Erdogan called on Armenia not to seek its security from neighboring countries

Armenia should not look for its security thousands of kilometers away. This must be done in cooperation with neighboring countries, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He is quoted Anadolu.

“It would be more correct if the Armenian people and their rulers sought peace and cooperation with their neighbors, rather than security thousands of kilometers away,” – he said, addressing the nation after the Cabinet meeting.

The Turkish leader noted that no weapons and ammunition sent by Western countries will help Yerevan replace the calm of stable peace in the country. Now that the Karabakh war is over, Erdogan emphasized, Armenia needs not to miss the opportunity to preserve peace.

“I call on Armenia to extend the hand of peace extended by our Azerbaijani brothers,” – the president added.

Erdogan also said that Türkiye is ready to assist in this process.

Aggravation of the conflict in Karabakh

On September 19, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced the implementation of “anti-terrorist measures” in Karabakh. Baku explained that the military’s actions are being carried out to “ensure the provisions of the trilateral statement and suppress large-scale provocations in the Karabakh economic region.” Baku also announced its intention to disarm and withdraw the formations of the Armenian Armed Forces and “restore the constitutional order” in the region.

Against the backdrop of the events taking place on the same day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters at a briefing that Moscow was alarmed by the sharp escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. In turn, the Kremlin called on Baku and Yerevan to follow the previously established trilateral agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh.

On September 20, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on the parties to the conflict to stop hostilities and immediately return to the implementation of security agreements. From the very moment of its deployment in the region, the Russian peacekeeping contingent conscientiously carried out the tasks of maintaining the ceasefire and ensuring contacts between the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides. The peacekeepers coordinated efforts regarding the humanitarian situation on the ground, and also contributed to the launch of direct dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert.

On September 20, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that, through the mediation of the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, an agreement was reached between Yerevan, Baku and representatives of Karabakh on a complete cessation of hostilities. As part of the agreements reached, the armed formations of Karabakh surrendered weapons and ammunition. The next day, negotiations between the delegation of Karabakh Armenians and representatives of Azerbaijan took place in Yevlakh.

It should be noted that Karabakh was personally recognized as part of Azerbaijan by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, voicing a corresponding statement last October at a summit in Prague. Then he said that the country recognizes the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan along with the territory of Karabakh on a total area of ​​86.6 thousand square kilometers. Thus, everything that happens after Pashinyan’s refusal from Karabakh is an Azerbaijani conflict, because the Armenian leadership itself has radically changed the status of the region.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will cease to exist on January 1, 2024. The corresponding decree was signed by the head of the unrecognized republic Samvel Shahramanyan. All state institutions of the republic will be dissolved. After the decree came into force, the population of Nagorno-Karabakh was asked to study the conditions for reintegration proposed by the Azerbaijani authorities. After this, people can independently decide whether they will return to Nagorno-Karabakh.