December 17, 2013 - 15:11 AMT
Davutoglu accused of betraying Azerbaijan after Yerevan visit

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who visited Yerevan for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) group meeting, was harshly criticized by the opposition upon his return, virtualaz.org said citing Turkish media.

The MPs demanded an account of the official’s visit to Yerevan as well as of 'secret deals reached'. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy Tugrul Turkes required an explanation over the reports of alleged ceding the Nagorno Karabakh-adjacent regions and acknowledgement of Turkey’s guilt in the Armenian Genocide.

In reply, Davutoglu reminded the MP about his father’s involvement in negotiations with the first Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian during the Karabakh war.

“Your father’s actions were not a mistake, and neither is my visit to Yerevan,” Davutoglu said.

The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Osman Koruturk, in turn, slammed Davutoglu as “the most unsuccessful foreign minister among them all.”

“Negotiating with Armenia is not a crime. What’s criminal, though, is betraying Azerbaijan’s interests through opening of borders with Armenia, in the face of unsettled Karabakh conflict,” Haqqin.az quoted Koruturk as saying.

Earlier, MHP member Oktay Vural also criticized Davutoglu over his visit to Armenia as well as the official’s statement that the “deportation of Armenians in 1915 was inhumane."

He also expressed confidence that the representatives of the ruling party plan to recognize the Armenian Genocide and return lands to Armenians, according to Panorama.am.