Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made a statement on the protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations and the protocol on the development of bilateral relations agreed between Turkey and Armenia, APA reports quoting the official website of the ministry.
The statement says:
“Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry considers it expedient to say the following concerning the joint statement issued by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Ministries of Turkey and Armenia on August 31, 2009:
Azerbaijan bases on the statements made by Turkish senior officials concerning this issue. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined during his speech in Azerbaijani parliament on May 14:
“Turkey closed the borders with Armenia after Azerbaijani territories were occupied by Armenia. The borders may reopen after the occupation ends. We will not take a step forward unless our Azeri brothers are dissatisfied. They are interconnected and can not be regarded separately.”
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reiterates that every state has sovereign right to determine its relations with other states. But taking into account that this issue is directly connected with Azerbaijan’s national interests, we state that reopening of Turkey-Armenia borders before the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict contradicts Azerbaijan’s national interests.”
APA
