Points to Erdoğan detail in Azerbaijan-Armenia peace: İmamoğlu criticizes the government, saying 'you were not there'

While congratulating the leaders of the two countries on the agreement, İmamoğlu said, "The Erdoğan government, which claims to be a 'game-changing leader' in our region and has exerted great effort to mediate between the two neighboring countries, was not among the actors in this critical peace process.

The fact that steps have not yet been taken to ensure that Turkey, which stood by Azerbaijan during the Karabakh wars and had a share in the strategic gains, is at the table is a serious weakness for Turkish diplomacy," he said.

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace declaration at the White House, hosted by Trump. The operation of the Zangezur Corridor, which will be established with the agreement, has been transferred to the U.S. for 99 years.

In his social media post, İmamoğlu criticized the Erdoğan government over Turkey's lack of a role in the agreement and the importance of the South Caucasus for Turkey. 

İmamoğlu's social media post is as follows:

"The peace agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia, hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, is a historic opportunity to heal the wounds of a conflict that has cost thousands of lives and remained unresolved for years, and to re-establish good neighborly relations in our region. I congratulate Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for these courageous steps.

The Erdoğan government, which claims to be a 'game-changing leader' in our region and has exerted great effort to mediate between the two neighboring countries, was not among the actors in this critical peace process. The fact that steps have not yet been taken to ensure that Turkey, which stood by Azerbaijan during the Karabakh wars and had a share in the strategic gains, is at the table is a serious weakness for Turkish diplomacy.

Azerbaijan-Armenia peace can only guarantee stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus if it is embraced by Turkey and the entire region with an inclusive vision. Turkey must definitely be involved in the process in its future steps; normalization with Armenia and critical infrastructure-transportation projects should also be evaluated within this framework. The way to be a country whose word is heeded in our region passes through a rational and principled foreign policy based on democratic legitimacy and strong institutions."