Will They - Won't They?

There has been a lot lately about the possible opening of the Turkish border with Armenia. Azerbaijan has been asking the Turks to "stand firm". Now one Azeri MP is predicting the border will be opened. (via Groong)

Text of unattributed report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq on 15 April headlined "Is Anar Mammadxanli cleverer than Ilham Aliyev?" and subheaded "The latter says that the borders will not open, the former says they will be..."

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his entourage differ about the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border. Ilham Aliyev does not see any grounds for concern, pointing out that during his visit to Ankara as the prime minister last autumn, he heard statements from the Turkish leadership that the border will not open. He believes that those statement were sufficient for him.

Therefore, there is no need for anxiety over this issue because he believes that the border will not open. He confirmed this stance in his comment on a protest action by a group of Azerbaijani journalists in Turkey against the possible opening of the border.

MP Anar Mammadxanli, who is well-known for his personal closeness to Ilham Aliyev and is trying to show off as a staunch member of his "team of reformists", thinks the opposite and aired his concern about the situation in his interview.

He backed the journalists' protest action against the possible opening of the border, but said that he expects the Turkish-Armenian border to open. Unlike Ilham Aliyev, Mammadxanli believes that Turkey will open the border as soon as its membership of the European Union becomes topical. Despite his feeling of regret, the MP advises to take a realistic approach to the issue.

Mammadxanli went even further and blamed "some pseudo-patriots for the erroneous analysis of the issue".

We wonder whether Ilham Aliyev, who does not believe that the Turkish-Armenian border will open, is also one of the "pseudo-patriots" mentioned by Mammadxanli. And who knows more - Anar Mammadxanli or Ilham Aliyev?

Posted by Matt on April 16, 2004 | TrackBack | Email to a friend