Turkish foreing minister accuses Armenia of having territorial claims agaisnt neighbors

On the initiative of Eskisehir Governor’s Office, a meeting was held between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and “representatives of a number of NGOs”. During the meeting, Cavusoglu also spoke about Armenia and Armenian-Turkish relations, ermenihaber reported. He particularly emphasized the following: “Today, Turkey has both military/hard and soft power, which need to be properly combined to understand when to use hard power or how to use soft power. The hard poser must be used when diplomacy consumes itself. The hard power is used to reactivate diplomacy.”

The minister mentioned as an example the actions of their armed forces in Syria, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean, then continued. “Azerbaijan did the same in the Caucasus. It waited for 30 years, diplomacy did not work. The Minsk Troika, or the larger structure, the Minsk Group, of which we are a member, did not function. What happened is that in a short time, in 43 days, brotherly Azerbaijan took its lands, and now there is an opportunity for diplomacy.”

Cavusoglu said that they allegedly send positive messages and receive the same from Armenia, but, according to him, they should not remain just words. He accused Armenia of “eying” the territories of neighboring countries, and urged Yerevan to think about how it can benefit from peace, economic development, and possible projects. He reminded of Azerbaijan’s offer for a comprehensive peace agreement and expressed hope that Armenia would respond.