“We help the steps taken through Azerbaijan… to shield its territorial integrity,” Erdogan stated in an on-line statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday expressed full guide for Azerbaijan’s army operation in its ethnically Armenian breakaway area of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turkey is a ancient ally of predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan and views generally Christian Armenia as one of its predominant regional rivals.
“We help the steps taken through Azerbaijan — with whom we act collectively with the motto of one nation, two states — to protect its territorial integrity,” Erdogan stated in an on-line statement.
Ankara provided Azerbaijan with fight drones and different army gear that helped Baku win lower back swathes of the breakaway location in a brief however brutal conflict three years ago.
The Turkish overseas ministry had formerly stated the new operation used to be sparked by using “long-standing armed assaults and provocations” towards Azerbaijani forces in the region.
“As a end result of the professional and justified worries it has again and again expressed related to the scenario on the floor in the almost three years due to the fact that the stop of the Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijan has had to take the measures it deems indispensable on its very own sovereign territory,” the Turkish overseas ministry said.
But the ministry delivered that solely direct talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan should completely get to the bottom of the decades-long conflict.
“We agree with that making sure the continuation of the complete negotiation method between Azerbaijan and Armenia… is the solely way to set up peace, security, prosperity and everlasting balance in the region,” the Turkish announcement said.