Turkey Warns Armenia Against ‘New Provocations’

ANKARA — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has called on Armenia to “refrain from new provocations” several days after Yerevan and Baku traded accusations over an escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh that left at least three people dead.

Speaking at a gathering of Turkish diplomats in Ankara on Monday, Cavusoglu reportedly also reiterated his country’s vision of peace in the South Caucasus region.

“After the end of the war [in Karabakh], Turkey is making efforts to ensure peace in the region. Now we are talking not about Azerbaijan’s occupied territories, displaced people, refugees and a conflict that can start again at any moment, but about regional peace and cooperation. We again call on Armenia to refrain from participating in new provocations [against Azerbaijan in Karabakh],” Cavusoglu said.

On August 6, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while returning from his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, told journalists that it is important for Armenia to fulfill its Karabakh ceasefire commitments as soon as possible.

Erdogan, according to the Anadolu Agency, also condemned the death of an Azerbaijani soldier in recent clashes along the Karabakh Line of Contact.

“Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory located within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan naturally does not want any illegal armed elements on its territory” the Turkish president said.