April 20, 2004 - 20:01 AMT
ILHAM ALIYEV BLACKMAILS CYPRUS AND ARMENIA
If the Greek Cypriots vote "no" in the April 24 Annan Plan referendum, Azerbaijan will recognize the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in Ankara. In response, Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou implied that comments of this sort should be taken with a pinch of salt. "We should remind ourselves where these comments were made", he concluded. It should be noted that head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Vardan Oskanian noted during a meeting with journalists in Yerevan yesterday that recognition of North Cyprus by Azerbaijan could become an interesting precedent for Nagorno Karabakh.