Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 6
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Azerbaijan has full right to conduct a war to liberate its lands, said Binali Yildirim, Turkish minister of transport, maritime and communication.
"Turkey has always supported and will support Azerbaijan," he said, TRT Haber news channel reported Apr. 6.
"The refugees, who left their homes as a result of the Armenian occupation, will sooner or later return to their native lands," added Yildirim.
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers.
The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.
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