Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.1
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
It is impossible to make concessions in the matter of opening of the Turkish-Armenian border, the head of the Azerbaijani-Turkish working group on interparliamentary relations Nizami Jafarov told Trend Nov.30.
He said that Turkey always maintained the position that the borders with Armenia will not be opened as long as the Armenian armed forces do not withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not settled. This was stated more than once, and the pressure made by some countries here is not appropriate, since the matter rests in the crucial issues, said Jafarov.
He said that negotiations with Armenia, agreed to be held by Turkey a few years ago on this issue, did not become a lesson for Armenia. "The position of our peoples and states is strong enough, and the issue of opening the Turkish-Armenian borders can not be the subject of serious discussions," said Jafarov.
The break in relations and closing of the Turkish-Armenian border in 1993 were due to Armenia's claims for recognition of the "Armenian genocide" in the world, as well as Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani lands.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.