The situation in the South Caucasus, mainly in the Garabagh
region, is becoming more tense lately. This tension is felt not
only in the region, but also in the brotherly country Turkiye.
Thus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a statement on
the way to the solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani issue in
Garabagh at a press conference held in Istanbul before leaving for
the UN General Conference. President Erdogan proposed a tripartite
meeting with Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Garabagh issue. In
addition to the tripartite meeting, he also sent a proposal to
Russia for a quadrilateral meeting.
It should also be noted that before this speech, a bilateral
meeting between the President of Turkiye and the President of
Russia Vladimir Putin took place. It is no secret that the Garabagh
issue was also touched upon in that meeting.
As we know, except for Russia, the Western countries that do not
belong to the region also have a special interest in the South
Caucasus, especially in the Armenia-Azerbaijan issue. However, this
interest mostly consists of pro-Armenian and biased policy against
Azerbaijan. It is likely that Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, who is aware of this, put forward a proposal to Russia,
not the West, to resolve the Garabagh issue. If this is the case,
the reaction of the West is extremely important.
Also, the European Parliament presented a report on Turkiye’s
withdrawal from the European Union. Most likely, this report is
related to Turkiye’s legitimate concern about the Garabagh issue.
However, Erdoğan, in his turn, also noted that Turkiye can part
ways with the European Union in the future if necessary.
“First of all, I would like to note that a big risk is emerging
in the region. Especially the so-called elections held by Armenia
in Garabagh, the collection of weapons and ammunition, 10,000
soldiers stationed in Garabagh, the militarization of the civilian
population into terrorists, the armed conflicts that occur day by
day, all have a meaning. President Erdogan’s speech is an effort
intended to eliminate the risk arising from all this. I hope this
threat will be averted. However, I would like to point out that the
situation is extremely delicate and critical. I think this has
already reached a very dangerous level.”
Turkish expert Abdullah Aghar mentioned these words in his
comment to AZERNEWS while clarifying the ongoing
processes.
According to him, the goal is to build peace through
negotiations. That is, it means the restoration of full sovereignty
of the territories returned by Armenia after the 44-day war.
Otherwise, the matter will be extremely sensitive. Because the
processes have become so dangerous that they hinder Azerbaijan’s
sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unitary structure. All this
should be taken into account.
As for the interest of the West in the processes in the region
and the fact that President Erdogan invited Russia, not the West,
to discuss the solution of the Garabagh issue, the expert noted
that the Western countries are keen to take the initiative in the
South Caucasus and Central Asia. However, the West should not
forget that it does not belong to this region. Therefore, this
issue should be discussed first by countries living in the same
geography.
“This approach of the West makes the problem worse. Moreover, it
leads to the emergence of greater risks. Therefore, it is extremely
important to try to resolve this process in some way through
countries that have influence, effectiveness and borders in the
region,” the expert said.
In conclusion, the Turkish expert clarified the report on
Turkiye at the EU Parliament.
“The European Parliament recently published a report. The report
stated that it is impossible for Turkiye to become a member of the
European Union under their certain required conditions. However,
they want to exclude Turkiye from normal membership and proposed to
develop real and parallel cooperation. I think this is not an
accepted membership forum. Turkiye’s declaration of will regarding
the European Union, especially at the Vilnius summit, is not
limited only to the European Union. This is an extremely important
geopolitical development that builds trust and strengthens the
geopolitical and strategic partnership with the West. But it seems
that the EU’s behavior with double standards does not meet the
requirements of this report. If the European Union continues to
behave like this, Turkiye may eventually have to approach from a
completely different paradigm,” Abdullah Aghar added.
—
Rena Murshud is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva
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