YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian side is expressing concern regarding Turkey’s plans on opening a consulate in Shushi and especially viewing it as a message to Armenia.

Member of Parliament Sargis Khandanyan, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Armenian Parliament, told reporters that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement on opening a consulate in Shushi doesn’t contribute to the process of achieving peace and stability in the region.

On one hand they make statements that regional stability and peace is needed, and on the other hand they make statements that don’t contribute to this process. “Thus this statement causes concern, we must follow the developments,” Khandanyan said.

The Turkish-Azerbaijani rhetoric has remained the same, Khandanyan said.

During his latest visit to Azerbaijan, Turkish President Erdogan said that Turkey plans to open a consulate in Shushi, the town in Nagorno Karabakh which was captured by Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 war. Erdogan said that the move would be a "message to the whole world and especially Armenia."