Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov did not respond to the criticism voiced by Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic.
“I am ready to answer for my words. My every word is substantiated. As for the statement by the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan, I do not consider it necessary to respond to it,” Azimov stressed, APA news agency reports.
In an interview with CNN-Turk Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said that signing protocols on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations Ankara made resolution of the Karabakh conflict complicated. “These protocols have created a crisis situation for us. On the other hand normalization process was also suspended and no progress was achieved in the Karabakh peace process,” he said.
Turkish Ambassador to Baku Hulusi Kilic disliked statement of Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov. “Azimov’s words reflect his personal opinion. In any case I think he is wrong,” said the diplomat.
According to him, all are aware of Turkey-Azerbaijan relations. “There is nothing to add,” he stated.
On October 10, 2009, in Zurich, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Turkey signed the “Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations” and “Protocol for the development of bilateral relations”, which needed to be ratified by the parliaments of the two countries. However, it did not happen due to Ankara’s non-constructive position.
The signing ceremony was attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and France Bernard Kouchner, as well as Secretary General of the Council of the European Union Javier Solana. The signing ceremony was at the center of the world’s attention, broadcast on 70 TV channels.
However, on December 7, 2009, Turkey linked Armenian-Turkish reconciliation to settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. During his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan stated that Ankara would not ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols as long as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remained unsettled. On April 22, 2010, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree suspending the ratification process.
