Armenia’s recent violations of a 2020 peace deal – resulting in new border tensions with Azerbaijan – are “unacceptable,” the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Sept. 14.
Turkey is a key regional broker with close ties to Azerbaijan and historically poor relations with Armenia.
Erdoğan blamed the latest escalation on unspecified violations by Armenia of a Russian-brokered agreement that brought an end to the 2020 war.
The deal allowed Azerbaijan to take control of large parts of the Armenia-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We find the situation we are in – which is the result of violations of the deal reached after the war ended with Azerbaijan’s victory – as unacceptable,” Erdoğan told a public rally.
“It will, of course, have consequences for Armenia, which did not fulfil the agreement’s conditions and constantly displayed an aggressive attitude.”
Armenia has confirmed the death of more than 100 soldiers and Azerbaijan has reported 50 fatalities.
The toll could still mount due to reports of continuing exchanges of fire.
Turkey is Azerbaijan’s main weapons supplier and a backer of Baku’s cause on the diplomatic stage.
Hurriyet Daily News