Turkey repeats Azerbaijan condition to normalize Armenia ties

Turkey is still holding the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute as a precondition for the opening of the Turkish-Armenian and Armenian-Azerbaijani borders despite the protocols signed late Saturday after three hours of last-minute negotiations.

“We will not adopt a positive approach unless Armenia withdraws from the occupied Azerbaijani territory,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a televised speech Sunday.

Erdoğan’s remarks were interpreted as the government’s return to its original position of linking the normalization of ties with Armenia to progress in the talks of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders under the so-called Minsk Group. Erdoğan said he had called Russian President Dimitri Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama to accelerate the negotiations between Yerevan and Baku. Russia, France and the United States are co-chairs for the Minsk Group. 

“If the process [of Armenian and Azerbaijani negotiations] speeds up, the ratification of the protocols with Armenia will also accelerate,” said the prime minister.

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia signed the historic accords to normalize their troubled ties after a three-hour delay late Saturday. The process will be followed by the protocols’ dispatch to the respective parliaments for ratification. Both the Turkish and Armenian governments are under pressure from their domestic oppositions.

“If the Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute moves toward a solution, our public will want the normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relationship,” said Erdoğan. “In the same way, the ratification of the protocols in Parliament will be facilitated.” He said that public opinion in Turkey as well as Parliament would closely follow developments on the Azerbaijani-Armenian track.

“We would like to establish good neighborly relations with Armenia in a real sense … Our expectation from Armenia is that it will comply with the universal principles of international law and let the Caucasus become a region where permanent peace, friendship, stability and prosperity reign,” said the prime minister.

In a televised interview with Turkish Radio and Corporation, or TRT, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey would never abandon its regional ally Azerbaijan, adding that Turkey’s comprehensive peace with Armenia overlaps with Azerbaijani interests. 

“In parallel to this normalization [between Turkey and Armenia], we want all the normalization processes to accelerate. The diplomacy we are employing is in line with universal standards,” said Davutoğlu, who signed the protocols with Yerevan on behalf of Turkey. “We believe our position will accurately be understood by all our neighbors in the region.”

The minister highlighted that Turkey would not want a poor country in its neighborhood, but “we also want our neighbors not to violate the rights of our other neighbors. Not only Karabakh but also the seven Azerbaijani districts adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh are under occupation. That should come to an end.” 

In a statement, President Abdullah Gül said: "There will be difficulties from time to time but once the intention and the will are sound, a result is obtained. The result is the emergence of cooperation in the entire Caucasus and the resolution of all security issues."

‘Parliament to have final say’

Davutoğlu said Parliament would have the final say over the future of the protocols signed with Armenia. “The final legitimate body is Parliament,” he said.

Asked if he was waiting for a surprise decision from Parliament just like the rejection of the March 1 motion on the deployment of U.S. soldiers before the Iraq war, the minister said the government’s mission was to ensure the signing of the protocols and that Parliament would determine the subsequent process.

“We, the government, want the protocols to pass through Parliament but they need to be submitted for approval in an appropriate psychological and political atmosphere,” said Davutoğlu, referring to the Azerbaijani-Armenian process.

In response to another question on what Armenia would gain from the deals with Turkey, he said: “Turkey never abandons a country that has established relations with us. Armenia’s most important gain will be the friendship of a big state like Turkey. Armenia is now outside the regional equation in the Caucasus. If its dispute with Azerbaijan is settled, Armenia will be in the equation.”

PM expects Sarkisian to visit Turkey

In his speech, Erdoğan raised the expectation that Armenian President Serge Sarkisian would come to Turkey to watch the football match between the Turkish and Armenian national teams in Bursa on Wednesday. “There is still time until Wednesday but I strongly believe Mr. Sarkisian will come. Maybe they will make a decision at the last-minute. Our expectation is that he will come to watch the match, which will be meaningful after the signing ceremony.”