Turkish professor: There is no disagreement between Russia and Turkey over Nagorno-Karabakh

Russia and Turkey do not have disagreements on the Nagorno Karabakh issue, they cooperate effectively, Professor Hasan Unal of Istanbul’s Maltepe University said in an interview with Lenta.ru

“As for Karabakh, in my opinion, there is no disagreement here. The two countries performed very well during the conflict, and the result even benefited the relations between Russia and Turkey. They must continue to work to strengthen trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he said.

Speaking about the “Shushi Declaration”, Unal said that it is not directed against Russia.

“It reflects the realities in the region. It says what has existed for decades. Ankara has always been the defender of Baku to the best of its ability. But it works when Azerbaijan defends or returns its lands as long as it acts in self-defense, not to push Azerbaijan into a new conflict. In my opinion, the views of Turkey and Russia on this issue coincide. As for the ‘liberation’ of the territories by Azerbaijan, there is no misunderstanding between Ankara and Moscow on this issue,” Unal said, adding that the ‘Shushi Declaration’ also contains a psychological element that “one nation, two states” are not empty words. He also said that Azerbaijan should not be afraid of being attacked by anyone, as it is unlikely that the only threat – Armenia– will attack now. According to Unal, Azerbaijan is unlikely to attack Armenia, as it has already “returned the lands.” Unal also made a rather interesting suggestion about Russia in connection with Crimea. In particular, he noted that Ankara and Moscow may sign a deal on Russia’s recognition of Northern Cyprus. He suggested Russia should “take the initiative of recognizing the Republic” and said that a united Cyprus could become a member of NATO, which contradicts Moscow’s interests. According to him, Turkish airlines can resume flights to Crimea instead, and the Turkish authorities will abandon the “Crimea is part of Ukraine” narrative. Unal also said that there is no need for Turkey to recognize Crimea as Russian. “Since it is already part of Russia, Russia does not have to ask Turkey to recognize it,” Unal said. He added that it is not necessary for Russia to recognize Northern Cyprus either, it is only necessary not to prevent other countries from doing so, just to start trading with Northern Cyprus.