Erdogan does not rule out setting up Turkish military base in Azerbaijan, speaks about Moscow’s support for “Zangezur Corridor”

After his visit to Baku, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the situation in the South Caucasus and spoke about his meeting with US President Joe Biden, Anadolu Agency reported. Erdogan spoke about Armenia, saying that in order to build trust in the region, Yerevan should take steps to hand over maps of minefields to Azerbaijan. He spoke again about the Turkish-Azerbaijani desire to open a so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” saying that Moscow does not seem to shelve this project.

“On the contrary, there is a willingness to support it. We will have a bilateral meeting with Putin soon,” he said. TASS reported that Erdogan did not rule out the possibility of establishing a Turkish military base in Azerbaijan under the “Shushi Declaration” signed with Azerbaijan.  “It is within the provisions of the declaration. This topic may be developed during the consultations of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It can also be implemented in our own way during our talks,” Erdogan said.

The presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan signed a declaration in the Armenian city of Shushi, which now is under Azerbaijani occupation, which also includes provisions on military cooperation and mutual assistance. In particular, in case of threats and aggression from a third country, Turkey and Azerbaijan will act jointly.  “In the event of a threat or aggression by a third country to the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability or security of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan and Turkey, the Parties shall hold joint consultations to eliminate that threat or aggression. They take initiatives in accordance with the principles and objectives of the UN Charter, and provide each other with the necessary assistance in accordance with the UN Charter. The size and form of this assistance will be determined during immediate discussions, a decision will be made on joint actions, ensuring defense capabilities, as well as coordinated activities of the armed forces and command structures of the Armed Forces,” the declaration reads