Cevikoz: Ankara Does Not Establish Relations With Armenia

BAKU - Turkish Ambassador in Baku Unal Cevikoz has said that Ankara did not establish relations with Yerevan mostly due to Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict and occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia.
Speaking at a conference on ''Place and Importance of Eurasia in Turkey's Foreign Policy'' in Azerbaijan Caucasus University, Cevikoz said that Turkey's foreign policy toward all countries in the region except Armenia was in line with the principle of equality.
Noting that Ankara did not establish relations with Yerevan mostly due to Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict and occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, Cevikoz recalled that Turkey had recognized Armenia as an independent and sovereign state on December 16, 1991 but it had not established diplomatic relations with Armenia.
Stressing that Yerevan did not have good neighborly relations with the countries in the region and with Turkey, Cevikoz said that Armenia occupied Azerbaijani territories, moreover it demanded territory from Turkey, and this attitude of Armenia contradicted with the international laws.
Noting that he wished the Azerbaijani press would not be an instrument to propagandas of the terrorist organization PKK, Cevikoz said that the terrorist organization had stopped staging its terrorist acts after capture of head terrorist Abdullah Ocalan and concentrated on propagandas, adding, ''so the Azerbaijani press should not back the terrorist organization's target.''
Stating that Turkey had played pioneering role for unity of southern Caucasus and helped membership of regional countries to international organizations after they acquired the,ir independence, Cevikoz said that European Union membership and being determinant country in Caucasus, and relations with regional countries were held in terms of politics, economy and security. Stressing that Turkey played active role in solution of regional problems, Cevikoz said that as a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Turkey carried out active efforts for solution of the issue of Upper Karabakh that was under Armenian occupation.
Cevikoz said Turkey also took part in observer mission of organizations like the United Nations and OSCE that undertook negotiator role in solution process of Georgia-Abkhazia problem.
Noting that Turkey had proposed ''stability pact in Caucasus'' through initiative of former President Suleyman Demirel, Cevikoz said that this proposal was an important project.
Stating that Turkey had developed commercial relations with the regional countries which adopted market economy, Cevikoz said that the amount of loans lent to Turkic republics in Central Asia and volume of trade with those countries had been 1.5 billion U.S. dollars as of 2000.
Noting that more than 2500 Turkish companies were operation in regional countries, Cevikoz said that Turkish capital that had been invested in those countries had increased over to 8.5 billion U.S. dollars.
Cevikoz said that countries in Caspian basin had serious energy potential, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline had an important place in transfer of those energy resources to Western markets.