Ankara “expects” Armenia to avoid provocative steps, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, amid the blockade by Azerbaijan of the Lachin Corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to Armenia.

Turkey maintained that by closing the sole route connecting Karabakh to Armenia in December 2022, Azerbaijan “took measures it deemed appropriate within the framework of its sovereign rights.”

Turkey “is of the opinion that there is no legitimate ground for criticisms against Azerbaijan concerning the Lachin Road,” the Ministry added.

“Our expectation from Armenia is to avoid provocative steps, to recognize territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, … as well as to support Azerbaijan’s efforts to reintegrate the Armenian population,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Since December 12, 2022, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by Azerbaijan. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population.