Azerbaijan, Baku, April 8 / Trend , corr. A.Huseynbala /
The actions of today's government of Turkey demonstrate either its desire to open borders with Armenia or to learn international and public opinion, said the co-chairman of Azerbaijan-Turkey inter-parliamentary friendship group.
"The attempts to open borders are felt. But Azerbaijan protests against this both at the state and public level," Nizami Jafarov, co-chairman of Azerbaijan-Turkey inter-parliamentary friendship group, president of Azerbaijan Ataturk center, told Trend on April 8.
The representatives of different circles of Turkish society suppose that the borders with Armenia will be opened.
Armenian-Turkish ties have been severed since 1993 due to Armenia's claims of an alleged genocide, and the country's occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands. Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited Yerevan on Sept. 6, 2008 upon the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan to watch an Armenia-Turkey football match. Efforts have been made to normalize ties between the two countries ever since.
Jafarov said that still it is possible to hope that the borders will not be opened.
"Because the President, and the Prime Minister of Turkey repeatedly said that the borders with Armenia will not be opened unless the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is solved, unless the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is restored, unless Armenia gives up its claims on "genocide" and others", MP said.
He considers that opportunities and chances have already been provided to Armenia to give up these claims, but still there is no positive result. "Taking into account this, it is possible to say that the opening of borders is impossible," said Jafarov.
For already long time, negotiations have been held with the Turkish MPs to prevent opening of borders, he said.
"We maintain this question on focus of attention constantly. We constantly discuss this question with the co-chairman of Azerbaijan-Turkey inter-parliamentary friendship group Mustafa Kabakchi. He repeatedly said that the borders with Armenia can be opened only after ensuring territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Kabakchi considers so today as well, Jafarov said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
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