Armenia’s violation of Karabakh agreement unacceptable: Erdoğan

ISTANBUL

Armenia’s “violation” of the agreement, reached after 44 days of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, is unacceptable for Türkiye, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Sept. 14.

“The whole world should know that we stand with our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters in the face of this development as well, as has always been the case,” he said at the opening ceremony for the dormitory of the Youth and Sports Ministry.

This attitude will undoubtedly lead to some consequences for Armenia, which has been “constantly displaying aggressive behaviors” in addition to not fulfilling the terms of the agreement signed following the Karabakh war, Erdoğan stated.

“We hope that Armenia will leave this wrong track as soon as possible, immediately fulfill the terms of the agreement and use its time and energy to strengthen peace,” the president said.

“I once again remember our martyrs with grace and pray to my Lord for a speedy recovery for the injured. I extend my condolences to the Azerbaijani people, first and foremost my brother, Ilham Aliyev,” he added.

Early on Sept. 13, Russian news agencies reported the clashes were linked to the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, over which Azerbaijan reestablished full control in a six-week conflict in 2020.

On Sept. 14, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye’s relations with Armenia were not independent of Yerevan-Baku ties. He also discussed the situation with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

Cease-fire holds between Armenia and Azerbaijan

A cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan held Thursday following two days of fighting that killed 176 soldiers from both sides.

Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, said the truce brokered thanks to international mediation took effect at 8 p.m. (1600 GMT) Wednesday. A previous cease-fire that Russia brokered Tuesday had quickly failed.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that the situation on the border with Azerbaijan has been quiet since the cease-fire started and no violations were reported. There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijan’s government.

The cease-fire declaration followed two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities between the two longtime adversaries in nearly two years.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday that 105 of his country’s soldiers had been killed since fighting erupted early Tuesday, while Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said Thursday it lost 71.