Turkey said on Tuesday a deal to end more than a month of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh had secured important gains for its close ally Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenia.
The agreement, signed by Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, follows six weeks of heavy fighting and advances by Azeri forces. On Sunday, Azerbaijan proclaimed victory in the region’s second-largest city.
“The brotherly Azerbaijan has achieved an important gain on the battleground and table. I sincerely congratulate this sacred success,” Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter. “We will continue to be one nation, one spirit with our Azeri brothers.”
The 369-meter TV tower in Istanbul was painted in the colors of the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey.# pic.twitter.com/M8PsWQSNnR
— Ziyad Abilov (@abilov_ziyad) November 8, 2020
Turkey had accused Armenia of occupying Azeri lands and promised full solidarity with Azerbaijan, with which it has close ethnic Turkic ties.
Under the deal, Russian peacekeepers will be deployed along the front line in Nagorno-Karabakh and the corridor between the region and Armenia. Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said Turkey will also take part in the peacekeeping process.