Foreign

Foreign

Center for Strategic Studies under Azerbaijani President and Strategic Research Center under the Turkeyâ€™s Foreign Ministry sign a memorandum

07 March 2011 08:52 (UTC +04:00)

SAM Deputy Director Gulshan Pashayeva signed the document on the Azerbaijani side, Head of SAM Bulant Aras signed the document on the Turkish side. Holding of meetings between the sides, conducting joint researches, mutual cooperation on different spheres and etc have been considered in the memorandum.

At the briefing held after the ceremony Pashayeva said that Turkey and Azerbaijan were the countries connected with common language, religion, culture and other spheres of life. Reminding the agreements on strategic cooperation of the two countries signed by the heads of states last year, Hajiyeva noted that all these and other factors stimulated close cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Aras said that Azerbaijan played the role of political center for Turkey in the South Caucasus. Turkey deems it duty to protect interest of Azerbaijan in the regulation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. To him, there are problems in the negotiations conducted in connection with the solution of the conflict: â€œIt is true that the negotiations have been entrusted to the OSCE Minsk Group and there are efforts in this direction. Sochi talks may be considered as a step forward and I believe that it will stimulate the intensification of the negotiationsâ€.

Aras also focused attention on the steps taken by Ankara in direction of normalization of Armenia-Turkey relationships and said that though the activity on the points covered in the protocols are frozen now, the bringing the protocols into the agenda of the world press agitated to stop on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict: â€œThe OSCE Minsk Group became more active after the signing of these protocols. That is Turkey with its diplomatic activity works to bring nearer the settlement of the conflict.
â€œThere is always the concrete progress in the normalization of the relationships between Turkey and Armenia on the eve of false anniversaries of so-called Armenian genocide. Answering the question on â€œdo you expect the progress in this direction?â€, Aras said that the discussions were held for the settlement of the problems between Turkey and Armenia: â€œ24 April â€“ the issue on the so-called genocide of Armenians is the issue which is interesting for both Turkey and Turkic world. Turkey has made final decision on it and declared that it supported the establishment of joint commission consisting of historians. But there is a side which refuses the establishment of this commission. This side acts In direction of adoption of these pretensions. That is Armenia doesnâ€™t want the conduction of =discussion on this issue. We will not accept the lies against us. Such pretension of Armenians is the humiliation against Turkish people living in this regionâ€.