Turkish Defense Minister: We Hope Armenia Will Not Make Any Mistakes

The defense ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan attended an event in Konya, Turkey, within the framework of the "TURAZ Base 2021" military exercises, as reported by ermenihaber.am.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar delivered a speech highlighting the importance of Turkish-Azerbaijani exercises, bilateral relations, and expectations from Armenia. Akar stated that these military exercises serve to instill fear in their adversaries while also motivating their brothers and allies. He emphasized that Turkey perceives any threat against Azerbaijan as a threat directed towards itself.

According to the source, Akar also spoke about the operations of the Russian-Turkish monitoring center established after the 44-day war over Artsakh and Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in the territories now under its control. "Following the successful completion of military operations, the joint center has been established where Turkish and Russian military forces work together to monitor the ceasefire and make joint efforts to ensure its permanence. At the same time, the Turkish military, within its capabilities, has been and continues to work on detecting, neutralizing, and demining improvised explosive devices," Akar observed.

He further stated that the "Shushi declaration" signed between Turkey and Azerbaijan reflects the existing level of cooperation between the two countries and outlines a roadmap for the further development of their relations.

Regarding Armenia, Akar made the following remarks: "It is important that the peace hand extended to Armenia by our esteemed president and Mr. Aliyev receives a mutual response for achieving peace. Although, unfortunately, no response has been received to date, there are some signs. Our aim is for the parties to live in peace, security, and prosperity. We hope that Armenia will adhere to the ceasefire, will not make any mistakes, and that the ceasefire in the region will become permanent and ensure stability."