ANKARA
Turkey has declared that it would not recognize the results of the "so-called" presidential election to be held in the Upper Karabakh region.
"Turkey will not recognize the results of this so-called 'Presidential' election which it considers illegitimate and invalid in terms of international law," said the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs Wednesday, in a statement on the elections to be held in Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Upper Karabakh region on July 19.
The ministry said that the election was in explicit breach of UN Security Council resolutions and principles of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
"The Upper Karabakh dispute continues to be the biggest obstacle before the establishment of peace, stability and cooperation in the South Caucasus, moreover, it hinders the settlement of a climate that could lead to good neighborhood ties and cooperation between the countries of the region," the statement noted.
The ministry also said that Turkey was determined to keep displaying efforts aimed at a complete and comprehensive normalization process in the region, adding that it condemned the upcoming elections as they meant a new violation of Azerbaijan's political union, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
