Turkey supports Azerbaijan’s steps to preserve its territorial integrity: Erdogan
Turkey supports Azerbaijan’s steps to preserve its territorial integrity, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, after Baku launched a military operation in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
In his address to the UN General Assembly, Erdogan said that Nagorno-Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory and the imposition of another status for the breakaway region is unacceptable.
Earlier on Tuesday, Turkey’s foreign ministry said that Azerbaijan was forced to take measures on its sovereign territory in Nargorno-Karabakh after its concerns were not alleviated following the 2020 conflict with Armenia in the region.
“As a result of its rightful and legitimate concerns about the situation on the ground that it voiced repeatedly not being alleviated in nearly three since the end of the Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijan was forced to take measures it deems necessary on its sovereign territory,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We believe that continuing the comprehensive talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have been held meticulously until today, in a result-oriented manner is the only way to achieving peace, security, prosperity, and lasting stability in the region.”
The ministry also said the foreign ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan discussed developments in the region on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.