An agreement on ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh may have a positive impact on relations between Turkey and Armenia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
There are no diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia, the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara's initiative. Complex relations between the two countries are caused by a number of circumstances, in particular, Ankara's support of the Azerbaijani position in the Karabakh problem and Turkey's acute reaction to the process of international recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
"We support all attempts to end the conflict in Karabakh on the basis of international principles, taking into account the preservation of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. A ceasefire agreement in Karabakh may have a positive impact on relations between Turkey and Armenia," Cavusoglu said at the OSCE Ministerial Council, which is held via videoconference.
At the end of September, hostilities resumed in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was a continuation of the long-standing conflict and resulted in civilian casualties. The parties made several attempts to conclude a truce, but a trilateral agreement reached on the night of November 9-10 was a success.
With Moscow's mediation, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to completely ceasefire and exchange the prisoners and bodies. Yerevan also handed over the Kelbajar, Lachin and Agdam districts to Baku. In addition, Russian peacekeepers were stationed in the region.
In Azerbaijan, the agreement was called Armenia's surrender. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the document was as beneficial to his country as possible. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confessed that the peace decision was hard for him, but allowed him to preserve what Karabakh would have lost. After that, protests began in Yerevan demanding the resignation of the head of government.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from RIA Novosti