ANKARA—Ankara has neither confirmed nor denied claims that Turkey’s intelligence agency prevented an Azeri military attack ordered by Azeri president Ilham Aliyev on Nagorno-Karabakh immediately before Turkey and Armenia signed historic protocols last year, reported the Turkish daily, Hurriyet.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has also not released any statement concerning the allegations, which were first published in one of Azerbaijan’s most influential opposition newspapers, Yeni Musavat.
The Azeri report appeared on the front page of daily Hurriyet on Tuesday with a headline that said MIT had thwarted a Karabakh war.
The Turkish government did, however, voice support for dialogue between the South Caucasus rivals. “We are in favor of the resolution of problems through dialogue,” Foreign Ministry sources told Hurriyet on Tuesday.
“By averting the Azerbaijani operation, Turkey prevented the normalization process with Armenia from being undermined and its own dignity from being harmed. The essence and the secret of the relationship taking shape between Turkey and Azerbaijan depends on this matter,” the Azeri newspaper wrote.
“Had Azerbaijan begun a military operation during that period, the Armenian initiative of the [ruling Justice and Development Party] AKP would have entirely collapsed,” Yeni Musavat added. According to the paper, the alleged military operation took place about one year before Turkey and Armenia signed deals in October 2009 in Zurich, Switzerland, to establish diplomatic relations.
The Azeri newspaper also claimed that options for military operations were reviewed. “The reception of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic’s Parliament Speaker Vasif Talibov at the highest level in Turkey could be a part of Ankara’s plan to stop Azerbaijan,” it said.
Turkish diplomatic sources said the high-level welcome of the Nakhchivan official was only natural because Turkey is a guarantor country for Nakhchivan’s status under Azerbarijani rule according to a highly contentious 1921 treaty.
Dr. Burcu Gultekin Punsmann, a senior foreign-policy analyst at the Turkish think tank TEPAV, also declined to comment on the veracity of the facts.
“I would, however, doubt that [Azeri] President [Ilham] Aliyev could have seriously considered undertaking such a hazardous action,” she said. “I can’t try to assess a military outcome of a new Azeri-Armenian war over Nagorno-Karabakh; the worst thing in such a situation is always to underestimate the enemy.”
“What I know is that this war would be disastrous for the whole region,” she added, referring to the five-day August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia that highlighted the disruptive potential of renewed conflict anywhere in the South Caucasus.
“Beyond a doubt, Azerbaijan is the country that has benefited the most from the return of stability to the South Caucasus region in the second half of the 1990s,” Punsmann said. “With the resumption of war, energy investment projects will stop overnight. There will be no winner of this war.”
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If you believe Turkish officials you believe anything, just another political spin in order to look good in the eyes of the International community and Armenians.
I call b.s. on this one. I agree with mihran. This is a move by the Turks to make themselves look magnanimous in the eyes of the US, Armenia, Russia, EU, etc. After the failure of the Georgians in Ossetia and Abkhazia, the chances of an Azeri offensive sharply declined in contrast to their cheap rhetoric. This is actually why the whole “reconciliation” process started to begin with; the Turks and the Azeris finally realized that NKR’s capitulation and defeat was impossible.
Merely just one anther Azerbaijani propaganda! Apparently politicians in Baku are playing to much war games on computer!
Yesterday, Azerbaijani propaganda department tried to make the world believe Armenian Catholicos visited so called Martyrs Lane in Baku
The worst thing would be when hawk politicians in Baku starting to believe in there own lies !
De el inch asem hayer jan esor turkeri mekel azerbejani xekavarnere enkan ster en asum u ashxarin u enkan en irar vor mtnum u ashxari xekavarneri vore mtnum vor shat ahavora u ete mi or petk lini irenk alieve ev erdogane irans kniknerin dem ktan vor irans xoske arach tanen inch asem urish inch vor petker asesi mnasase arten duk haskasek isk inch vor mnuma azerbejane harsakvi mer Xarabaxi kam mer Hayastani vra da irens hamar miayn u miayn erazanke irenk lav giten ete esor azerbejane 1 feet arach ga mer haykakan hoxeri vra menk 20 km arach kgnank irens hoxeri vram esor eskane hayer jan lav mnasek u misht artun
Mihran, Joseph and Ed; you are absolutely right! The Turkish propaganda is just that… after they shot their own foot with the matter of the protocols; now they want to look good to the world by making up such horrendous lies. It’s all lies; Turkey thrives in lies… but unfortunately in the past and in a lot of instances they got away with murder by lies and by threats. Not to worry, in the end the truth shall prevail.
I AGREE WITH ALL MY COMPATRIOTS MIHRAN ,JOSEPH AND ED .
AT THE BEGINNING MOST ARMENIANS WARNED MR. PRESIDENT SARGSYAN THAT THIS IS A ” BEAR GAME – ON STOCK EXCHANGE” IT WAS NOT RIGHT TIME FOR MR. SARGSYAN TO THROW SOCCER BALL INTO THEIR HIVE S’ SINCE FIRST THEY BITE HIM AND NOW IN SECOND ROUND THEY START A NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR FARE AGAINST OUR NATIONAL SECURITY .
MR. SARGSYAN AT THAT TIME YOU DIDN’T LISTEN TO ARMENIAN PEOPLE OUT OF THIS CRISIS, YOU NEED CONSULTATION AND EXCHANGE OF VIEWS WITH ALL SELFLESS, EXPERIENCED PATRIOTIC ARMENIANS BOTH IN ARMENIA, ARTSAKH AND DIASPORA
JOSEPH: Georgia was in dispute with Russia over Osetia and Abkhazia. Azerbaijan is in dispute with Armenia. I am finding it hard to understand your logic: do you think Russia to Georgia is the same as Armenia to Azerbaijan? Financially, psychologically, or militarywise. Explain yourself, please.
Hey Nairian,
It’s quite comical to hear you and your other dashnakians use the term “lies” so dramatically! All one has to do is examine dashnak Armenian propaganda, documents, history, countless terroristic activities, etc over the past century if you REALLY want to see many great examples and definitions of the term “LIES”!!! Man, you’ll find them EVERYWHERE!! Why, it’s literally a venerable cornacopia of falsehoods, fabrications, alterations, falsifications, etc., etc., etc.!!
Ishkhan jan; you have a very good point, he should have listened to diasporas cries right off. Through our long history with the enemy, we recognize our enemy’s tricks, lies and manipulations, don’t we? Yes we do dear compatriot.
Robert, stop attacking the ARF every chance you get. You’re sick ideas are not welcomed here, so stay off our backs for once and for all.
Nairian: I do not agree with you. Are Robert’s ideas are sick just because you do not agree with them? If this is what we call democracy, then everyone should have the right to raise their voices and express opinions. Unfortunately, moderators sometimes follow your method by deleting or ignoring some of the posts. Like the one I posted under this article 3 days ago, where I asked Joseph to explain, what was his logic when he implied that Russia to Georgia is equal to Armenia to Azerbaijan ignoring that economic and military differences between Russia and Georgia are not comparable to differences between Armenia and Azerbaijan.