Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 7 / Trend , A. Huseynbala/
A meeting is planned for Azerbaijani and Turkish political parties.
"Depending on how events unfold, we may hold a conference," Azerbaijani State Deputy and Ana Vatan Party Chairman Fazail Agamali told Trend on Jan. 7. "If the situation becomes serious, we will send invitations to the parties of the Turkish Parliament."
A conference scheduled for late January 2009 in Baku on "Turkish-Armenian Relations: Possible Expectations" has been canceled. Members of the Azerbaijani and Turkish parliaments were to take part in the event.
Armenian-Turkish relations have been severed since 1993 due to Armenia's "genocide" campaign and and forceful occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory. Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited Yerevan on Sept. 6, 2008 after being invited by Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to watch a football match between the two countries. Efforts have been made to normalize ties ever since.
Turkey has also acted as a mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan organized a meeting between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey to discuss the issue in New York.
Agamali said his party is paying close attention to the negotiations between Turkey and Armenia.
"We want the negotiations between these countries to be fruitful," he said. "But the differences between the previous government's and President Abdullah Gul's views and the apology campaign launched by some Turkish intelligentsia before Armenia have forced us to take an expectant position."
The conference hopes to relieve the anxiety of the Azerbaijani and Turkish people over Turkish-Armenian relations, he added.
"So far we have not held concrete discussions about the conference with the parties of the Turkish parliament," Agamali said. "But I do not think the political forces of our brotherly country will be against the issue."
The pro-government Ana Vatan Party was founded in 1991. Two MPs represent the party in the Azerbaijani parliament.
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