Umit Ozdag: Turkey must be as united country with Azerbaijan

Thursday, 18 March 2010 09:16

“I consider the Prime Minister’s decision about deportation of illegally-working Armenians from Turkey as belated action”.

“I know that there are 46 000 Armenian citizens in Turkey, but not 100 000, but Prime Minister can have other sources to receive information. Turkey violated its laws and created condition for 100 000 or 46 000 Armenians to work here”, director of “XXI Century Turkey” Institute Professor Umit Ozdag told APA Turkish bureau. He said every year Armenians transferred from Turkey a large amount of money to their accounts in Armenia. “Armenians can take about 1.2 billion dollars of benefit from the Turkish economy and it is emergently large figure for the small economy of Armenia. I consider the Prime Minister’s decision as a belated action and expect for concrete urgent measures”.

Umit Ozdag said Turkey must understand that it was wrong to pursue loyal policy towards Armenia. “I believe that Turkey took serious lessons from the decision of US House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The most mistaken side of the “Armenian policy” is that the relations with Azerbaijan were not coordinated correctly. You may work out the best policy, but if Azerbaijan says “No” to that policy, it must be bad policy. Turkey must be as united country with Azerbaijan while determining its Caucasian policy. If it is not so it will seriously damage the Turkey’s South Caucasian and Central Asian policy. Azerbaijan also shouldn’t make its reaction heart-breaking. The reactions should be expressed by the governments and peoples shouldn’t suffer from this. Governors of our countries should remember that they are brothers and friends first of all”.