Türkiye welcomes peace deal between Azerbaijan, Armenia
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has welcomed the progress in a peace bid between Baku and Yerevan during a phone call with Azerbaijani leader İlham Aliyev.
During the call on Aug. 9, bilateral relations and regional issues were discussed, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.
Erdoğan called the recent progress made toward peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia gratifying, adding that the establishment of a lasting peace would also contribute to stability in the entire region.
Türkiye will continue to provide necessary support towards this goal, he said.
On Aug. 8, Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and U.S. President Donald Trump signed a joint declaration at a trilateral summit at the White House.
The agreement aims to end decades of conflict between the Southern Caucasus neighbors, with commitments to cease hostilities, reopen transport routes and normalize relations.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of cross-border wars since the late 1980s, including most recently since 2020, when Azerbaijan recaptured Karabakh in a lightning 2023 offensive.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by Türkiye's Foreign Ministry on Aug. 8 also welcomed the trilateral deal recorded in Washington.
The statement said the step came at a time of "intensifying global conflicts and crises," describing it as a "highly significant development for ensuring regional peace and stability."
Ankara expressed appreciation for the contribution of the U.S. administration to the process and said a “historic opportunity” has emerged for achieving peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus.
“As Türkiye, we will continue to contribute to efforts aimed at seizing this opportunity and will support the devoted efforts of our dear Azerbaijan,” the ministry said.
The deal grants the U.S. exclusive development rights to a strategic South Caucasus transit corridor, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.”
While the agreement does not constitute a formal peace treaty, it represents a significant diplomatic step toward the normalization of relations. The two countries remain technically at war, and the deal does not resolve the longstanding dispute over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The region has been at the heart of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict since the Soviet Union’s collapse. Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the mountainous region was controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Two wars — in the early 1990s and again in 2020 — left tens of thousands dead and displaced.
