7 November 2009 / ERDAL ŞEN, ANKARA
At a time when the Turkish government has been taking steps to normalize relations with Armenia, which has led to concerns in Azerbaijan, the Prime Ministry has allocated its 100th publication to Nagorno-Karabakh, a region at the center of a long-standing dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Turkey and Armenia signed an agreement last month to reinstate formal ties and reopen the closed border between two countries, a move met with concern in Baku, who slammed its ally Ankara for agreeing to normalize ties with Yerevan, suggesting that the protocols signed by Armenia and Turkey have cast a shadow over the relationship between Ankara and Baku.
In a gesture to Baku, the Prime Ministry recently covered the history of Nagorno-Karabakh in its 100th publication, titled “Karabakh in the Ottoman Archives.” Speaking to Today’s Zaman about the publication, The Prime Ministry’s State Archives General Director Yusuf Sarınay said they planned to send copies of the book to the Azerbaijani government. He said the 700-page book covers the relations of the Ottoman Empire with the region starting from 1590.
