Asbarez.com
Ankara Optimistic About ‘Peace in South Caucasus’
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan sounded an optimistic note about what he said was imminent and permanent peace in the South Caucasus, not without defending Azerbaijan for waging war against Artsakh and its eventual forced depopulation.
“Undoubtedly, the basis for reaching this point is that brotherly Azerbaijan has ended the occupation of its lands in Karabakh,” Turkish media quoted Fidan as saying.
“We continue our bilateral relations with Azerbaijan at an exemplary level. We jointly strive to find solutions to many international issues. After the war, Armenia decided to utilize its preference for peace and stability. It is gratifying that this continues. We urge both Azerbaijan and Armenia not to miss this historic opportunity,” Fidan added.
The Turkish Foreign Minister recalled that Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers held a private meeting in Istanbul last month, “for the first time after a long time without the participation of a third country.”
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were in Istanbul last month to attend a meeting of a regional platform, known as the “3+3,” that includes the participation of Russia, Turkey and Iran.
Fidan said that the normalization process between Ankara and Yerevan is also important in the context of peace in the South Caucasus.
Noting that Turkey’s constructive will is to gradually normalize bilateral relations in coordination with Azerbaijan, Fidan explained that they discussed all issues related to the region with constructive understanding at the meeting of the so-called “3+3” regional cooperation platform last month.
Fidan met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the margins of the G-20 summit.
According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the two “discussed the importance of a dignified and durable peace in the South Caucasus.”