Expert: Turkish people won't allow authorities to meet Armenia halfway, ignoring Baku's interestsJuly 23, 2008 - 14:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish expert Mitat Celikpala said the border with Armenia won't be opened 'unless the latter abandons the Azeri territories.'"These are not declarative announcements but Turkey's state policy of the. Global geopolitics clashed in the South Caucasus and Turkey doesn't want to lose this big game. That is why it has to open a kind of dialogue with Armenia. But it doesn't mean that Turkey will sacrifice Azerbaijan's interests. Turkish people won't allow the authorities to meet Armenia halfway, ignoring the interests of a fraternal country," he said. Commenting on Russia's position, Celikpala said that Foreign Minister Lavrov's recent visit to Ankara gives something to think about and can appear as Moscow's keen geopolitical game. "Relations between Turkey and Russia have improved recently. The Russian factor is gaining weight on Ankara. I do not rule out that the Armenian-Turkish talks were discussed during Lavrov's visit. It's well known that Armenia won't take a step without coordinating it with Moscow," the expert said, 1news.az reports. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia: Protesters march to parliament, some spend the night on street The protesters did not disperse despite heavy rain that began at around 2 a.m. local time. Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. |