Turkish, Russian defense ministers discuss Karabakh, Syria, Libya

ANKARA

Armenia should end its attacks at civilian settlements of Azerbaijan and withdraw from the “occupied” lands, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu in a phone conversation on Oct. 12.

The two ministers discussed developments in Nagorno-Karabakh, Idlib of Syria and Libya, according to the sources from the Turkish Defense Ministry.

Azerbaijan will not wait another 30 years for a solution in Karabagh, Akar told his Russian counterpart.

Turkey stands by Azerbaijan for its military “campaign launched to retake its lands,” Akar told Shoygu.

Turkey meets its commitments in Idlib for providing stability under the agreement made on March 5, 2020, he also said.

Turkey will do its best to voluntarily and safely return innocent people to their homelands, Akar told Shoygu.

He noted that Ankara supports stable, independent and sovereign Libya in line with the U.N. Security Council’s relevant decisions and will continue to make efforts for the region to reach stability.