Azeris worried that they failed to undermine Van-Yerevan flights

[Yervant1]

Azeris worried that they failed to undermine Van-Yerevan flights

http://armenpress.am/static/news/b/2013/03/711724.jpg15:23, 16 March, 2013

 

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. The official circles of Azerbaijan are worried and angry with the fact that they failed to undermine the operation of Van-Yerevan direct flights between Turkey and Armenia. As reports "Armenpress" citing Azerbaijani media, the head of public-political affairs department of Azerbaijani president’s staff Ali Hasanov, referring to the operation of the flights stated: "Thus Ankara supports a country which continues the occupation of Azerbaijani lands."

Also Hasanov did not conceal the concern of official Baku that "brother country Turkey is establishing relations with Armenia". Among other things he noted: "We treat it with double jealousy, when those countries, with which we have fraternal and strategic relations, deepen tiess with Armenia."

Van-Yerevan-Van direct flights will be implemented from April 3, 2013. Twice in a week the flights will be implemented from Yerevan to Van and in the opposite direction. The flights become reality due to "Narekavank" Travel Agency and the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen (Employers) of Armenia.

[Yervant1]

http://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/logo_up_en.png

Azerbaijan jealous as Armenia and Turkey are commencing Yerevan-Van flights

 

 

15:45 16.03.2013

 

Van, Yerevan

 

 

http://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ali-hasanov-620x300.jpg

 

 

Azerbaijan accuses Turkey of supporting Armenia. “Azerbaijan has stated on many occasions that we approach sensitively to any contact with Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, particularly when these contacts are made by friendly countries,” Ali Hasanov, Head of the Department on Social Political Issues of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said, commenting on the commencing of Yerevan-Van flights, APA reports.

According to him, official Baku views such contact as support and strengthening to Armenia.

“We are twice as jealous when it is done by countries we share strategic interests with. It is not only our opinion, but also that of the Turkish society,” he said.

Ali Hasanov noted that recently when the issue on opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia was raised, it did not find support among the Turkish society, the political parties and the Turkish government. “We assess the opening of Yerevan-Van flight as a certain level of support to Armenia,” he said.

[Yervant1]

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia

March 17 2013

 

 

Tensions increase in Azerbaijani-Turkish relations

 

17 March 2013 - 4:36pm

The relations between two regional allies, Turkey and Azerbaijan, are

in a state of crisis once again. The Azerbaijani authorities are

indignant over Turkey's initiative to establish an air route with

Armenia.

 

According to media, the Turkish air company Bora Jet is going to start

flights to the Armenian capital, Yerevan. Azerbaijan believes that the

Turkish government has something to do with the idea.

 

The fact that Turkish President Abdullah Gul immediately congratulated

Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarsgyan on his victory at the presidential

elections was also a very unpleasant surprise for Azerbaijan.

 

On Saturday a representative of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party said

that the Turkish authorities should make an official statement on the

establishment of the Van-Yerevan air route. Officials of the

Azerbaijani presidential staff have expressed the same opinion.

 

The response the Turkish authorities have made so far appears to have

been insufficient. According to the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan,

Ismayil Alper Coskun, the initiative of the private air company has

nothing to do with the official position of the Turkish cabinet.

 

`The Azerbaijani media and society are well acquainted with the

position of Turkey on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenia.

However, Turkish ambassadors to Azerbaijan have announced their

positions on this up to now. The Turkish President, Prime Minister,

officials and the Speaker of Parliament have clearly announced their

positions on this issue. The flights from Yerevan to Turkey are

operated by private companies. As media report, these are commercial

flights. Private companies have no problems in Turkey in carrying out

these activities,' the ambassador is quoted as saying by the APA

agency.

[Yervant1]

ARMENIA-TURKEY: ANOTHER CASE OF OUTRAGE FROM AZERBAIJAN AS YEREVAN-VAN FLIGHT SET FOR COMMENCEMENT

 

http://armenianow.com/news/44590/armenia_turkey_van_flight_azerbaijan

NEWS | 20.03.13 | 15:21

 

Photolure

 

By GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN

ArmeniaNow reporter

 

Another initiative in Armenian-Turkish relations has caused a fit of

jealousy in Azerbaijan that has accused its ethnic cousin of supporting

an enemy state.

 

After negotiations that lasted more than four years, April 3 will see

the commencement of the first flight from Yerevan to the historical

Armenian city of Van, which is located in the territory of modern-day

Turkey.

 

Officials in Azerbaijan have already slammed Turkey for allowing such

a project that they said will only benefit Armenia, which is seen by

Baku as an aggressor country.

 

Commercial flights between Yerevan and Van indeed are supposed to

result in greater activity on Armenia's tourist market, as well as

in the adjacent province in Turkey, considering the great interest

that exists among Armenians towards their historical monuments and

other sights in and around Van.

 

The flight will be carried out on a 68-seat European-make aircraft

designed for short-distance flights belonging to the Turkish airline,

Borajet, and will be operated by the Armenian Narekavank Tour travel

company.

 

Narekavank Tour company co-founder Armen Hovhannisyan told ArmeniaNow

that every year hundreds of Armenians visit Van and the availability

of a direct Yerevan-Van flight is likely to increase this tourist

flow, as many now are reluctant to go because of the long and tiring

journey that it currently involves.

 

Hovhannisyan says that reaching Van from Yerevan by a land route

(considering that the Turkish-Armenian border is closed) takes 18-20

hours and costs approximately 25,000-30,000 drams (about $60-75),

while the flight, although more expensive (in April and May a roundtrip

ticket will cost $200, and $250 for other months), but will take only

40 minutes to reach the place. Flights will be available twice a week,

Wednesdays and Sundays.

 

"This flight has nothing to do with politics, this is pure tourism.

 

The main goal of the flight is to organize trips and pilgrimages

for Armenians to their historical homeland. This is the best chance

for them to go there," said the travel agent, adding that at this

moment only 10 people have actually booked air tickets to Van, but

expectations are that the flights will sell well.

 

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with

regional ally Azerbaijan that was suffering heavy defeats in the

Karabakh war waged against ethnic Armenians.

 

Armenia and Turkey, which also have different perspectives on history,

including the 1915 massacres of Armenian nationals of the Ottoman

Empire, which Ankara refuses to recognize as genocide, have not had

diplomatic relations since then. Attempts to achieve rapprochement

in 2008-2009 suffered a setback against the backdrop of protests from

Baku about a possible Turkish-Armenian normalization.

 

And in the most recent manifestation of Azeri "jealousy" over

communications between Yerevan and Ankara, a number of Baku officials

raised questions about Turkish President Abdullah Gul's congratulations

sent to his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan on his reelection last

month, causing the Turkish Foreign Ministry to provide a clarification

in this regard.

 

In an article late last month California Courier publisher Harut

Sassounian examined the trend. He also cited another instance of an

Azeri reaction. "No sooner had Turkish Airlines announced that it

would distribute a copy of Agos, a bilingual Armenian-Turkish weekly

newspaper, to its international passengers, that Fikret Sadikov, an

Azeri professor and political analyst, objected to its dissemination,

calling it an 'absolutely absurd and irresponsible gesture'," wrote

Sassounian.

 

And despite the fact that a few days ago Turkish Ambassador to

Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Joshkun gave assurances that the operation

of the Yerevan-Van flight is a private commercial project and that

Turkey's stance on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has not changed,

the Azerbaijani party continues to oppose the commencement of the

flight.

 

Ali Hasanov, Head of the Department on Social Political Issues of

the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, claimed late last week

that the flight between Yerevan and Van supports a country that is

an enemy of Azerbaijan.

 

"Azerbaijan has stated on many occasions that we are sensitive to

any contact with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, particularly when

these contacts are made by friendly countries," said Hasanov. "We

are twice as hurt when it is done by countries we share strategic

interests with."

 

Deputy Director of the Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute Sergey Minasyan

told ArmeniaNow that such seemingly 'irrational scenes' of jealousy

towards the 'elder brother' Turkey from Azerbaijan are, in fact,

a display of some 'rational fear' that sooner or later these small

steps will lead to some improvement in Turkish-Armenian relations

and removal of the current blockade of Armenia's communications.

 

"One should not expect the Yerevan-Van project to become a really big

event, but it will certainly become an additional means for Ankara and

partly for Yerevan to at least maintain the level of their existing

relationships and wait for the domestic or regional political

situations to enable them to attempt to restore or resume their

diplomatic steps towards rapprochement," said the political analyst.

[Yervant1]

TURKEY FACING ILHAM ALIYEV'S "RIGHTEOUS ANGER"?

 

Azerbaijan is waiting for Turkish explanations on the opening of

Yerevan-Van flights, the latters not matching Ankara's official stance.

 

A report on the opening of direct Yerevan-Van flights threw Baku

into another fit of hysterics. Azerbaijan seems to believe that any

Armenia-related step initiated by Russia or Turkey must be coordinated

with Baku for fear of the "righteous anger" of Ilham Aliyev.

 

PanARMENIAN.Net - Current hysterics is the second major one after

Zurich Protocols. The Protocols were doomed to oblivion form the

onset, the Yerevan-Van flights, on the other hand, belonging to a

realm of business, are much more likely to work. Formally, the flights

were initiated by a private Turkish company Bora Jet. Baku, however,

suspects that Ankara might actually be behind the private initiative,

with Turkish President's congratulatory message to Armenian leader

on the latter's reelection further undermining Azeri authorities'

trust towards Turkey's policy line.

 

The executive secretary of Yeni Azerbaijan ruling party Ali Akhmedov

stated that Baku is waiting for Turkish explanations over the launch of

the flight. He further expressed Baku's reluctance to accept a possible

Turkish-Armenian rapprochement while "Azeri lands remain occupied."

 

Azeri president's administration expressed a similar stance, with the

officials stressing Baku's "sensitivity" to any contacts with Armenia

or Nagorno Karabakh. "Baku deems such contacts to signal support for

Armenia," the Head of the Presidential Administration's Department

on Social Political Issues Ali Hasanov said.

 

Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun reassured Baku,

noting that the launch of the private company's flight shouldn't cause

doubts as to the official position of Ankara. However a political

analyst Mubariz Ahmedoglu, who's known to be close to governmental

circles, refuted the envoy's version of a "private initiative." "No

flights in Turkey can be allowed without the official permission of

the Turkish government, regardless of financials gains. There's no

need trying to trick Azerbaijan," he said.

 

Baku, however, is the only one to blame for the trap it got caught

into. The flights might well be followed by a resumption of a

Kars-Gyumri railway connection. Also, the change of power in Georgia

may alter the regional position of Azerbaijan, which is the main

cause of concern for he latter. And the "countless oil-brought riches"

which Baku will soon run out of won't affect the situation. It's hard

to believe Ilham Aliyev is unaware of the fact, but the inertia of

thought prompts him to continue dictating conditions.

 

Turkey is currently facing an unpleasant situation - with the 100th

anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire to be marked

in 2 years, Ankara feels constrained to take some steps. Yerevan-Van

flight is the first step which can be followed by Kars-Gyumri railway

opening and even cancellation of visa regime. However, one must say,

Armenian citizens have no problem getting visas at Georgia's Vale or

Sarpi check points. As for Baku, it may continue its demarches till

they actually make Ankara sick.

 

Karine Ter-Sahakyan / PanARMENIAN News

[Yervant1]

TURKEY OFFICIALLY FREEZES YEREVAN-VAN FLIGHTS

 

http://hetq.am/eng/news/24953/turkey-officially-freezes-yerevan-van-flights.html

14:45, March 29, 2013

 

Narekavank Tour is sorry to report that as of yesterday the General

Directorate of Civil Aviation of Turkey officially suspended

Van-Yerevan-Van direct flights yesterday

 

These flights had to be operated by Armenian Tour Operator Narekavank

Tour, Turkish Borajet Airline and Ayanis Travel Agency, based in Van.

 

The major goal of the flight was to develop regional tourism and

cultural interactions between people, along with contributing to

economic and business cooperation.

[Yervant1]

VAN-YEREVAN-VAN FLIGHT DELAYED INDEFINITELY

 

March 29, 2013 - 15:51 AMT

 

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Turkey

instructed Borajet air company to delay the opening of Van-Yerevan-Van

direct flight for an indefinite period, Narekavan Tour travel company

director Ashot Soghomonyan told PanARMENIAN.Net

 

Yerevan hosted the presentation of Van-Yerevan-Van flight on March 14,

with heads of tour companies, Armenian deputy minister of economy,

representatives of U.S. embassy and EU mission in Armenia present.

 

The first flight was scheduled on April 3 to be operated by Narekavan

Tour jointly with Turkish Borajet. The ticket for a 40-minute trip was

to be priced at $250, with a 20% discount offered for April flights.

 

The decision might be triggered by Azeri reaction over the launch of

the flight, with Baku accusing Ankara of "betraying relations with

Baku and failing to consider Azeri interests in Karabakh issue." In

an earlier conversation with PanARMENIAN.Net Turkologist Andranik

Ispiryan characterized Azeri reaction as common. "Azeri hysterics

prompted Ankara's remark, assuring Baku of being its best friend

where Karabakh settlement is concerned," the expert said.