the Azerbaijanis, do not seem so content with the ongoing improvement in Turkish-Armenian relations and in particular with speculation that Turkey may soon open its border with Armenia -- a situation experts interpret as being highly fragile while drawing attention to the necessity for the Turkish side to clearly express its political approaches to Azerbaijan and to urge Armenia to make compromises within the normalization efforts as well. Sitting on highly strategic energy transport routes from Central Asia to Europe, Azerbaijan holds tremendous importance for both Turkey and the EU in terms of diversifying their energy procurement and in particular in liberating themselves from their dependence on Russian energy. However, Azerbaijan is not only a strategic partner; it also carries symbolic meaning for Turkey. Many believe that Azerbaijan and Turkey are indeed "one nation with two states" as the late Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev said, summarizing the closeness between the two countries. President of the Turkish Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies (TURKSAM) Sinan Ogan and Dr. Alesker Aleskerli from the Eurasian Center for Strategic Studies (ASAM) told Sunday's Zaman that the bond between Azerbaijan and Turkey is like no other bilateral relationship because it relies mostly on emotions rather than logic. Nonetheless, in spite of all the empathy each side has for the other, the relations between the two are currently strained. Baku reacted harshly to speculation that the Turkish border with Armenia may be opened after it was closed in 1993 by Turkey to show support for Azerbaijan's cause when the country was fighting a war with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Among the reactions coming from the Azerbaijani side is the is the cancelation by the country's president, Ilham Aliyev, of his participation in the second forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), a two-day event held in Istanbul at the beginning of the week. Criticism has also come from the Azerbaijani Parliament. The governing and opposition parties released a joint statement to express discontent with the possible move by the Turkish government. Parliament Speaker Oktay Esedov said Turkey's opening of the border without a resolution found for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will negatively affect the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan. "The border opening is good neither for Turkey nor for us. We are strictly opposed to it," Esedov argued.
Whereas tension was being fueled by the supposition that Turkey and Armenia could reach a deal to open their border as early as this month, a government official speaking on condition of anonymity told Sunday's Zaman that the Turkish-Armenian border could be opened in October, when Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan is due to visit Turkey to watch a World Cup qualifying match between the national teams.
In answer to Sunday's Zaman's question as to what kind of a position the Turkish state should adopt in the fragile balance of its relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ogan stressed that Turkey has a problem with communication in Azerbaijan at the grassroots level, which escalates reactions.
"Azerbaijanis do not think of Turkey as a foreign country. They hold it in high esteem and while they feel respect, they also expect a lot. Unfortunately, Turkey cannot communicate its political approach effectively to them. Considering the fact that the border issue is highly sensitive and people are reacting emotionally because of the image of Turkey they have in their minds, it is an urgent requirement for the Turkish state to manifest its political inclinations to the Azerbaijani people," Ogan argued. He added that Turkey needs to recalculate the costs and benefits of its moves -- opening the border with Armenia does not guarantee a complete normalization of bilateral relations since Armenia will not cease to seek international recognition of the killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans in 1915 as genocide -- and losing Azerbaijan as a consequence is not a good one.
Having agreed with Ogan on the importance of communicating with the Azerbaijani people, Dr. Aleskerli stressed that a healthy political dialogue through which misunderstandings and mistrust cannot prevail is also essential. "In normal diplomatic talks, there is always some information not presented to the media; however, the details of the talks between Turkey and Azerbaijan need to be publicly announced considering the high sensitivity and fragility of the issue in the eyes of the people," Aleskerli asserted.
Neither of the experts speaking to Sunday's Zaman categorically rejected a possible opening of the border; however, they both underlined that the circumstances need to be arranged for a successful step forward. Ogan and Aleskerli further argued that Armenia should be convinced to make compromises as well because "so far all the steps have been taken by the Turkish side," a situation which makes Azerbaijanis think that their welfare is being completely ignored in this rapprochement.
Today's Zaman
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