Erdogan demands Armenia end 'occupation' of Karabakh to resolve dispute with Azerbaijan

Amid the fresh resumption of Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, September 28 demanded Armenia to end its ‘occupation’ of the region. What Azerbaijan denotes as its ‘breakaway region’ with the majority of its population being Armenians, Erdogan reportedly said that it was time to put an end to the crisis that initially started with the occupation of Nagorny Karabakh. 

In a prepared address in support of Azerbaijan, the Turkish President said that once Armenia “immediately leaves” the territory it is “occupying”, the region will again be peaceful and harmonious. However, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds for several decades over the territorial dispute that has claimed thousands of lives. 

Meanwhile, Turkey strongly supports Azerbaijan and has historically poor relations with Armenia. Erdogan has once even blamed Armenia for starting the latest escalation and accused other nations including the US, France, and Russia was addressing the issue poorly. Turkish President reportedly also said that Armenia has done “everything they could not to resolve” the dispute and thus, Azerbaijan “must take matters into its own hands”. 

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Turkish Grand National Assembly's joint statement:

Source: meclishaber.tbmm.gov.tr

While sharing the statement, Erdogan wrote on Twitter, Turkey is always personified our political parties that signature in the joint statement affirming strongly that it is next to Azerbaijan and our nation would like to thank on behalf, I congratulate you wholeheartedly because of this noble and powerful stance of our Veterans Council.

UN Chief urges 'meaningful negotiations'

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson expressed ‘extreme concern’ on the same. According to the statement released by the UN, Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric relayed that the UN chief has condemned the use of force and expressed ‘regret’ on the loss of lives on both sides including the civilian population. 

The UN Sec-Gen not only called for both the nations to halt military operations at Nagorno-Karabakh and resort to negotiations but will be speaking to both the Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Dujarric informed. This comes as heavy fighting erupted along the frontlines of Nagorno-Karabakh killing 23 and more than 100 being wounded. Armenia has declared martial law and mobilised its male population.

Read - UN Chief Antonio Guterres Urges Armenia-Azerbaijan To Return To 'meaningful Negotiations'

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Image: AP