniz Baykal said at the meeting of the parliamentary faction of the Republican Peopleâ€™s Party (CHP), APA reports. He said to ingratiate itself with some foreign circles the Turkish government created a very serious problem by taking their recommendations into account. We told the government â€œDonâ€™t take a step that may hurt Azerbaijan, donâ€™t forget Azerbaijanâ€™s significanceâ€. Alongside with historical closeness, common language, religion, we reiterated Azerbaijanâ€™s importance for Turkey in the Caucasus. Some do not see Azerbaijan, they see Armenia and exert pressure on you. But you â€“ the Turkish government can not ignore Azerbaijan. Even though the entire world does not see, you should see Azerbaijan and underline its importance. Unfortunately, our words were not taken into consideration. We said to Davutoglu â€œDonâ€™t sign the protocolsâ€ but they signed,â€ he said.
Baykal said the government has not sent the protocols signed with the European Union about the opening of Turkish ports for the Greek Cypriots up to now, but it has immediately sent the protocols with Armenia to the parliament.

The opposition leader mentioned the incidents during the Turkey-Armenia football match in Bursa, and said that besides the tensions over the protocols, the flag issue came to agenda as well. â€œBursa authorities banned the Azerbaijani flags before the match. Our parliamentarians pressured upon the governor, but unfortunately they collected the Azerbaijani flags before the match. It was one of the causes of Azerbaijanâ€™s protestsâ€.

Baykal also mentioned the show related to the surrender of a group of PKK militants on borders with Iraq on October 19. â€œThousands of people demonstratively wave the PKK flags in front of eyes of security forces and you digest it, but you feel need to ban the Azerbaijani flags in Bursa. You canâ€™t deal with PKK but hit Azerbaijan?! You offer to Armenian president Sargsyan seat on $10 000-armchair decorated with Swarovski crystals, but one million Azerbaijanis were expelled from their homeland and settled in the tent camps and are living in the difficult conditions. Azerbaijani people feel the pain of occupation in their hearts. It is very painfulâ€.

Baykal reminded about the Abdullah Gulâ€™s protest at the parliament in 1993 when then-Prime Minister Suleiman Demirel invited Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian to the funeral of Turkish president Turgut Ozal. Gul was one of the leaders of oppositional Welfare Party in that time and he told Demirel: â€œYou shake the hands of killers of your brothers and those who claim Kars as Armenian territoryâ€.

Baykal said he believed that both Turkish and Azerbaijani people would not allow the governmentsâ€™ mistake to damage their brotherhood. â€œOur friendship and brotherhood with Azerbaijan is above all. The mistakes of governments will be left in history. I believe that the Azerbaijani authorities will soon take the control over this problem. Let the Azerbaijani people have a peaceâ€.