UPDATE - Azerbaijan's recent victory in Karabakh 'matter of pride': Turkish President Erdogan

ADDS MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH PRESIDENT

By Diyar Guldogan

The successful completion of Azerbaijan's recent victory in Karabakh inspires pride, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"It is a matter of pride that the operation was successfully completed in a short period of time, with utmost sensitivity to the rights of civilians," Erdogan told a joint news conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

Erdogan is paying a one-day visit to Azerbaijan's autonomous Nakhchivan exclave at Aliyev’s invitation to discuss bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues, particularly recent developments in Karabakh.

"I wholeheartedly congratulate the victorious Azerbaijani army for both its historic success and its humanitarian attitude towards civilians," he added.

Last week, in the wake of provocations by Armenian forces in Karabakh, Azerbaijan said it had launched "counter-terrorism" activities in the region to uphold a 2020 trilateral peace agreement with Russia and Armenia. After 24 hours, a cease-fire was reached in the region.

"With the latest victory, new windows of opportunity have opened for a comprehensive normalization in the region," Erdogan stressed, saying he expects Armenia to take sincere steps for stability in region.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended that November with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.

Tensions between the two nations, however, continue despite ongoing talks aiming for a long-term peace deal.

Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are set to meet on Oct. 5 in the Spanish city of Granada to discuss the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries.

- Natural gas pipeline from Türkiye to Nakhchivan

Ahead of the news conference, Erdogan and Aliyev took part in the groundbreaking ceremony of a natural gas pipeline running from Türkiye to the Nakhchivan exclave.

The Igdir-Nakhchivan pipeline “will deepen our partnership with Azerbaijan in the field of energy and will also contribute to Europe's energy supply security," Erdogan said.

Ankara and Baku agreed in 2020, in a memorandum of understanding, to supply natural gas from Türkiye to Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

The new 85-kilometer (53-mile) gas pipeline will run from Türkiye's eastern province of Igdir to Sederek in western Azerbaijan, with an annual capacity of 500 million cubic meters (mcm) and a daily capacity of 1.5 mcm.

The project will be realized through a partnership between Türkiye's crude oil and natural gas pipeline trading company BOTAS and Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR.

Turning to bilateral ties, Erdogan called relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan "exceptional."

"We continue our efforts to strengthen our relations and cooperation in all areas within the framework of the motto ‘one nation, two states’," he added.

Nakhchivan has a special place in Türkiye's relations with Azerbaijan, with its strategic importance throughout history, Erdogan said.

Türkiye was the first state to recognize Azerbaijan, which declared its independence in 1991. Its relations with Baku are multifaceted and at a strategic level.​​​​​​​

The leaders also signed a protocol of intent between Türkiye and Azerbaijan on the Kars-Nakhchivan Railway Project. Two other deals on the areas of energy and urbanism were also signed between the relevant Cabinet ministers.