Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was received by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday before he met his counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov during a visit to Baku.
The two ministers held a joint news conference following their talks that focused on relations between the two countries, which boast being “one nation, two states.” Azerbaijan’s ties with neighboring Armenia were also among other topics the two top diplomats discussed.
Fidan told the news conference that they were “closer than ever” to regional stability and peace in the Caucasus region. “We always said that momentum in the process between Azerbaijan and Armenia would be reflected in the normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia. We will uninterruptedly continue cooperation with brotherly Azerbaijan to utilize this opportunity,” Fidan said.
He stated that Türkiye supported ongoing peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia. “We don’t see any obstacles to normalization with Armenia. We anticipate completion of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he said.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and also opened the door to normalization.
This September, the Azerbaijani army initiated a counterterrorism operation in Karabakh to establish a constitutional order, after which illegal separatist forces in the region surrendered.
Türkiye itself suspended relations with Armenia for decades in support of Azerbaijan, while Armenia has been a stalwart in accusing Türkiye of “genocide” of the Armenian population during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
After September’s operation that fully cleared Karabakh of separatists, Azerbaijan and Armenia took strides on their path to peace and on Wednesday, the two countries exchanged prisoners of war on their border in a sign of reconciliation.
Fidan said he congratulated Azerbaijan once again for its successful operation in Karabakh last September and extended condolences for “heroes martyred” in the operation.
“(Türkiye) pointed out that there was a historic opportunity for regional peace after a 44-day war three years ago. Today, we believe this opportunity has grown more and should not be missed. We are pleased with the progress in permanent peace and border demarcation talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Fidan said.
“A southern Caucasus region where peace dominates is in the interest of all actors. Thus, all parties should endeavor to accomplish peace and normalization. Unfortunately, the Armenian diaspora in Western countries exploits the harsh conditions the people of Armenia suffered from. They are trying to provoke some countries against Azerbaijan. It would be better if they concentrated on creating an environment where the people of Armenia could have normal relations with their neighbors,” Fidan said.
Fidan also urged “actors outside the region” to commit to policies based on regional balance and promoting normalization. “We are pleased with the concrete, confidence-building steps between the two countries. We wish for more such steps to be taken that pave the way for a comprehensive peace agreement,” he added.
For his part, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said Azerbaijan is enjoying a “historic peak” in its relations with Türkiye.
“Today, when we talk about all spheres – political, economic, trade, military, defense industry, energy security, investments, other directions of the humanitarian sphere – we would not be wrong if we note that Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations are at a historic peak,” Bayramov stated.
Mentioning how relations between Baku and Ankara were elevated to the level of a strategic partnership with the 2021 Shusha Declaration, Bayramov said Azerbaijan and Türkiye “demonstrate a unique unity that has no analogs in the world,” resulting from the political will of both countries’ presidents. Bayramov added that 2023 has been fruitful in terms of relations between Ankara and Baku.
On Armenia-Azerbaijan peace, Bayramov said that they were currently forming their opinion on Armenia’s comments on the draft peace agreement and will present it to Armenia shortly. “Azerbaijan and Türkiye believe that neighbors in the region should live in peace. We expect Armenia to take steps in the same direction,” the minister added.
