Interview with Haluk Ipek, deputy chairman of the Party of Justice and Development in Turkey and deputy.
Q: Which changes in the US policy in the relation to Turkey and Azerbaijan should be expected in connection with the victory of the Republican party in elections to the US House of Representatives?
A: First of all, Azerbaijan and Turkey should consolidate. I think Azerbaijan has consolidated recently and turned into the strongest and most developed state in the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan will further create a wider tie with other countries, on the whole, with the world community. This meets the Turkish interests. Azerbaijan has taken a right position, in particular, the way of the country development. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s consolidation will lead the country to holding its policy regardless of the attitude of other countries to it. Therefore, Azerbaijan’s further success depend on country’s consolidation and development.
Q: Should we expect changes in normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations in the light of new proposals of the western countries, who initiated the second stage of talks between Ankara and Yerevan via Switzerland?
A: Turkey’s policy is aimed at the achievement of peace in the South Caucasus region. Turkey and Azerbaijan want the establishment of the free trade regime in the region. The only condition of this is the termination of occupation of 20% of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, whose fact was recognized by UN, Council of Europe, OSCE and the Minsk Group. Armenia was obliged to reject its occupation policy. All the same, I would like to note that there is a definite lobby in mass media which causes a rush around the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border. In the very beginning of this process, Turkey said it will not open its border in the absence of achievements in the Karabakh conflict. However, the mass media continue to discuss this issue, repeating the questions to the Turkish officials about the opening of borders. Though Turkey has stated clearly that the border will not open, a lobby within the Azerbaijani mass media was striving to reduce the nation’s love to Turkey keeping this issue on the agenda. This activity still continues. Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Milli Majlis speaking about the occupation of Azerbaijani lands that Turkey will not open borders with Armenia unless the occupation ceases. However, despite the persuasions of the Turkish side on this high level, some mass media continued to keep this issue on the agenda. This is propaganda, aimed at reducing love of Azerbaijani people to Turkey. Turkey has always declared the reasons it closed borders with Armenia. Turkey closed the borders because of occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia. This occupation continues. Therefore, the border will not open unless the occupation ends.
Q: Which role can the union of Turkic states play in regional and world policy?
A: Turkic states are being consolidated every year and provide greater support toward each others in different issues. Thus, the geography of Turkic nations, their consolidation and integration together with Anatolia, Turkey, overall, allows saying that Turkic states will turn into the world’s biggest power in the 21st century.
U.U.
News.Az
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