President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a spontaneous go to on Monday to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan. Introduced sooner or later earlier than, the go to comes on the heels of Azerbaijan’s profitable counterterrorism operation in Karabakh, a area regained from Armenia which, final week, was cleared of Armenian separatists.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Erdoğan in an official ceremony earlier than the 2 leaders headed for talks. The aim of Erdoğan’s go to is the inauguration of a pipeline between Türkiye’s Iğdır and Nakchivan, and two leaders are additionally anticipated to attend the opening of a navy advanced within the exclave. Nakchivan, which shares Azerbaijan’s solely land border with Türkiye, is surrounded by Armenian territories. So, Erdoğan’s go to was symbolic within the aftermath of the victory towards Armenian separatists. Azerbaijan and Türkiye are probably the most intimate allies within the area, with their intertwined historical past as two Turkic nations. Erdoğan additional superior ties due to his shut friendship with Aliyev. Two leaders name one another “brothers,” and Türkiye is probably the most outspoken advocate of Azerbaijan’s rights over Karabakh, forcibly taken by Armenia after the collapse of the USSR.
At a joint information convention with Aliyev, Erdoğan praised the counterterrorism operation. “We’re proud that it was accomplished in a really quick time and we want blessings from Allah for our martyred brothers,” Erdoğan mentioned, referring to fallen Azerbaijani troopers.
Erdoğan additionally addressed Armenian authorities and known as on them to simply accept the “hand of peace” Azerbaijan prolonged to them and take “honest steps.” He famous that the developments within the area “opened a brand new window of alternative” for normalization within the broader area.
For his half, Aliyev mentioned Armenians surrendered and accepted Azerbaijan’s circumstances after the Karabakh operation. He famous that they delivered humanitarian support to Armenian locals of Karabakh. He assured that Azerbaijan would offer safety for the individuals of Karabakh.
Aliyev thanked Erdoğan for his assist to Azerbaijan. “My expensive brother, you have been in the US when this occurred. There, on the highest degree, you voiced your assist for the state of Azerbaijan,” he mentioned, referring to a United Nations Normal Meeting speech by Erdoğan. “You and the individuals of Türkiye have been with us. Folks of Azerbaijan will always remember this,” he mentioned. The Azerbaijani president pressured that they favored peace, “not warfare,” in Karabakh and the broader area.
Karabakh has been quiet after final week’s operation, however Azerbaijan’s Protection Ministry introduced on Monday that two Azerbaijani troopers have been killed and one other was injured when their navy truck hit an antitank land mine planted by Armenian forces within the area. It was the deaths of a number of Azerbaijani troopers by a land mine that prompted Azerbaijan to launch a counterterrorism offensive towards separatists.
The Azerbaijan navy truck struck the mine at 5.35 p.m. native time on Sunday, the ministry mentioned in a press release.
Two troopers, Ekrem Shadmanov and Tural Seyidov, have been killed, and Elvin Aliyev was injured within the explosion of an antitank mine planted by Armenian forces on the route between Azerbaijani positions for terrorist functions. Aliyev just isn’t in crucial situation, the assertion added. Some social media posts present Shadmanov was promoted to workers colonel within the Azerbaijani Military earlier than the incident. An investigation has been launched into the incident, and most people has been warned to not enter liberated areas till the area has been cleared of mines.
Mines planted by Armenian forces have killed a number of Azerbaijani civilians and troopers lately.
Relations between the previous Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian navy occupied Karabakh, internationally acknowledged as an Azerbaijani territory and 7 adjoining areas. When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian Military attacked civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated a number of humanitarian cease-fire agreements. In the course of the 44-day battle, Azerbaijan liberated a number of cities and almost 300 settlements and villages from the almost three-decade occupation.
Regardless of the deal ending the battle, the Armenian Military a number of occasions violated the settlement and martyred a number of Azerbaijani troopers and a civilian, in addition to wounded a number of individuals, based on the Azerbaijani Protection Ministry.
Azerbaijani officers and a delegation of Armenian separatists held their second assembly following the counterterrorism operation on Monday. Officers of the 2 sides, who first met in Azerbaijan’s Yevlakh, held their second assembly in Khojaly. On Tuesday, Brussels will host senior envoys from Azerbaijan and Armenia, the European Union mentioned.
Simon Mordue, chief diplomatic advisor to European Council president Charles Michel, will chair the talks, Michel’s spokesperson mentioned. Azerbaijan and Armenia, together with EU heavyweights France and Germany, shall be represented by their nationwide safety advisors. The EU particular consultant for the South Caucasus, Estonian diplomat Toivo Klaar, may also attend.
Tuesday’s assembly in Brussels would be the first such encounter for the reason that offensive, however the leaders of each international locations are scheduled to satisfy subsequent month. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Aliyev shall be on the European Political Group summit within the Spanish metropolis of Granada on Oct. 5.