Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 11
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey doesn't recognize the so-called election in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Turkish foreign ministry said Sept.11.
Turkey supports and will always support Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, the message said.
The Turkish foreign ministry also said that the upcoming so-called election in "self-government bodies" of the separatist regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, scheduled for September 13, is an obstacle to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu