Türkiye welcomes Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's remarks about Yerevan being ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said Friday.
"We find the recent statements of Armenia positive, they say that they are ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Statements on mutual recognition are positive, we support this," Çavuşoğlu said at an event in Antalya.
Citing Azerbaijan's proposal of a peace agreement with Armenia, Çavuşoğlu said if Yerevan negotiates this proposal and reaches an agreement, then Türkiye may "take positive steps in this direction."
He also stressed that Türkiye's goal is to have "permanent peace and stability" in the region.
Criticizing the Turkish opposition's election pledge of a track map that "bypasses Azerbaijan," Türkiye's foreign minister also vowed to continue actualizing projects that cross immediately through Azerbaijan.
Çavuşoğlu questioned the Turkish opposition's pledges that exclude Azerbaijan, saying: "Who asked you to take such steps?"
"After all, we will continue to implement projects that pass through the heart of Azerbaijan, not projects that bypass Azerbaijan," he said.
Earlier this week, Pashinian said Yerevan is ready to recognize "Nagorno-Karabakh" as part of Azerbaijan, provided that the security of the Armenian population in the region is ensured.
Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
In 44 days of clashes in the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russia-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.
Despite the ongoing talks on a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan, tensions between the neighboring countries increased in recent months over the Lachin corridor, the only land route giving Armenia access to Azerbaijan's Karabakh.
