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Rena Murshud

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The situation in the South Caucasus, mainly in the Garabagh region, is becoming more tense lately. This tension is felt not only in the region, but also in the brotherly country Turkiye. Thus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a statement on the way to the solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani issue in Garabagh at a press conference held in Istanbul before leaving for the UN General Conference. President Erdogan proposed a tripartite meeting with Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Garabagh issue. In addition to the tripartite meeting, he also sent a proposal to Russia for a quadrilateral meeting.

It should also be noted that before this speech, a bilateral meeting between the President of Turkiye and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin took place. It is no secret that the Garabagh issue was also touched upon in that meeting.

As we know, except for Russia, the Western countries that do not belong to the region also have a special interest in the South Caucasus, especially in the Armenia-Azerbaijan issue. However, this interest mostly consists of pro-Armenian and biased policy against Azerbaijan. It is likely that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is aware of this, put forward a proposal to Russia, not the West, to resolve the Garabagh issue. If this is the case, the reaction of the West is extremely important.

Also, the European Parliament presented a report on Turkiye's withdrawal from the European Union. Most likely, this report is related to Turkiye's legitimate concern about the Garabagh issue. However, Erdoğan, in his turn, also noted that Turkiye can part ways with the European Union in the future if necessary.

"First of all, I would like to note that a big risk is emerging in the region. Especially the so-called elections held by Armenia in Garabagh, the collection of weapons and ammunition, 10,000 soldiers stationed in Garabagh, the militarization of the civilian population into terrorists, the armed conflicts that occur day by day, all have a meaning. President Erdogan's speech is an effort intended to eliminate the risk arising from all this. I hope this threat will be averted. However, I would like to point out that the situation is extremely delicate and critical. I think this has already reached a very dangerous level."

Turkish expert Abdullah Aghar mentioned these words in his comment to AZERNEWS while clarifying the ongoing processes.

According to him, the goal is to build peace through negotiations. That is, it means the restoration of full sovereignty of the territories returned by Armenia after the 44-day war. Otherwise, the matter will be extremely sensitive. Because the processes have become so dangerous that they hinder Azerbaijan's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unitary structure. All this should be taken into account.

As for the interest of the West in the processes in the region and the fact that President Erdogan invited Russia, not the West, to discuss the solution of the Garabagh issue, the expert noted that the Western countries are keen to take the initiative in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. However, the West should not forget that it does not belong to this region. Therefore, this issue should be discussed first by countries living in the same geography.

"This approach of the West makes the problem worse. Moreover, it leads to the emergence of greater risks. Therefore, it is extremely important to try to resolve this process in some way through countries that have influence, effectiveness and borders in the region," the expert said.

In conclusion, the Turkish expert clarified the report on Turkiye at the EU Parliament.

"The European Parliament recently published a report. The report stated that it is impossible for Turkiye to become a member of the European Union under their certain required conditions. However, they want to exclude Turkiye from normal membership and proposed to develop real and parallel cooperation. I think this is not an accepted membership forum. Turkiye's declaration of will regarding the European Union, especially at the Vilnius summit, is not limited only to the European Union. This is an extremely important geopolitical development that builds trust and strengthens the geopolitical and strategic partnership with the West. But it seems that the EU's behavior with double standards does not meet the requirements of this report. If the European Union continues to behave like this, Turkiye may eventually have to approach from a completely different paradigm," Abdullah Aghar added.

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Rena Murshud is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

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