Armenia responds to latest statements by Aliyev, Erdogan at Turkic Council summit

Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan has commented on the statements made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the 7th summit of the Turkic Council.

The foreign ministry spox made the comments in response to questions from Ararat News.

Question: Aliyev has stated that the “transfer of Zangezur to Armenia has led to the Turkish world’s geographical division”. In turn, Turkey’s president stated that they will do everything possible to ensure Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. How would you comment on these statements?

Naghdalyan: At the Turkic Council’s 7th summit the President of Azerbaijan once again repeated his aspirations for Armenia’s and Armenian territories, this time spicing it up with pan-Turkism emphases.

Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s distorted perception and approaches of regional security based on racism and discrimination are obstructing the peaceful resolution of conflicts and are contributing to encouraging instability in the region and beyond.

This all also emphasizes for us the priority for securing the Armenian people’s security in the region.

Question: The Turkish president also mentioned in his speech that “not in any period of its history has Turkey committed, and will not commit a massacre of civilian population”.

Naghdalyan: Not a single statement made by the President of Turkey on this topic deserves commentary after he attempted in his 2019 April 24th statement to justify the genocide committed against the Armenian people in his historic homeland.