Erdogan Urges Azerbaijani Leader To Avoid Armenia Tensions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Ankara on February 19.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on February 19 told Azerbaijan's visiting leader that he wanted Baku to avoid future border flare-ups with Armenia and to pursue a lasting peace. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Ankara -- Baku's most important military and diplomatic supporter on the global stage -- after holding rare talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Munich meeting's stakes were raised by a deadly clash last week along the Azerbaijan-Armenian border that Yerevan said killed four Armenian troops. The two leaders also signed a number of commercial and cultural agreements, the sides said.