Turkiye backs Azerbaijan and Erdogan says Armenia should cease fire

Turkiye said, on Tuesday, it continued to back Azerbaijan and called on Armenia to “cease its provocations”, after clashes erupted between the two South Caucasus countries that resumed decades-old hostilities, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Turkish Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, held talks with Azeri counterpart, Zakir Hasanov, the Ministry said. “He emphasised that Turkiye has always stood by brotherly Azerbaijan and will continue to stand by it in its just causes,” it said.

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

Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said Ankara’s relations with Armenia were not independent of Yerevan-Baku ties. He also discussed the situation with Azerbaijan Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov.

Turkiye neighbours both countries, but is a close ally of Azerbaijan and backed its effort to drive ethnic Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, including providing armed drones.

Azerbaijan: Israeli minister visits ‘smart village’ near Iranian border