On the morning of Sunday 27^th
of September, Armenian Armed Forces launched an intense shelling with heavy arms against Azerbaijani armypositions and civilian residential areas (Gapanly village of Tartar district, Chiragli and Orta Gervend villages of Aghdam district, Alkhanli and Shukurbeylivillages of Fizuli district and Jojuq Marjanli village of Jabrayil district) in violation of the ceasefire along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh.Turkey strongly condemns the Armenian attacks which constitute a clear violation of international law and have caused civilian casualties. Armenia’s provocations have now reached to a level that directly targets international and regional peace and stability. With these attacks, Armenia once again displayed that it is the biggest obstacle to peace and stability in the region.

Although Turkey is not a party to the ongoing conflict, we fully support Azerbaijan with unwavering solidarity in this process. Turkey’s support stems not only from the special relationship between the two countries, but also because Azerbaijan is the party whose righteousness has been officially confirmed in the framework of international law.

Following Armenian attacks perpetrated against the Tovuz region in July, Azerbaijan standing ready to eventual new attacks has been able to repel swiftly Armenian aggression and make progress beyond the line of contact into its own territory.

Azerbaijan is using its right of self defense in order to protect its people and its territorial integrity and Azerbaijani Armed Forces are conducting an operation inside its own territory from a legal point of view.

On the other hand, Armenia is not withdrawing from the Azerbaijani territories it occupies by violating the international law and it does not recognize UN Security Council and OSCE resolutions.

Armenia prefers that the conflict remains unsolved, benefits from the deadlock, portrays itself to negotiate but tries in reality to make its occupation permanent. Armenia is illegally settling in the regions it occupies ethnic Armenians, some of whom have been brought from the Middle East, and tries to change the demographic structure of the territories it occupies.

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Under these circumstances, Turkey has adopted a consistent attitude regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since the beginning.


Turkey
continues to support a solution to the problem on the basis of international law, within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Turkey understands and considers right the disappointment of Azerbaijan due to the failure of the Minsk Process to make concrete progress towards a solution. Turkey understands that Azerbaijan protects its rights against Armenia, which acts with a psychology of being guilty and mighty at the same time.

In this framework, it should be seen that standing at an equal distance both to the offensive party and to the victimized one under the name of neutrality means to reward the invading Armenia, and that this approach is neither legally nor morally correct. The international community should no longer allow UN Security Council and OSCE resolutions to be degraded so much any longer on the part of Armenia by violating the international law explicitly. In order to play the victim, Armenia resorts to the practice of distorting historical events, acts in hysteria, and thus wants to make forget the violations of the law and its own aggression.

The international community should stand with the righteous and the real victim. Turkey calls upon the international community, in particular the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, to exert pressure on Armenia in a way that would induce her to meaningful and comprehensive negotiations.