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Ahmet Davutoglu: We consider the occupied Azerbaijani lands our lands and will continue our struggle to release them

22 October 2009 14:16 (UTC +04:00)

-Can Turkey-Armenia border be reopened unless Nagorno Karabakh problem is solved?

-Our President, Prime Minister and I being Foreign Minister, have several times expressed our position on this issue. I said in the parliament yesterday that Azerbaijanâ€™s territorial integrity is as important for us as Turkeyâ€™s territorial integrity and is a strategic priority for us. Nothing is more important than Azerbaijanâ€™s territorial integrity, welfare, stability and Turkey-Azerbaijan friendship. As this is the fundamental principle of our foreign policy your question has also been replied. One should ask â€“ Does the status-quo favor Azerbaijan, Turkey or Armenia? For 17 years Azerbaijanâ€™s territories â€“ our territories, as we consider it so, - are under occupation. Turkey has always made efforts to end this occupation. Previous ministers, governments supported Azerbaijan after the country gained its independence. It will always be so. Nothing can change the reality that Turkey is always with Azerbaijan. But we should think over changing the status-quo. We should find ways to end peacefully the occupation lasting for 17 years. We said to the entire world the day when the protocols were signed, earlier and later: Turkey-Armenia normalization may improve only of there is large-scale normalization in the region. It means that Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict should also be solved. How can it be solved? Of course, by ending the occupation. This is such an open position that no one in Azerbaijan should doubt it. We consider the occupied Azerbaijani lands our lands and will continue our struggle to release them. We think that these protocols will give an impetus to this process. Dynamism has been observed in this direction in the past five months. A delegation went to Lachin to carry out technical analysis. This is connected with Turkeyâ€™s Caucasus policy. We touch on Karabakh problem at every meeting, every international event that we attend. I discussed Karabakh conflict with Hillary Clinton in Zurich when the protocols were signed. The representative of our ministry Unal Cevikoz is attending the meeting of the Minsk Group in Vienna. Even if Azerbaijan does not put Karabakh problem for discussion, Turkey will do it everywhere. This is one of our national problems. We do not discriminate between Azerbaijani and Turkish lands, Azerbaijani and Turkish flags.

-How was your meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister?

-It was like the meeting of two brothers. President Abdullah Gul and I were in Nakhchivan a week before the protocols were signed in Zurich. We met with President Aliyev and Elmar Mammadyarov there. There could be little discords between two brothers, but we had open and sincere talks like brothers. The foreign ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan never sit at the table of negotiations as different parts, they take one side having same look at the processes. We never see Azerbaijan as a different part in the bilateral meetings. When I took this office, I sent written instructions to our diplomatic missions all over the world - more than 120 embassies and 180 consulates. I instructed our diplomats to see the Azerbaijani people in the countries where they are working as the Turkish citizen, to show same attitude to the Azerbaijani citizens in the Turkish embassies and consulates with the Turkish citizens, to solve their problems. If you wish, I can send this written instruction to the Azerbaijani media too.

- Did you mention tensions around the flags?

- Yes, we did. We have to solve the misunderstandings friendly as brothers. The Turkish and Azerbaijani flags are same for us. We also have a law on the national flag, but Azerbaijani flag is exception. We donâ€™t consider the Azerbaijani flag as a flag of foreign country. My townsman became martyr here. Today 72 million Turkish citizens are ready to die for Azerbaijan. You should know that.

Regarding the Bursa events, you know that, press shows only problematic moments of the developments. On that day, thousands of Azerbaijani flags were hanged on the houses, shops and streets. I also was at the stadium. There were more than 50 Azerbaijani flags in the different places of the stadium, even in front of honorable stands where the presidents watched the match. But FIFA decision on the day of match. We didnâ€™t demand it. Even certain numbers of Azerbaijani flags were allowed at the stadium. But there were some tapes, which concern me too. I can not be tolerant to disrespect to the Azerbaijani flag. I also concern about that the Azerbaijani flag was thrown to the dust-bin. We give instruction to investigate that incident. There were no dust-bins in Turkey with WC initials. Unknown wrote it on the box and took its picture. It is provocation. The results of investigation also proved that.

Public officers also could take unaware wrong action among the crowd. We are investigating those incidents too. Bursa Governor made statement on this issue. I brought the results of these investigations to President Aliyev. There was a provocation in Bursa aiming to create discords between us and Azerbaijani brothers.

There are hundreds of streets in Turkey named after Heydar Aliyev and Azerbaijan. There are tens of busts of Heydar Aliyev, whom we see as our leader. Azerbaijani flag is waving in the places where the busts were erected. It will wave forever. I told Elmar Bey that we want Azerbaijan, friendly country to us, not to see Turkish flag as a flag of foreign country. Martyrdoms are holy places for us. When you look at the names engraved in Martyrdom in Baku you see sons of Anatolia who became martyrs here, while Anatolia was under the occupation in that time. But our soldiers didnâ€™t make difference between Azerbaijan and Anatolia and came here to defend Azerbaijan. Those are not ours, but martyrs of Azerbaijani people. Our Azeri brothers should understand that. The flag and Martyrs Mosque were entrusted to Azerbaijan and the problems there are not ours, but your problems. If it was ours, the soldiers died in Sakarya or Eskishehir. The Azerbaijani flag will wave in turkey forever because it is our flag. We will punish those who showed disrespect to Azerbaijani flag.