ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reaffirmed Ankara’s support for the ongoing normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, pledging to continue contributing to efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus.

“We support our Azerbaijani brothers in their contacts with Armenia and reaffirm that we will continue to contribute, within our capabilities, to achieving lasting peace,” Erdoğan said during the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States.

According to the Turkish president, the establishment of peace and stability in the South Caucasus would create new opportunities not only for countries in the region but also for the broader Turkic world.

“Conflicts taking place in our region benefit no one. On the contrary, they have serious consequences for the global economy, international trade, and energy markets. We hope that the recently renewed tensions involving Iran will be resolved through diplomatic means,” Erdoğan stated.

The current summit of the Organization of Turkic States is being held in Ankara, Turkey. A meeting of the organization’s foreign ministers took place on October 29, followed by a gathering of the member countries’ leaders on October 30.

Amid recent diplomatic tensions between Azerbaijan and Turkey, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not travel to Ankara for this year’s summit.

Azerbaijan is instead represented by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.