Turkey says situation in Karabakh will test Armenia’s "sincerity"

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday, December 29 that the current situation on the Lachin Corridor will “test Armenia’s sincerity”, at the same time accusing Yerevan of appropriating Azerbaijan’s wealth.

"In this issue, as in any other, Azerbaijan is not alone,” Cavusoglu told reporters, according to Asbarez.

“We are also continuing the process of normalizing relations with Armenia in close coordination with Azerbaijan,” he added.

Meanwhile, Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish parliament representing the pro-Kurdish People Democratic Party (HDP) urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey must take steps to end the Lachin Corridor blockade as soon as possible.

“The Lachin Corridor, which is the only communication route connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, has been closed for more than two weeks by a group of Azerbaijanis who consider themselves ‘environmentalists’ and Azerbaijani defense officials. As a result of the closure of the Lachin Corridor, the problem to provide food, medicine and basic needs to Nagorno-Karabakh is gradually increasing. The 120 thousand Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh is under siege. This blockade, which is turning into a human crisis, must be ended as soon as possible,” Paylan said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

He emphasized that Turkey should not remain indifferent to this growing human suffering in Nagorno Karabakh. Political forces should take immediate action.

“I call on President Erdogan to take responsibility for ending the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Paylan said. “If we all take responsibility for ending the human suffering in Nagorno-Karabakh, both in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process and in the Armenia-Turkey settlement process, we will be able to return to a positive agenda,” Paylan concluded.