Turkish official hails strong ties with Azerbaijan’s ruling party

First Deputy Chairman of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Numan Kurtulmus has said that there are strong ties between his party and Azerbaijan’s ruling Yeni Azarbaycan Party (YAP).

He made the remarks during the official visit to Baku on July 26.

Stressing that there are many areas for partnership between Turkey and Azerbaijan, Kurtulmus said that the cooperation between the two ruling parties promotes the interstate relations in the economic, political, social, historical, and cultural spheres. Implementation of joint projects in these spheres will continue, he said.

Commenting on Armenia’s aggressive policy towards Azerbaijan, he stressed that Yerevan must refrain from escalating the situation in the region and relying on external forces to solve its problems. This is not also of the interests of Armenian people.

“As the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated after Azerbaijan’s victory in the second Karabakh war, the sure way to solve problems is to create a platform between Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Georgia, and Armenia. The problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia can be resolved via negotiations," said Kurtulmus.

Meanwhile, another senior official of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party Omer Celik wrote on his Twitter account that Yerevan’s aggressive policy will not bring any benefit to Armenia.

The AK party’s spokesperson strongly condemned Armenia for the recent incident that happened on the state border with Armenia in Kalbajar region, which resulted in the death of Azerbaijani serviceman. He stated that Armenia should not succumb to the external forces, which are encouraging provocations in the region.

"Yerevan's aggressive policy is a threat to peace in the region. The responsibility for the consequences is also borne by the forces that induce Yerevan to take such actions. These forces will definitely not support Armenia when a proper answer is given. Armenia's situation will only get worse," he stressed.

Celik also reminded Turkey’s initiative to form a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between the regional countries.

"If Armenia refuses to act aggressively, it will be able to become a part of this mechanism. Yerevan should not lose this historic chance and comprehensively assess the calls of the leaders of Turkey and Azerbaijan. Otherwise, this country will face new problems. Armenia cannot jeopardize regional peace. This will not be allowed", Omer Celik wrote.

It should be noted that a Turkish delegation headed by Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Sentop arrives in Azerbaijan on July 26 to attend the first trilateral meeting of the heads of the Azerbaijani-Pakistani-Turkish parliaments.

The meeting will be held on July 27. The Baku Declaration will be signed at the meeting.