Türkiye pledges full support to Baku’s anti-terror op: Erdoğan
NEW YORK
Türkiye has expressed that it supports Azerbaijan’s anti-terror operation against Armenian armed groups in its own territories in Karabakh while calling Armenia to fulfill its promises for peace and stability in the region.
“We support Azerbaijan, with which we move together under the motto of ‘one nation, two states,’ in its steps to preserve its territorial integrity,” Erdoğan said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly late on Sept. 19.
Azerbaijan Defense Ministry on Sept. 19 launched an anti-terror operation in some provinces of Karabakh where some armed Armenian groups have long been active. Azerbaijan re-captured its territories in Karabakh from Armenia after a three-decade long occupation through a 44-day war in 2020. Türkiye supported Azerbaijan’s struggle to get back its lands.
“As everyone now accepts, Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory. The imposition of any other status will never be accepted,” Erdoğan underlined, adding that the primary goal should now be peaceful coexistence for all, including Armenians, in Azerbaijani territory.
Recalling that Türkiye has long been backing talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan for a comprehensive peace agreement and it has launched its own process with Armenia to normalize ties, Erdoğan blamed Yerevan for missing this opportunity that would bring about peace and stability to the South Caucasus.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev released a written statement to thank President Erdoğan for his support to his country’s efforts to clear terrorists from Karabakh and to re-establish the constitutional order.
“My dear brother, I want to thank you for the support you pledged to Azerbaijan in your address to the U.N. General Assembly. As always, brother Türkiye is standing with Azerbaijan and supporting our rightful cause,” Aliyev said.
Azerbaijan President praised the ties between the two countries as “strategic alliance.”
Azerbaijan’s operation is rightful
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also supported Azerbaijan’s operation trough a written statement.
“Azerbaijan had to take the measures it deemed necessary on its own sovereign territory as a result of the fact that the legitimate and rightful concerns it has constantly expressed about the situation on the ground in the past three years since the end of the Second Karabakh War, have not been resolved,” read the statement.
The ministry stressed that the only way for maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region is the continuation of the comprehensive negotiation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The two sides have been negotiating an agreement for a lasting peace, but no solution has been found yet.
Erdoğan, Netanyahu meet for first time
Meanwhile, Erdoğan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held their first-ever in person meeting on Sept. 19, marking a significant development in the gradual improvement of ties strained due to disagreements regarding policies concerning the Palestinians.
The leaders, who held talks during the annual high-level United Nations General Assembly in New York, covered a range of topics, including political, economic and regional matters, in addition to addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as announced by the Turkish Presidency via a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Erdoğan conveyed to Netanyahu that there are numerous opportunities for collaboration between the two countries, particularly in the fields of energy, technology, innovation, artificial intelligence and cyber security, according to the presidency's statement.
One of the key areas identified for potential cooperation is in the realm of energy. "The meeting explored potential energy collaborations, particularly in natural gas exploration, production, and trade," said Türkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, who was also present at the meeting.
Both leaders agreed to pay reciprocal visits to each other's nations in the near future, as stated in a release from Netanyahu's office.
Relations between Türkiye and Israel soured following the 2010 incident in which Israeli forces killed 10 Turkish individuals aboard a pro-Palestinian activist ship attempting to break the Gaza Strip blockade.
The event led to Ankara expelling Israel's ambassador, a decision that was reversed in 2016 but later reinstated in 2018 following the deaths of numerous Palestinians involved in violent protests at the Gaza border. Israel, which had complained at Ankara's hosting of Hamas leaders, also expelled Türkiye's envoy in 2018.
A thaw in relations began with Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Türkiye in March 2022, followed by visits from both countries' foreign ministers, contributing to the reconciliation process.
Erdoğan also met with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni at New York's Turkish House, a new skyscraper situated just across from the United Nations building.
The meeting, which lasted around 40 minutes, saw the participation of the Turkish delegation, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and chief adviser to the president Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
The discussions primarily centered around key international and bilateral issues, as announced by the statement issued by Türkiye's communications directorate.
Among the topics on the agenda were Türkiye's EU membership process, the war in Ukraine and the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The talks also delved into economic relations between Türkiye and Italy.
Erdoğan, in particular, emphasized the need to expedite the convening of the Economy and Trade Joint Committee and Business Forum meetings to bolster trade volumes between Türkiye and Italy, according to the statement.
