Baku Threatens Armenia with War While in Turkey

Azerbaijan is committed to a peaceful resolution of its Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with Armenia, but it may resort to military measures in the future if efforts to end the dispute through talks fail, a senior official of the Azerbaijani administration said on Friday, reports Turkish news source Today’s Zaman.

Ramiz Mehdiyev, the head of the Azerbaijani presidential administration, speaking to editors-in-chief of television news programs and newspapers in İstanbul, said:

“Azerbaijan has committed itself to resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute peacefully. But we may bring to the table other options, including military measures, in the future if this method fails to produce an outcome. Our patience is wearing thin.”

Mehdiyev had talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Şahin and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu during his three-day official visit to Turkey. He described the meetings as “extremely useful” at the meeting with media representatives.

Turning his attention to the Armenia-Turkey Protocols, Mehdiyev said the signing of the protocols cannot harm Azerbaijani-Turkish relations because they are two “brother nations.”

He also said the Turkish officials he had met in Ankara reaffirmed that the Turkish-Armenian border would not be opened before the Karabakh problem is solved. Turkey closed its border because of Nagorno-Karabakh, and it will not be reopened unless the occupation of the territory is ended, he said.

The head of Azerbaijan’s presidential staff also told reporters that he was discontent with the OSCE Minsk Group’s activities, saying that their efforts have not brought about any outcome and that the group was not doing what is needed to be done.