“It is a source of pride for Turkey to see Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist operations completed successfully in a short period of time and with respect for the rights of civilians,” the Turkish president told reporters alongside his Azeri counterpart.
THE Recep Tayyip Erdoganvisiting the Azeri enclave of Nakhichevancelebrate her “victory” of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakha victory that, according to the Turkish president, opens up “new opportunities for normalization” in the area.
“It is a source of pride for Turkey to see Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist operations completed successfully in a short period of time and with respect for the rights of civilians,” the Turkish president told reporters alongside his Azeri counterpart Ilhan Aliyev.
“With this victory, new windows of opportunity are opened for general normalization in the region,” Erdogan added.
The Turkish president is making a one-day visit to the Nakhichevan enclave, which is located between Armenia and Iran and borders Turkey.
He was greeted by President Aliyev, who gave him a warm hug when the Turkish president stepped off the plane carrying him, days after Azerbaijan took military control of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We hope that Armenia will shake the hand of peace that is extended to it,” Erdogan emphasized.
For his part, Aliyev emphasized that the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh are “guaranteed”. “Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, regardless of ethnicity, are citizens of Azerbaijan. Their rights will be guaranteed by the state of Azerbaijan,” he said.
Officially, the meeting between the two leaders was to mark the official start of the construction of an 85-kilometer natural gas pipeline between eastern Turkey and Nakhchivan and the inauguration of a military complex.
But according to Turkish media, they will also discuss the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, which will connect the Nakhchivan enclave with Azerbaijan through Armenia.
The opening of the Zangezur Corridor, along the Armenian border with Iran, will allow Baku to establish territorial continuity as far as Nakhchivan and, beyond that, with Turkey.
Nakhchivan’s small strip of land has been connected to Azerbaijan since 1923, but without continuity with the rest of the country.
This Turkish show of force in Azerbaijan, amid the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, comes amid an apparent Russian withdrawal from the region.
Source :Skai
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