Turkey’s Erdogan: Armenian attitude towards Azerbaijan will have consequences

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Armenia’s attitude towards Azerbaijan was unacceptable and would have consequences, after days of clashes between the two neighbours.

“We find the situation that has occurred due to Armenia’s violation of the agreement – reached after the (2020) war that resulted in the victory of Azerbaijan – to be unacceptable,” Erdogan told a rally in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been at odds for decades over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, accused each other of starting a series of border clashes that erupted late on Monday.

“We hope that Armenia returns from this wrong path as soon as possible and uses its time and energy to strengthen peace,” Erdogan added.

“This attitude will, of course, cause consequences for the Armenian side, which not only does not fulfil the terms of the signed agreement but also constantly displays an aggressive attitude.”

A conflict in the South Caucasus, at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, could pull in big powers such as Russia and Turkey while endangering the pipelines which bring Caspian oil and gas westwards.

Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the recent fighting when they meet in Samarkand, Uzbekistan later this week, a senior Turkish official said on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Mark Heinrich)