Turkish PM backs Azerbaijan against 'aggression'

ANKARA

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has voiced support for Azerbaijan against the “Armenian aggression” which saw several days of fighting over the occupied Karabakh region.

Over the weekend, 12 Azerbaijani troops and more than 100 Armenian soldiers were killed in fighting over Karabakh, which was seized by ethnic Armenian separatists in the early 1990s.

"The whole world should know that Turkey will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Azerbaijan against Armenian aggression and occupation," Davutoglu said in an address during a meeting of his Justice and Development (AK) Party parliamentary group on Tuesday.

The prime minister said Turkey had been closely monitoring developments which began with Armenia's attack and pledged to continue to give support to what he said was "Azerbaijan's just case".

"We, as 78 million, will continue to stand by Azerbaijan until all Azerbaijan soil under occupation including [Upper] Karabakh are freed. God willing, one day, Azerbaijan will finalize independence and liberty with territorial unity," Davutoglu added.

Pro-Armenian militia has occupied Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region since 1993, similar to how pro-Russian militia have illegally occupied parts of Ukraine since 2014.

Three UN Security Council resolutions (853, 874 and 884) and United Nations General Assembly resolutions 19/13 and 57/298 refer to Karabakh as being part of Azerbaijan.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe also refers to the territory as under occupation of Armenian forces.

‘No turnabout in fighting terrorism’

The prime minister also touched upon Turkey's struggle against the terrorist PKK organization in the southeast and said there would be no turnabout from this fighting.

Davutoglu also said he would hold a cabinet meeting in southeastern province of Sanliurfa for the first time on April 11. These meetings are usually held in the capital, Ankara.

He said Turkish security forces had gained huge successes against the "barbaric" terrorist organization and the fight against the group would continue until "all mountains, plains, provinces, and streets are fully cleared of terrorists".

Davutoglu reiterated that the government would not take the [PKK] terror organization "whose hand is covered with blood".

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign against Turkey in July.

Since then, more than 350 members of the security forces have been martyred and thousands of terrorists killed.