Russia has never viewed Turkey as its strategic ally: Lavrov

Duvar English

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Moscow has never viewed Turkey as its strategic ally, but instead calling Ankara a strategic partner.

“We have never considered Turkey as our strategic ally. It is a close partner, that partnership has strategic nature in many areas,” Lavrov told Russian media outlets on Oct. 14.

The foreign minister was commenting on the clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh when he made the remarks.

“We do not agree with the position voiced by Turkey, which was also expressed on several occasions by [Azerbaijani] President [Ilham] Aliyev, there is no secret here,” Lavrov said, adding that a military solution to the conflict was “unacceptable.”

The relations between Turkey and Russia have been developing in the recent years, with Ankara purchasing S-400 missile defense systems from Moscow.

The countries are also working closely in the ceasefire efforts in Syria although they back opposite sides.

The Russian Foreign Minister also said Russian peacekeepers should be sent to Nagorno-Karabakh to observe a shaky Moscow-brokered ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Not even peacekeepers, but military observers would be enough,” Lavrov said.

“We believe it would be absolutely correct if they were our [Russian] military observers” but the final decision would be up to Baku and Yerevan, he said.

Lavrov said he had sent signals to his Armenian and Azerbaijani colleagues that their militaries need to meet to agree on a mechanism to monitor and enforce the Moscow ceasefire agreement.

DUVAR ENGLISH