Türkiye 'wholeheartedly' supports Azerbaijan in Karabakh: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed the latest situation in Karabakh with Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in a telephone call and reiterated support for Baku, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

Erdogan, who is in New York for the 78th UN General Assembly, received information from Aliyev regarding the situation in the operation launched by Azerbaijan, it wrote on X on Wednesday.

The Turkish leader "expressed Türkiye's wholehearted support for Azerbaijan to Aliyev," it said. "The two leaders also exchanged views on regional issues that closely concern the two countries at the meeting."

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said earlier that an agreement had been reached Tuesday to suspend anti-terrorist activities launched in Karabakh.

"Taking into account the request of the representatives of Armenian residents of Karabakh through the Russian peacekeeping contingent, an agreement was reached," it said in a statement.

Counterterrorism measures were launched to uphold provisions outlined in a trilateral peace agreement with Russia and Armenia to end the 2020 conflict.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation in the fall of 2020 during 44 days of fighting. The war ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire.