Aliyev to Greek Ambassador: We firmly support Turkey
On 2 September, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev firmly voiced his support for Turkey in the dispute with Greece on the Mediterranean sea while receiving Greece’s newly appointed ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolaos Piperigos.
“It is no secret that Turkey is not only our friend and partner but also a brotherly country for us. Without any hesitation whatsoever, we support Turkey and will support it in any circumstances. We see the same support from our Turkish brothers. They support Azerbaijan on all issues, and we support them on all issues, including the issue of intelligence in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said.
Commenting on the Azerbaijan-Greece relations, Aliyev stated that currently there was “nothing positive to touch upon,” expressing his hopes that the new Greek government would change its position towards Azerbaijan. He also voiced his concerns about the emerging military cooperation between Armenia, Greece and Cyprus.
On the other side of the spectrum, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on the same day that Turkey refused to allow a German military transport aircraft to fly over its airspace en route to Armenia to transport its soldiers to Afghanistan to serve as a part of a NATO-led multinational force.
For reminder, the Armenian MFA voiced its support to Greece regarding the issues in the East Mediterranean, the country's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that a new format is needed to contain Turkey, and one of them is forming a coalition in the Mediterranean. Armenia’s diplomatic statements received an angry response from Turkey (Caucasus Watch reported).