Turkey’s position in the light of the recent escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is a reflection of the country’s destructive and destabilizing policies, which we have witnessed and continue to witness in the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said in an interview with Herankar program on Shant TV.
According to him, Turkey’s actions after July 12 were aimed at exporting this destabilizing policy to the South Caucasus which is unacceptable, and we are resisting it with all means possible and will continue to resist, because any attempt to destabilize the South Caucasus by a neighbor of the region would be unacceptable to us.
Speaking about statements coming from Azerbaijan, the Foreign Minister said “what we hear from Baku is not very impressive, because it became more than obvious after July 12 that the language of threats, the method of threats both in actions and rhetoric does not affect Armenia or Artsakh.”
“This is rejected in all respects, and such rhetoric does not bring honor to our whole region. This is unacceptable and non-constructive. The language of threat does not work, it is more than clearly rejected. This has been our position for the past two years, and has been continuously expressed in the political field, in the diplomatic field, it has been expressed since July 12,” the Foreign Minister stated.
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said Armenia’s decision to bar Turkish inspectors from its territory was “a proportionate response to the actions taken today by Turkey and Azerbaijan,” which have initiated and are holding joint military exercises at a time when all resources, both of the international community and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, are being invested in strengthening de-escalation.
On July 29th the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the OSCE circulated a Note Verbale informing the OSCE participating States and State Parties to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, that the Republic of Armenia will suspend military inspections by the Republic of Turkey and guest inspectors from Turkey under the CFE treaty and the Vienna Document on the territory of the Republic of Armenia.
According to Minister Mnatsakanyan, these military inspections contain a very essential tool.
“It is a tool for building mutual trust; it is a tool for equal security interests, mutual respect. What Turkey is doing, of course, does not show such mutual respect, this was a proportionate response by Armenia,” the Foreign Minister said.
He reiterated that it was a response to the Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercises.
