Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 1 / Trend , A.Huseynbala/
Resuming the talks on the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia will have a positive impact on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the members of the Azerbaijani parliament believe.
"Resuming the talks between Turkey and Armenia shows that the strategic projects in the Caucasus region are always on the agenda," Azerbaijani Parliamentarian, Zahid Oruj said to Trend on Sept. 1.
On Aug. 31, Turkey and Armenia in the talks mediated by Switzerland reached an agreement to launch "internal political consultations" to sign the Protocol on Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and Protocol on Development of Bilateral Relations, the Turkish Foreign Ministry reported.
Political consultations will be completed within six weeks, and following that two protocols will be signed and submitted to the two countries' parliaments for approval. At present Turkey does not plan to open the borders with Armenia, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davudoglu said.
Armenian-Turkish ties have been severed since 1993.
Oruj said the United States and Russia continue to implement projects related to the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border.
"There is no doubt that this issue directly affects Azerbaijan's interests, so we worry about in what form, we will participate in this project. In addition, returning the issue worrying the Azerbaijani-Turkish society to the agenda, which was initiated by the Turkish political elite, gives a ground to say that we are on the verge of the major political processes," the parliamentarian said.
He said that's why Azerbaijan should be fully prepared. "First and foremost, we must think about how the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations will be, if the 'roadmap', which will be approved at the Turkish and Armenian parliaments, contradicts the interests of Azerbaijan. Secondly, we have to specify in which form Azerbaijan will participate in the implementation of this plan in the future, and resist processes, which will be directed against our national interests," said Oruj.
The parliamentarian said the unity of the Azerbaijani society with the national government is necessary. "Otherwise, it will be difficult to resist," said Oruj.
The beginning of political consultations between Turkey and Armenia is part of the ongoing processes in parallel, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Security and Defense Aydin Mirzazade, told Trend .
He said the talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are also part of this process.
"A few days ago, President Ilham Aliyev stated about some progress in these negotiations. Hence, it is expected that certain steps related to the settlement of the conflict will be taken. Parallel to this, the talks on the normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations may also be held," said the parliamentarian.
He said Armenia is interested in leaving the blockade. "The only way to achieve this is to give up territorial claims on neighboring countries and to build civilized relations with them. If Armenia withdraws its troops from the Azerbaijani territories, to prepare for these processes, the talks can also be held with Turkey to restore the diplomatic relations," said Mirzazade.
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