Aliyev makes clear his distaste for Erdogan government in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - During the February 25, 2010, meeting with U.S. Under Secretary Williams Burns, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that if the Turks demonstrate "constructive behavior," a gas transit deal can happen. He was clear, however, that nothing would be signed before April 24.

According to WkiLeaks, Aliyev also professed to be worried that active Turkish-Russian cooperation could be one of the impediments to progress. He confided that Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told the head of the Azerbaijani State Oil Company: "Why do you want to ruin our relations with Russia? Do you really need Nabucco?"

The President continued that it is imperative for Azerbaijan that formalities for the commencement of Shah Deniz Phase II gas development begin this year. This project will bring $20 billion in much-needed investment to Azerbaijan and potentially develop Azerbaijan into a major source of new gas, as much as 50 billion cubic meters.

Unprompted by Burns, Aliyev spelled out the reasons, due to which Azerbaijan decided to sell gas to Russia last year, noting that "Moscow had asked" and offered a good price for gas that was surplus anyway. But the real reason, Aliyev confided, was that the sale illustrated to "our Turkish friends" that they will not be allowed to create a gas distribution hub. "Aliyev made clear his distaste for the Erdogan government in Turkey, underscoring the "naiveté" of their foreign policy and the failure of their initiatives, including the loss of support for Turkey among traditional international friends because of Ankara’s hostility to Israel. He noted that in his view, there had never been any merit to the notion of a "moderate Islamist" government in Turkey, and that Erdogan’s insistence on promoting Hamas and Gaza (when other Arab countries were notably silent on these issues) had brought Turkey no benefits.