Credits: Ruptly
Russian peacekeepers patrol in the liberated Karabakh region, Azerbaijan, Nov. 15, 2021. (AA Photo)
Turkey is “ready for whatever needs to be done” in Karabakh, an area recently liberated from Armenia’s nearly 30-year occupation, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Wednesday.
“We are always ready … to put stone upon stone, whatever is expected from us,” Ersoy said at a conference in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku. “It was like this before, and it will continue to be so.”
He noted that the Turkic world has a rich culture and said a common culture and history are the guarantee of a great future.
Emphasizing that culture is the most important thing that should be passed on to future generations, Ersoy stressed that the stronger the culture is, the stronger the future will be.
He said that the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from Armenia was greeted with “great happiness” in the entire Turkic world but news about the destruction of cultural heritage “broke the hearts of everyone who cares about civilization.”
“Everything relating to culture and civilization was burned and destroyed. In a way, they sought revenge from culture. You cannot actually change history by damaging the buildings and cultural assets of a country. History is not a phenomenon that can be easily forgotten,” he said.
Ersoy said now is the time to restore those structures to their “former beauty.”
“Those structures will give the messages we want to give. We need to restore those structures,” he added.
Ersoy pointed out that other cultures were never harmed in the Turkic civilization.
“But unfortunately, we did not encounter such a thing in Karabakh. We will fix these losses, we will revive them,” he said.
Recalling the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, “Azerbaijan’s sorrow is our sorrow, its joy is our joy,” Ersoy said, being able to preserve the “brotherhood from the past to the present” is very crucial.
“We are strong when we are all together. The 44-day war was important to show this. May Allah always protect our unity, let our strength and courage always be an example to the world,” he said.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
During a 44-day conflict that started in late September last year, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that Armenia had illegally occupied for almost 30 years.
On Nov. 10, 2020, the two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end the fighting and start a comprehensive resolution of the dispute. The Russia-brokered truce allowed Azerbaijan to reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas that Armenia occupied for nearly three decades.
Two months later, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group in Karabakh.
A joint Turkish-Russian center was established to monitor the postwar truce. In addition, Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers for at least five years to monitor the peace deal.
ANKARA
Unilateral actions should be avoided in Libya to ensure the Dec. 24 elections there take place in a lawful and peaceful atmosphere, said Turkey’s National Security Council on Thursday.
The international community should also oppose actors who try to exploit the Libyan election process for their own interests, said a council statement after a meeting in the capital Ankara chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey and Libya are bound together by both historical ties and security and territorial agreements signed in November 2019.
Nearly 100 candidates have registered to run in Libya’s Dec. 24 presidential elections, including transitional Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, putschist renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar, and former strongman leader Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who was disqualified Wednesday by a Libyan court over committing war crimes.
Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place under a UN-sponsored agreement reached by Libyan political rivals during meetings in Tunisia on Nov. 15 last year.
The application deadline for those wishing to run for the presidency was Nov. 22, while nominations for parliamentary polls remain open through Dec. 7.
Libyans hope that the upcoming elections will help end an armed conflict that has plagued the oil-rich country for years.
South Caucasus region
The council statement also touched on recent developments in the South Caucasus region, the scene of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in which Azerbaijan – Turkey’s historic ally – liberated a group of lands from Armenian occupation just over a year ago.
“It is important for Armenia to consider the hand of peace extended to it as an opportunity, to cooperate, and to fully comply with the cease-fire” that ended the conflict last November, the council said.
After new clashes erupted last Sept. 27, Azerbaijan and Armenia were embroiled in a 44-day conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, or Upper Karabakh, which ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020.
During the faceoff, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that had been illegally occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
This January, the leaders of the three countries agreed to develop economic ties and infrastructure for the benefit of the entire Caucasus region.
In recent months, Armenia has launched numerous attacks on the Azerbaijani border area, including the area which lies on an energy route close to the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey corridor.
Instability in this region has the potential to directly affect the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline, Southern Gas Corridor, and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway – all three including Turkish territory.
This Tuesday, the Kremlin announced that the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia will hold a trilateral meeting Friday in the Russian resort city of Sochi.
Economic policies
“Challenges and threats that Turkey has faced and may face in the process of implementing investment, production, employment, and export-oriented economic policies in line with its objectives on the solid infrastructure it has built, have been evaluated,” the National Security Council statement also said.
The determination to reach the centennial anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 2023 with a strong economy has also been reiterated in the meeting.
It was underlined that all kinds of necessary efforts, especially along the country’s borders, will continue without compromise against terrorist organizations.
The statement also stressed that any support to the unlawful activities of KCK/PKK, PYD/YPG terror groups — which are a clear violation of international law — are expected to be terminated as soon as possible.
“Our strong support for Iraq’s struggle to clear its lands from terrorist organizations has been reaffirmed, and it has been strongly emphasized that the steps taken for combating terrorism should not lead to consequences that would disrupt social peace, especially in regions that are sensitive in terms of ethnic and sectarian balances.”
Evaluating the latest developments in the Balkans, a region where Turkey has strong historical and cultural ties, the statement stressed the importance of maintaining the peace and tranquility established with great sacrifices, and pointed out that all actors should act responsibly for this purpose and refrain from attempts that destabilize the situation in the region.
It went on to say that Greece’s insistence on not fulfilling the requirements of good neighborly relations with its aggressive rhetoric, actions, and stance that violates its obligations arising from international agreements will adversely affect stability and peace in the region.
“Powers that encouraged Greece to take further steps by supporting its attitude against international law and good neighborly relations were invited to abandon their approach that would disturb the peace of the region and take a position in the direction of justice and peace,” it said.
17:32,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. An Azeri propaganda effort to falsely depict the Armenian town of Shushi as Azerbaijani was swiftly removed by Greek authorities after a public bus in Thessaloniki was seen with an advertisement promoting the Azeri occupation of the Armenian city.
The Greek City Times newspaper described it as “The Bus Of Shame.”
The newspaper reports that the Armenian community asked the Thessaloniki city authorities to remove the advertisement, “which was done without hesitation.”
“Although the advertisement has been removed, it does bring into question why it was ever allowed to be displayed,” the newspaper added.
Editing by Stepan Kocharyan
18:11,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The body of Suren Avetisyan (born in 2001), a conscript of the N military unit of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, was found dead with a gunshot wound in the head on November 24 at around 14:50. Investigation is underway to clarify the circumstances of the incident, ARMENPRESS was informed from MoD Armenia.
“The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia shares the grief of the loss and expresses support to Suren Avetisyan’s family members, relatives and co-servicemen”, reads the statement.
18:19,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the Republic of Armenia Seyla Eat (residence in Moscow) presented credentials to President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the President’s Office, President Sarkissian congratulated and wished effective work to the newly appointed Ambassador.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the intensification of bilateral relations and the prospects for the development of cooperation. The sides also touched upon the intensification of trade and economic relations, business contacts, as well as opportunities for cooperation in the fields of education and science. The sides agreed on joint work in areas with great potential for cooperation.
Ambassador Eat noted that the Cambodian Government is interested in developing relations with Armenia both bilaterally and multilaterally, including within the framework of international organizations.
18:31,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan also attended the meeting, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Issues related to the agenda of bilateral cooperation between Armenia and Russia, as well as the activities of the trilateral working group of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan were discussed.
The sides touched upon the prospects of restoration of transport communications in the South Caucasus region, the further course of the work carried out within the framework of the January 11 statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Russia and the President of Azerbaijan.
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18:55,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. By the decision of the Government of Armenia, Hambardzum Matevosyan has been relieved of the post of governor of Armavir Province, ARMENPRESS reports, website informs.
Matevosyan was appointed governor of Armavir in 2018.
19:13,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani advertisement on public transport in the Greek city of Thessaloniki with the words “Shushi is Azerbaijan” was removed by the efforts of the Armenian Embassy, community structures, the Greek-Armenian Chamber of Commerce and the Armenian National Committee of Thessaloniki, Ambassador of Armenia to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan told ARMENPRESS.
“We contacted and worked with the Thessaloniki authorities, including the executive branch, and explained that the ads should be removed immediately, as they are political in nature and provocative. Within a few hours, the Greek authorities reported that the advertisement had been removed from the bus,” the Ambassador said.
He stressed that such actions by Azerbaijan can be expected not only in Greece, where there is a small Azerbaijani community, but also in other countries. “With such provocative steps Azerbaijan is simply trying to present and perpetuate the results of the use of force as a reality, while we know for sure that the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh remains open. All the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries have talked about it. It turns out that with such methods Azerbaijan is trying to “record” once and for all that Shushi is Azerbaijani, that the return of Shushi to Nagorno Karabakh cannot be considered. But Nagorno Karabakh has its clear administrative borders, Shushi, like Hadrut, are definitely within those borders. Shushi and Hadrut are currently occupied. With such steps, Azerbaijan is trying to make the impression that the issue is closed. Azerbaijan goes against the logic of the negotiation process. I consider this step as a provocation, especially in a friendly country like Greece, whose authorities have more than once expressed solidarity with the positions of Armenia. With such a provocative step they are trying to put some tension in the Armenian-Greek relations, which, of course, will be a failure”, Ambassador of Armenia to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan said.