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NATO chief expects Turkey to ease tension in Nagorno-Karabakh

Tuesday, 06 October 2020 2:36 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 06 October 2020 2:36 AM ]

Rahshan Saglam
Press TV, Istanbul

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said he expects Turkey to use its influence to calm the ongoing conflict in Karabakh.

His comment came in a joint presser in the Turkish capital Ankara with Turkey’s foreign minister. The press conference followed a meeting where the two discussed the latest tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Stoltenberg said there should be alternative ways of solving the issue.

For his turn, Cavusoglu criticized what he called Armenian attacks against civilian settlements in Ganja calling it a “war crime”. He also criticized Armenia’s supporters for lending their hand to its occupation for the past 30 years.

Stoltenberg and Cavusoglu also discussed east Mediterranean tensions, with Ankara stressing its claims on the region's maritime wealth. NATO is now taking the role of mediator between Turkey and Greece to find a solution to the ongoing tensions that is the result of conflicting interests of both NATO allies in east Mediterranean.

In a deescalating step Turkey pulled back its drilling ship Yavuz from southwest of Cyprus. Analysts see the step as another goodwill sign from Turkey which showed its readiness for negotiations.

The conflict began to ease when the two agreed last month to resume direct negotiations for the first time since 2016. No date for the Istanbul talks has been announced.

The visit of NATO secretary general to Ankara has been seen as a chance to resolve dispute between Turkey and Greece as two NATO allies on maritime borders and energy rights. Stoltenberg is set to visit Greece on Tuesday for talks with Greek top officials on the issue.

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