Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on a plane today returning from Nakhijevan, congratulated Azerbaijan for liberating Karabakh after thirty years of Armenian “occupation”.

Yesterday, Erdoğan flew to the Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhijevan and met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for bilateral talks.

The two attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Iğdır-Nakhijevan natural gas pipeline and the opening of the improved Nakhijevan Military Complex.

"I congratulate dear Azerbaijan once again for its historic success in the anti-terrorist operation. I wish God's mercy to our martyrs and a speedy recovery to our wounded. The Azerbaijani army has been uncompromising against terrorists and extremely merciful to civilians,” Erdoğan told reporters on the plane according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency.

Erdoğan said Armenia is now “paying the price for the Khojaly Massacre”, a reference to the February 1992 incident in the first Karabakh war.

The Turkish president said the opportunity now exists for permanent peace and stability in the South Caucasus and called on Armenia not to delay signing a peace deal with Azerbaijan.

He said his government will do its best to open the so-called Zangezur Corridor that will link Turkey and Azerbaijan via Armenia.

“We will do our best to open this corridor as soon as possible. The realization of this corridor, which is very important for Turkey and Azerbaijan, is a strategic issue and must be completed. When this corridor is opened, a vehicle or train leaving Baku will be able to come directly to Kars,” Erdoğan told reporters, adding that Iran has sent positive signals on the issue. 

Photo by Murat Cetinmuhurdar/PPO/Handout via REUTERS