Interview with Amur Hajiyev, expert of Institute of Middle East of Russia.
Q: How do you assess Turkey’s peacekeeping mission held recently in the Caucasus?
A: Turkey has recently initiated a more independent, comprehensive and responsible external policy based on Ataturk’s principle of peace in the country, peace in the world. This policy has been named the zero problems with neighbors. It is aimed at creating the so-called peace belt around. Turkey’s peaceful initiatives in the Caucasus should be viewed considering this new policy that is acquiring sharper contours every year. The normalization of relations with Armenia is a reflection of this external policy. At the same time, Turkey states its regional responsibility that does not allow it acting within the framework of pragmatic interests. This affects its balanced and cautious actions aimed at preventing irreparable damage to traditional friendly relations in the region. This explains why Ankara binds normalization of relations with Yerevan to the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. The current Turkish leadership considers that this problem is a great obstacle on the way to political stability, economic development and regional cooperation in the Caucasus.
Q: Do you consider that Turkey which has problems with Armenia may promote effective normalization of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations?
A: In the early 90’s the Turkish government wanted to be a neutral mediator in normalization of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. Yet in the result of the strong pressure of the Turkish public opinion, the country leadership was obliged to disavow the mediation role in the Karabakh conflict. Nevertheless, Turkey has spared no effort to settle the Karabakh conflict within the framework of UN, OSCE, BSEC and NATO. Turkey’s position in normalization of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations is a sample of its conduct in appearance of similar problems in other Turkic states. We should not forget that Turkey maintains fraternal relations and strategic alliance with Azerbaijan. But it does not hinder the Turkish government to assist to the Armenian-Azerbaijani rapprochement by political means within an expanded format of negotiations and raise the problem before the world community.
Q: Do you believe in the soonest ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols on normalization of bilateral relations by the Turkish parliament?
A: It depends on the soonest acceptance of Turkey’s provision to settle the Karabakh conflict peacefully by Armenia. This provision was set to the Yerevan leadership as a term for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.
Q: Can US President Obama recognize “Armenian genocide” thus spoiling strategic relations with Turkey in April?
A: The strengthening of the US positions in the Middle East is one of the main elements of the US global strategy. The US government views Turkey as the key geopolitical center of Eurasia able to contribute to attainment of US goals in the region. Turkey’s internal political and geostrategic capacities help view it as a bridge between the West and the Islamiv world. Turkey has been the US strategic ally throughout decades. Turkey’s features and their importance for the United States will not allow working administration spoiling relations with the Turkish government especially because Obama has already found the way out calling the 1915 events a “great disaster”.
Q: Do you think the idea of creation of the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform proposed by the Turkish Premier is realistic?
A: The Turkish government considers that this project can become a platform for cooperation that will finally promote stability in the region. This initiative received a positive reaction of the Russian leadership in the result of the balanced position of Turkey during the Russian-Georgian conflict in August 2008. Yet the implementation of this project is almost impossible due to the strained relations between the proposed candidates for participation in the platform. Moreover, there are serious differences on composition and priorities of platforms. Thus, Russia insists on including Abkhazia and South Ossetia which does not satisfy Georgia that, in turn, proposed to include the United States into the Caucasus Platform member-states. As for priorities, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan consider the principle of the territorial integrity of states to be the top one. Russia views the platform as an opportunity to implement and conduct a closer dialogue that would promote the settlement of economic, transport and energy problems of the region. Such an initiative has already been promoted by Turkey in 2000 under the name of the Caucasus stability pact. Yet it failed due to insufficient support. We should also not forget the Black Sea Economic Cooperation that is not functioning in full.
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