ANKARA, July 5. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed the Baku-Moscow conflict with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and concluded that the latter does not want further escalation of tensions.
"This issue was on the agenda of our meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Mr. Aliyev is taking very cautious and prudent steps in this context. He is not in favor of preserving this problem or escalating it. I understood from his statements that he is committed to a settlement," the Anadolu news agency quoted Erdogan as saying upon his return from the neighboring country.
The Turkish leader also pointed out that "Turkey has deep diplomatic and strategic relations with both Azerbaijan and Russia." "We are closely monitoring the tensions and call on both countries to show restraint. We believe that the issue can be resolved in a simpler and more reasonable way through statements that will reduce diplomatic tensions. The issue should be approached with restraint. We know that both our friends (Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin - TASS) have the necessary level of understanding to overcome this problem," Erdogan added.
He expressed hope that "negative developments concerning the two countries will stop as soon as possible." "Most of all, we would like these unfortunate incidents not to cause irreparable damage to the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. Local incidents and their consequences can be resolved without going beyond their own context. We will continue to support the constructive steps that will be taken to address this issue. Our priority is to avoid sudden escalations that will shake the stability of the region, where there have already been enough wars and conflicts," the Turkish leader said. According to him, the Caucasus region "no longer has the patience to endure a new conflict.".