News.Az interviews New Azerbaijan Party MP Gular Ahmadova, a member of the Azerbaijan-Turkey inter-parliamentary working group.
Switzerland has offered to mediate another round of negotiations between Armenia and Turkey. At the same time, the European Union is linking Turkey’s membership of the EU with the opening of the Armenian border. May the opening of the border help Turkey achieve its goal of EU membership?
As a deputy who has taken part in different events involving European leaders and institutions for 10 years now, I have my own opinion about Turkey’s EU membership. Europe currently sees Turkey as a leech that wants to join it and suck its blood. In other words, Europe is unwilling to accept Turkey. Political scientists, politicians and journalists interpret this in different ways. Some political scientists see this as a confrontation between Islam and Christianity, others as the result of differences in Eastern and Western culture. I, however, from my own observations think that today the West fears Turkey's possible membership of the EU. Europeans still perceive Turkey as the Ottoman Empire that invaded Vienna. The European people understand that today Turkey consists of not only Ankara and Istanbul. They fear the economic and demographic expansion of Turkey. This is what the average European thinks about it.
Nevertheless, the time will come when Europe wants to accept Turkey itself. However, this may occur only when the life style in all the regions of Turkey is similar to the life style of Ankara and Istanbul. The standard of living in Turkey varies in the regions. The standard of living of other Turkish regions is completely different from Ankara and Istanbul.
Can Azerbaijan help Turkey on this?
I would like to say that Turkey will grow in strength and become a regional leader by starting with cooperation with the East rather than EU membership. If Ankara moves eastwards, rather than westwards, and draws such countries as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan into its field of influence, Europe may be more interested in Turkey’s membership. In other words, Turkey’s road to EU membership passes through the East. That is, Turkey’s expansion eastwards will bring it closer to the West. Azerbaijan is Turkey’s first ally on this, since no other country sincerely wants to see Turkey gain in strength. This is proven by the fact that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the effective work of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking States, the creation of a single Turkic alphabet and creation of a Turkic language.
Then I have to ask why Azerbaijan distrusts Turkey’s promises not to open the border with Armenia.
This has its history. In 1918 and 1919 the Turkish army, led by Nuri Pasha, stopped the genocide of Azerbaijanis by Dashnaks and Bolsheviks. However, some time later the army left Azerbaijan at the end of the First World War. As a result Azerbaijan lost its independence. Therefore, if Turkey disavows its statements under pressure in the early 21st century, the results of this action may be unpredictable for Azerbaijan. That's why after the Turkish-Armenian protocols were signed, everyone in Azerbaijan united around the idea of not allowing Turkey to surrender its position under European pressure.
Does anyone in Turkey support the opening of borders with Armenia?
I was one of four deputies from the Milli Majlis who visited Turkey at that time over the possible opening of the Armenian border. In Turkey I saw the interest of some Turkish journalists in increasing these tensions. In addition, I felt that some political circles in Turkey were looking for obstacles and reasons to cause a cooling between Azerbaijan and Turkey in order to facilitate rapprochement with Armenia.
Does this mean that the media also played a role in the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement?
Of course, if Azerbaijan and Turkey had been able to discuss areas of concern at the right time, the media would not have taken such a negative tone which eventually led to differences between the two fraternal countries. Though in reality, relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey experienced tension only in words. In reality there wasn't any tension. The tension between Turkey and Azerbaijan at that time appeared due to the lack of information and media hysteria.
What leverage can Turkey use to resist external pressure to open the border?
It cannot be said that the Turkish-Armenian border is fully closed today. Turkey and Armenia have open air communication and 70,000 Armenians work in Turkey. In addition, Armenians go on holiday to Turkey's best resorts. Travel and such a border regime cannot be described as a boycott or blockade. This should be brought to the attention of European organizations.
Leyla Tagiyeva
News.Az
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