YEREVAN. – During Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoğlu’s visit to Yerevan, Armenia should call upon Ankara to use its influence on Azerbaijan and force the latter to return to the Armenians at least four of the seven occupied Armenian territories.     

Specifically, the Hanlar, Shahumyan, Shamkhor and Dashkesan regions, which were inhabited by Armenians for centuries.

Grigori Ayvazyan, Chairman of the Assembly of Azerbaijan Armenians, stated the aforesaid at a press conference on Thursday.

He noted that, with Davutoğlu’s visit to Armenia, Turkey is attempting to create the impression that Armenian-Turkish relations are improving. In his view, the objective is to prevent the “tsunami,” which the Armenians worldwide expect in connection with the forthcoming 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.     

In Ayvazyan’s words, Turkey is trying to act as a peace-loving and an impartial mediator in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  

He also stressed that Turkey has illegally blockaded Armenia ever since the 1990s and breached the Treaty of Kars.

“Closing the border with Armenia is tantamount to declaring war,” Grigori Ayvazyan concluded.    

To note, Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoğlu is in Armenian capital city Yerevan to participate in Thursday’s meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.