The Foreign Ministry said Türkiye rejects a trilateral meeting between the U.S., European Union and Armenia expected to be held in Brussels on Friday, on the grounds that it would threaten the South Caucasus region's neutrality as it does not include Azerbaijan and would fuel geopolitical confrontation.
"It is our responsibility to underline clearly that the trilateral meeting between Armenia, the EU and the US on 5 April will undermine the neutral approach that should be the basis for the solution of the complex problems of the region," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
"This initiative, which excludes Azerbaijan, will pave the way for the South Caucasus to become an area of geopolitical confrontation, rather than serving peace," the statement said.
The ministry reiterated its call for third-party nations to take regional factors into account and impartially engage the conflicting parties.
The liberation of its illegally occupied territories by Azerbaijan following the Second Karabakh War and the subsequent restoration of sovereignty over all its lands through the anti-terrorist operation on Sept. 19-20, 2023, has presented a "historic opportunity” for long-term peace and stability in the region, according to the ministry.
"At a time when the success of this historic opportunity is so close, it is even more important that third parties, especially actors from outside the region, adopt a fair and impartial approach to the process and carefully avoid any harm to it,” it said.
The statement underlined Türkiye's commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities and promoting the utilization of this "historic window of opportunity” for enduring peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
