JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (RFE/RL)–Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has harshly criticized the United States and other world powers spearheading the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, saying that they have lacked commitment to broker a peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
“There has been serious neglect by the Minsk trio,” Erdogan charged in a Sunday evening interview with Turkish state television, referring to the U.S., Russia and France — the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on Karabakh.
“If Russia, the US and France had worked hard within the past 20 years, none of these problems would have emerged; neither the trouble between us and Armenia, nor a trouble between Armenia and Azerbaijan would remain,” he said, according to the Turkish Today’s Zaman daily. “The performance of Russia, America and France has been below expectations,” he added.
Erdogan specifically accused the mediating powers of not putting sufficient pressure on Armenia to end “the occupation of Azerbaijani territory. “The problem will be solved when the occupation ends,” the Azerbaijani Trend news agency quoted him as saying.
The remarks reflected Ankara’s continuing linkage between the normalization of its relations with Yerevan and a Karabakh settlement acceptable to Baku. Erdogan has repeatedly indicated that the Turkish parliament, in which his Justice and Development Party has a clear majority, will not ratify the Turkish-Armenian normalization agreements signed in October unless the Minsk Group efforts yield a breakthrough.
Armenian leaders have rejected this “precondition.” They have also ruled out any Turkish mediation in the Karabakh peace process, saying that Turkey is inherently unfit for that role given its close ties with Azerbaijan.
According to Today’s Zaman, Erdogan also reiterated his government’s claims that a recent ruling by Armenia’s Constitutional Court runs counter to the Turkish-Armenian protocols. Ankara is particularly unhappy with the court’s conclusion that the deal can not stop Armenia seeking broader international recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Yerevan has dismissed the claims as a smokescreen to hide Turkey’s reluctance to unconditionally establish diplomatic relations and open its border with Armenia.
Turkish-Armenian relations were reportedly on the agenda of a Sunday phone conversation between Presidents Abdullah Gul of Turkey and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia. Citing Turkish diplomatic sources, the Hurriyet Daily News reported that Gul raised Ankara’s concerns about the Armenian court ruling with Medvedev and urged Moscow to press Yerevan to address them.
“We need a clarification as to whether the court ruling will shadow or restrict the protocols,” the paper quoted Gul as saying. It said he also called on Russia to step up the search for Karabakh peace.
Erdogan similarly tried to get the Russians to seek greater Armenian concessions to Azerbaijan for the sake of the Turkish-Armenian normalization when he visited Moscow last month. However, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly told him to drop the linkage between what Moscow considers two separate processes. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian was quick to hail that stance.
Hye, if the Turkish Genocide of the Armenian nation had been recognized as the Genocide that it was in the years following, ALL the Genocides on our planet shall very well never come to pass. Any despots would hestitate perpetrating Genocides – knowing they were to face the world’s
nations (who’d come together to end any Genocides). Imagine, none of the millions upon millions who suffered Genocides since, the innocents, the slaughtered, the survivors whose lives in this world shall have become a living hell. Many of these Genocides are at Turk’s door.
Genocides of the 20th century and still now into the 21st century, sadly Darfur. And in the wings the ongoing Turkish treatments of the Kurds – to pursue the Kurds by labelling them as ‘terrorists’ in order to terrorize them. Actually, Kurds are freedom fighters seeking relief from Turkish tyranny.Turkey for the Turks – only…
Where even this week, a 15 year old Kurdish girl is jailed, excessively,
by Turkish judges – for years in the most vile of jails – in Turkey. Shades of MIDNIGHT EXPRESS!
Turks pursue genocides – not even wars – since they shall not have to fight for lands, but just stolen the lands – via Genocides – in the Ottoman mentality. And the world watches… for how long?
Manooshag
Yes Erdogan our problems will be solved when turkey is put on trial for Genocidal Crimes and Western Armenian lands occupied by turkey is returned to the righthful owners Armenians! Turkey must stop acting like an angel.. Turkey can not fool the civilized world anymore…
It’ll never happen but: “Presidetnt Sargsian Blasts Minsk Group Over Karabakh Peace Talks.”
Yea, because Mr Antoine Lius ErdoGHAN would have the problem solved by wiping the Armenians from Zangezour. There is nothing better than Genocide in the minds of Turks.
A Turk is always a Turk… There is no such thing as a good Turk…
Erdogan, before criticizing anyone for not being able to solve the Karabagh problem for the passed 20 years should criticize Turkey for attacking and occupying Cyprus for the passed 36 years with no resolution in site. Before criticizing anyone for genocide should acknowledge the Armenian Genocide that his ancestors perpetrated. Anybody can choose what they want to solve and what they do not want to talk about but it does not work that way. That is why no matter how much he yells and screams no one pays much attention to the seriousness of the issues he is talking about. To be a regional power, one should fix the house that they live in first before looking to their neigbour’s.
Apsos vor dzhbakhtabar AREVMUTKE yev OSCE- khumbe (minchev isk Meronk) srants Lav Che ghiten…… Dzidzaghalun da vor est erents Nkaraghrin misht Gayl linelov irenk anmegh vochkhari der yen khaghum …….. Khoramankoren boghokum yen vor Irents handep ibr Anardarutyun e katarvum ARAJ YEN ENGHNUM VOR HET CHE MNAN……… . YEV BOLORN EL KNADZ YEN YEREVUM ??
Apsos vor dzhbakhtabar AREVMUTKE yev OSCE- khumbe (minchev isk Meronk) srants Lav Che ghiten…… Dzidzaghalun da vor est erents Nkaraghrin misht Gayl linelov irenk anmegh vochkhari der yen khaghum …….. Khoramankoren boghokum yen vor Irents handep ibr Anardarutyun e katarvum ARAJ YEN ENGHNUM VOR HET CHE MNAN….YEV BOLORN EL AYS KHAGHERI DIMATS KNADZ YEN YEREVUM??
TOUGH LUCK YOU BASTARD!!
Now you are crying and whining… see what happens when you try to do things with deceit and using unintelligent ways.. it is time to pay Mr. Er DOG an… It is funny that every one of these turkish officials have “DOG” in their names.. hmmmm.. guess they all have this running in their family blood lines.. sad just sad…
Hope everything that they have planned clashes on their heads…
G
Turkey cannot and should never be a mediator in Karabakh peace process. Erdogan should worry about his problems and not Azeris.
Erdoghan is playing the same game of approaching the West, as a Westrenized Democracy, and yet appealing to Moslem Countries as a Moslem nation, and asking their support for Moslem Azerbayjan.
Ever since the Sick Man of Europe recovered, it has been playing this game of, speaking with both tongues. It claimed to be a Westrenized Democracy, while asking and getting military help from Lenin, the power that the awest tried to stop in expansion.
I wonder how blind the West is in considering Turkey it’s allie. The so called allie which stopped the American forces enter Iraq from the north of Iraq.
Berj
When an entire system/state is built on aggression & genocide then bullying comes as a second nature for its citizens. When a society’s moral compass is built on the basis of brainwashing its people by feeding them historical revisionism, grandoise lies & fabrications then you can’t expect anything other than the likes of Turkey’s ruling elite, and their animalistic attitudes.
With these mother fuckers, we need to develope the atomic bomb, and a super power army to be able to annihilate Baku & Ankara if they act like the aggressive wolf that they identify themselves with.
Fuck Erdogan, LONG LIVE ARMENIA. Peace through Strength.
Over all…This is Turkey’s long term behavior.
They always act towards primarily United States and other powerful countries that they have “chip on their shoulder” and no one can dare, no matter how criminal and politicly incorrect they are!!
He is a dog. I would like about ten minutes alone with him to give him the same treatment his grandfathers gave my great grand parents and grand parents.
Just ten minutes.
Kiazer, I would like to join in that 10 minutes.. Even though they dont’ deserve our hands touching their filthy animal bodies, it is definintely time to treat them like animals.. because apparently being civilized and try to work things out as normal westernized cultures do does not rock their boat..
Animals acting violent need violent reaction from the opponent to shut them up..
G
Erdog plays the so-called bad dog and Gul plays the so-called good dog. Enough is enough with these tyrants.
We should be looking at the campaigns of these prostitute senators and congressman. We need to send a message that enough is enough. Come April 24, if I don’t hear the “G” word from president Obama, it will signal the failure of his administration. My life savings will be going to campaign donations around the US.
Unfortunately, Armenian authorities in Yerevan, esp. foreign minister Nalbandian, remain silent on these kinds of statements every time made by turkish prime minister, saying that these are only for their domestic consumption.
Erdogan has forgotten that Turkey has been established as a result of his forefathers BEYOND MEASURE crimes, atrocities, barbarism and genocide against the REAL OWNERS of the lands.
Enough is enough!
I know this might be counter to everyone who posted here but hating Turks and wanting to hurt them makes us no better. Yes I too lost many relatives on both sides of my family and thousands of acres of land that belonged to my family for millenia with the original deeds still in hand however we shouldn’t forget the Turks who risked their lives to help save the Armenians. Not all Turks are bad. My grandfather along with many members of his family were hidden by a Turkish neighbor who later helped him escape. Most Turks today are just ignorant. The ruling Turks not only want to deny and avoid the responsibility of the Genocide but want unity of their own people and resort to revising history to achieve that end. Turks have an identity problem and are phobic towards everyone. Imagine a race with such low self esteem that they need laws to punish someone who insults them. No, you can’t trust them.You can’t do business with them. You can’t even rationalize with them because their whole existence is a lie. However I view them as the losers by the mere fact that we are still alive. Our culture, heritage and history is alive. Lets focus on our own unity and strength, economically, politically and militarily because their ignorance is still around. We have come a long way and I feel our power and influence growing. Let’s not be like them. We shall never forget the genocide and always seek justice but lets not hate ever last Turk.