Authorities in Azerbaijan took down Turkish flags situated around monuments commemorating Turkish soldiers who died in battle on Thursday amid concerns over Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks slamming cheap gas prices for Turkey.
“Which country would sell their natural resources at 30 percent of international prices?” asked Aliyev during his meeting with Cabinet members on Saturday. Stressing that Azerbaijan is ready to export its natural gas resources to Europe, Aliyev claims that for the past two years Azerbaijan has been unable to export its natural gas to Europe because transit issues between Azerbaijan and Turkey are still unresolved. “The lack of a resolution with Turkey on the issue of gas transit is hindering the full-scale transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe,” Aliyev told Cabinet members. “The step taken by the authorities is directed not against the government, but rather the whole Turkish state,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, Turkish flags around the monument of 1,130 Turkish soldiers who died while fighting for Azerbaijan’s independence in 1918 were taken down by the mayor of Baku’s SabayЩl district on Oct. 15. Azerbaijani authorities, however, dismissed the notion that the act was part of a campaign; rather it was done due to a law on the flags of foreign countries and international organizations.
The Azerbaijani opposition’s moves to protest the action has been swift. Azerbaijan’s main opposition party, the Equality Party, prepared a statement in which it expressed its discontent over the Turkish flag having disappeared from the memorial to Turkish soldiers who died in the 1918 Baku liberation battle.
“The step by the authorities is directed not against Ankara, but rather the whole Turkish state,” the statement reads. “The current tension between two countries provides no basis for the authorities to make such a rude political mistake,” the statement continues. Observers argue that the removal of Turkish flags in Baku is a response to the ban on Azerbaijani flags during the Turkey-Armenia World Cup Qualifying match on Oct. 14 in Bursa.
Following the incident, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called for a meeting with Azerbaijani Ambassador Zakir Hashimov for political consultations. The details of this meeting have not yet made public.
DAVUTOGLU COMMENTS ON REMOVAL OF TURKISH FLAGS IN BAKU
“We trust Azerbaijani people,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said commenting on removal of Turkish flags from the entry to Martyr’s Lane in Baku, CNN Turk TV channel reported.
Turkey appreciates memory of martyrs of both people, he said.
There are forces willing to harm Turkey-Azerbaijan relations but Azerbaijan will cope with it, he said.
’Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are not merely relations between two countries. Our further actions will excel previous ones. Appealing to Azerbaijani people I would like to say that we will always protect its interests,“he said.
AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: FLAGS ARE REMOVED DUE TO IMPLEMENTATION OF LAW
“The recent removal of foreign flags, including Turkish, in Baku and other places of Azerbaijan is not related to repairs or any other works”, Chief of the Public Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Ali Hasanov said.
Hasanov said said the lowering of flags was related to the implementation of “Law on use of flags of foreign countries and international organizations in the Republic of Azerbaijan”.
Hasanov said after adoption of this law, local and central authorities were commissioned to draw list of flags hanged in the places not meeting those requirements.
“It became clear that the flags were hanged in unallowed places and those were removed. The foreign flags will be hung only in the places allowed by law. The law says that the flags of foreign countries or international organizations can be hanged only in front of their diplomatic missions, consulates, offices or residences of the international organizations and other places allowed by law. Therefore the flags were removed due to implementation of the law”.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
