Turkish media "protest" against decision to deploy Russian bases in Armenia via Turkish territory

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Russia has several times applied to us with a request to supply its base in Armenia, but every time we responded that Turkey can allow Turkey to supply its base in Gyumri only with non-military products, such as clothes, food etc. We'll never allow our territory to be used for providing arms supplies to Armenia," Turkish Foreign Ministry's official representative Burak Özügergin said in an interview with Turkish Huriyyet newspaper. "It's an obvious provocation aimed at breaking friendly relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan."



In the meantime, Turkey's opposition-run independent media have made a big fuss over the report as they believe Russia supplies those weapons to Armenia for directing them against Azerbaijan in future. Thus, Turkish Milliyet reports that Turkey should immediately break off negotiations with Russia. "Russian arms supplied to Armenia will be used against Azerbaijan. That's why, assisting Russian military base is out of the question," today's newspapers report.



Director of Armenian Center for Strategic and National Research Richard Giragosyan announced earlier that Armenian-Turkish border opening was first of all advantageous to Russia. That's why he believed the focus was shifted on Russian-Turkish rather than Armenian-Turkish rapprochement.



"After Russian-Georgian war, Russia has certain expectations of Turkey," Giragosyan said, noting in the meantime that Ankara and Moscow had signed a secret agreement allowing Russia to use Turkey's air spaces for providing supplies to Russian military base in Gyumry. The expert, however, did not specify what kind of supply was meant.