[ad_1]
“The time has come to put an end to the crisis in the region”
| Reading time: 3 minutes
Several killed in the battle between Armenia and Azerbaijan
In the clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 20 people were killed and more than 100 injured. Both countries have declared martial law. The federal government is calling for the fighting to stop.
In the recent conflict, Turkey is on the side of Azerbaijan “with all means and with all its heart,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. The Turkish president had a clear message for Armenia.
reTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Armenia to withdraw from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
“The time has come to end the crisis in the region that began with the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region will find peace and tranquility again if Armenia immediately abandons the Azerbaijani soil it has occupied, ”Erdogan said in Istanbul on Monday.
Turkey stands by Azerbaijan’s side “with all means and with all its heart”.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is controlled by Armenia and has about 140,000 inhabitants, is part of Islamic Azerbaijan under international law. The region had declared its independence in the 1990s, but then no country recognized it. Since Sunday there have been clashes again in the recent escalation of the decades-long conflict.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told the Interfax news agency that more than 550 Armenian soldiers had been killed or wounded. The Armenian authorities denied it. According to Nagorno-Karabakh officials, 59 soldiers have been killed so far. The Azerbaijani authorities reported 26 civilians injured.
Criticism of the OSCE’s “Minsk Group”
Baku lost control of the area in a war that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the Christian-Armenian region of Karabakh, a ceasefire has been in effect since 1994. Completely impoverished Armenia relies on Russia as a protective power. Azerbaijan, which is rich in oil and gas, has Turkey as an ally.
“If Armenia immediately leaves the area it occupies, the region will return to peace and harmony,” Erdogan said.
The so-called Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has been trying to mediate the conflict since 1994, accused Erdogan of failure. Now Azerbaijan has to take matters into its own hands. “
After fighting broke out on Sunday, Ankara immediately assured the Baku government of its full support. The Nagorno-Karabakh regional government alleged that Ankara had already sent weapons, soldiers and mercenaries to the region in support of Azerbaijan.
Russia, in turn, maintains a military base in Armenia, but also delivers weapons to Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, the European Union called for the fighting to end and to negotiate. Unrestricted war is the last thing the region needs, said spokesman Peter Stano.
Russia also expressed concern. Hostilities should cease immediately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said. The conflict must end politically and diplomatically.
Meanwhile, Armenia has addressed the European Court of Human Rights in the conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. With the application, the Yerevan leadership wants the neighboring country to end attacks against civilian settlements and the civilian population.
