The statements Reuters news agency reported as breaking news set off a great reaction worldwide. The statement by a diplomat, saying, “The Turks are playing a clever game,” was indeed a determination that gave prominence to Turkey’s peaceful diplomatic victory instead of a military success. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “dialogue” strategy prevailing against the war strategy, despite Greece’s unjust, unlawful, and impertinent impositions in the East Mediterranean and the Aegean, reveals, without a doubt, that the fairness and legitimacy of Turkey’s policies in the East Mediterranean and the Aegean have been accepted by the West and EU countries as well. President Erdoğan’s photographs, hand in hand with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron had declared to the whole world that Turkey is indeed a great state.
However, before even the ink on this photograph could dry, Armenia attacked civilian settlement units in Azerbaijan with an extremely provocative military operation. As is known, Armenia had attacked Tovuz just two months ago, on July 12. Days before the attack, President Ilham Aliyev was trying to warn the world that they had received intelligence on numerous international platforms with respect to Armenia preparing for a new attack. These calls were, at the same time, in a sense, a warning to Armenia. However, raving Armenian officials ignored these calls, and in the early hours on Sept. 27, clashes begun on the Armenia-Azerbaijan frontline upon orders to open fire on Azerbaijan’s civilian settlement areas. However, Azerbaijan’s military launched a counterattack and saved certain areas from invasion. This time the hunter would be hunted. Thus, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry had announced that 22 tanks, 15 anti-aircraft systems, 18 UAVs, and air defense systems belonging to Armenian troops had been destroyed, while more than 550 Armenian soldiers were killed. Following their substantial failure against the Azerbaijani military, Armenia panicked. Chief of the Press Service of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense Col. Vagif Dargahli’s statement, “The Armenian Military Command ordered that its soldiers fleeing from the front be shot by other soldiers,” exposes the magnitude of the defeat.
Upon these developments, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said: “We stand with our Azerbaijani brethren in the defense of their own lands. Armenia must cease its attacks immediately; it should send the mercenaries and terrorists they brought in from abroad, and vacate the Azerbaijan territory they invaded. This will thus pave the way to a ceasefire, peace, and stability.” Akar’s statement was followed by President Erdoğan’s words, which were no less determined. As two states, one nation, Turkey and Azerbaijan were this time demanding that Armenia withdraw from all the lands and cities – especially Karabakh – it invaded three decades ago. It is interesting where Armenia, a country with a population of 3 million, gets the audacity to ignore the four decisions taken by the UN concerning this matter, and continues its attacks on Azerbaijan. Armenia stands as a country that fails to be nothing other than a terror state that serves as an undertaker of hegemonic global powers and the West. Therefore, it has embraced the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organization and mercenary soldiers, and did not hesitate to use these forces in its attacks on Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, it is known that the powers backing Armenia are the Minsk trio (Russia, the U.S., and France), which was founded about three decades ago to prevent the war or tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
President Erdoğan had said that these states are doing everything in their power to prevent the resolution of this problem, and that they are now preaching and, from time to time, making threats. He had said that those who ask, “Is Turkey here? Are there Turkish soldiers here?” are the ones who transported thousands of trucks loaded with weapons to our south and particularly in northern Syria. As a matter of fact, Justice and Development (AK) Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik had harshly condemned main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Vice Chairman on Foreign Affairs Ünal Çeviköz’s provocative statement: “It is said that Turkey is sending weapons to Azerbaijan, and according to rumors, it is stated that jihadist groups have also been sent to Azerbaijan.” This statement is nothing other than an immoral anti-Turkey provocation.
Çelik added that the intention behind these lies spread by the Armenian foreign minister and ambassador to Moscow is obvious, and the fact that the CHP spokesperson simultaneously repeating these lies is very telling. Çeviköz’s words can be seen as a clear reaction against Defense Minister Akar’s statement, “Those who seek a peaceful solution, those who want an ‘immediate ceasefire,’ those who only now remember dialogue; where were they when Karabakh and 20 percent of Azerbaijan was under occupation, when thousands of innocent people were unlawfully, unjustly and barbarically massacred in Khojaly without any distinction between children, women, and the elderly, when millions of people were displaced 30 years ago,” and against President Erdoğan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Aliyev’s will as two states, one nation, to first solve the Karabakh problem, and reclaim the lands invaded by Armenia three decades ago. It is clear from the tone of the statements that Turkey and Azerbaijan are going to continue their determination regarding this matter. How will the Minsk trio react to this resolute attitude? Will they use the Organization of Collective Security Treaty, which was formed especially by Russia against NATO, against Azerbaijan and Turkey? Let us wait and see.
