Turkey supports the opening of the Zangezur corridor and dialogue efforts to fix broken relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Monday.
"We strongly support the Zangezur corridor, which will provide a connection between the western regions of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan," Çavuşoğlu said in a joint news conference with his Azerbaijani and Kazakh counterparts in Baku, referring to an exclave of Azerbaijani territory currently reachable only through Armenia.
Earlier on Monday, a trilateral meeting was held between the ministers of foreign affairs and transport in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.
"We are expecting the opening of the corridor immediately," Çavuşoğlu said, adding that this development will have a positive impact on the region.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in late May that Baku agreed with Yerevan on the opening of the Zangezur corridor, including the construction of both railways and highways.
Following the completion of the railway, Azerbaijan will be able to reach Iran, Armenia and Nakhchivan. The railway will also link Turkey with Russia through Azerbaijan.
Relations between the ex-Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
Fresh clashes erupted on Sept. 27, and the Armenian Army continued its attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces for 44 days, even violating two humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
Baku liberated several cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from the illegal Armenian occupation during this time.
On Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russia-brokered deal to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive solution.
Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers for at least five years to monitor the peace deal and to facilitate the return of refugees. Under the agreement, which leaves Karabakh's future political status in limbo, Armenia lost control of parts of the enclave as well as the seven adjacent districts that it seized during the 1990s war.
Turkey and Azerbaijan enjoy strong relations, as the two countries embrace the "one nation, two states" motto.
During his 4 1/2 years term, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Azerbaijan more than 20 times, he said, adding that delegation visits reached more than 100.
