BAKU/ANKARA (Combined Sources)–Turkey’s Parliament Speaker Tuesday conditioned the normalization of his country’s relations with Armenian to a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict that favors Azerbaijan.
"Turkish-Armenian relations will not be re-established as long as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not resolved," Keksal Toptan, Chairman of Turkish Parliament said while on a visit to Baku. adding that the so-called "occupied territories" should also be returned to Baku.
Toptan said Turkey had been advocating for Azerbaijan’s policy on Nagorno-Karabakh throughout the world.
"Turkey’s position and policy on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will not change," he assured his hosts. "Azeri territories should be returned and peace should be re-established. We do not have other requiremen’s and we do not claim other’s territories. Requiring lands belonging to us is our right. I believe that a resolution will be reached in the near future."
In related news, Ankara hosted the first meeting of the Azerbaijan-Turkey Historical Research Fund, which has been established to research what Turkish sources called the “Armenian Issue,” and to prove as groundless Armenia’s’ push for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Turkey’s ninth President Suleyman Demirel was elected the Chairman of its board of trustees.
The meeting also decided to make Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Abdullah Gul honorary chairmen.
Turkey’s campaign of historical revisionism continued Tuesday with Gul telling the 11th International Congress on Social and Economic History of Turkey held at Ankara’s Bilkent University that Turkey had opened its most classified archives regarding the incidents of 1915.
Gul told the conference that the keeping of historical records is not the business of politicians or parliamen’s; it should be the business of historians and scholars.
"That is our government’s stance on the Armenian allegations that constantly remain on the agenda," he said.
Gul said researchers could take advantage of Turkey’s most classified archives, adding that Turkey was proud of its history.