Turkish official: Turkiye-Armenia ties depend on Azerbaijan-Armenia ones

Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated that relations between Türkiye and Armenia depend on the Azerbaijan-Armenia ones.

The minister made the remarks during a seminar in Ankara, dedicated to events of 1915.

Talking about the almost 30-year-old Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Akar remarked that over a million Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native lands.

Akar also noted that the inability of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to solve the conflict led to the intensification of Armenia's aggression, as a result of which Azerbaijan liberated its lands from occupation during the second Karabakh war in 2020.

"Armenia must accept the hand of peace and friendship extended to it. We also support steps to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The pain of Azerbaijan is our pain, and their joy is our joy. We will always stand with Azerbaijan," Akar stressed.

In 2021, Azerbaijan and Turkiye signed the Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations, which focuses on defense cooperation, promoting regional stability, and prosperity through establishing new transport routes.

Additionally, Turkiye was one of the first countries keen on involvement in the restoration of Azerbaijan’s liberated territories.