The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been on the international community’s agenda as an unresolved “protracted” dispute for the last 30 years.

Turkey attaches utmost importance to the peaceful resolution of this conflict for two main reasons. The first is that it is occurring in our immediate neighborhood. The second reason is the special relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan that has become customary to describe as “two states one nation”. However, it is important to emphasize that our unequivocal support emanates from Azerbaijan’s righteousness and its firm position to remain within the confines of international law.

Today, 20 per cent of the territory of Azerbaijan is still under the occupation of Armenia since 1993. This is the main cause of this bilateral conflict which is also the main culprit of instability in southern Caucasus.

For those sceptics about Azerbaijan’s ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh and on which side is the real “aggressor” in this conflict, suffice to mention the four resolutions of the UN Security Council that were all adopted in 1993 when the conflict erupted.

i) UNSC Resolution 822

“Noting with alarm the escalation in armed hostilities and, in particular, the latest invasion of the Kelbadjar district of the Republic of Azerbaijan by local Armenian forces,

Reaffirming also the inviolability of international borders and the inadmissibility of the use of force for the acquisition of territory”

ii) UNSC Resolution 853

“Reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Azerbaijani Republic and of all other States in the region,

Noting with alarm the escalation in armed hostilities and, in particular, the seizure of the district of Agdam in the Azerbaijani Republic”

iii) UNSC Resolution 874

“Expressing its serious concern that a continuation of the conflict in and
around the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Azerbaijani Republic, and of the
tensions between the Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijani Republic, would
endanger peace and security in the region,

Reaffirming also the inviolability of international borders and the
inadmissibility of the use of force for the acquisition of territory”

iv) UNSC resolution 884

“Noting with alarm the escalation in armed hostilities as consequence of the
violations of the cease-fire and excesses in the use of force in response to
those violations, in particular the occupation of the Zangelan district and the
city of Goradiz in the Azerbaijani Republic, reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Azerbaijani Republic and of all other States in the region”.

As can be seen from the wording contained in these resolutions, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is constantly being emphasized and so is the invasion of portions of its territory. Moreover, despite these resolutions and the call for the “immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of occupying forces”, Armenia still continues to occupy 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s territory.

In 1992 the OSCE Minsk Group was established by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE’s predecessor) to encourage a negotiated solution to the conflict.

However, Armenia has not been a true partner in the Minsk Group. With its disregard of UN Security Council Resolutions and OSCE decisions, Armenia has made a mockery of international law and the rules based international system.

Turkey wants to see a negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity in accordance with international law, UN Security Council Resolutions and OSCE decisions to ensure enduring peace and stability in the region.

In fact, Armenia does not want a peaceful negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenia wants to preserve the status quo and consolidate its occupation.That is why Armenia has done everything to sabotage the negotiations under the auspices of the Minsk Group and its three Co-Chairs.

The Latest Developments:

On 27 September early Sunday morning, Armenian Armed Forces started an intense shelling of Azerbaijan’s defense positions and civilian settlements with large caliber artillery and rockets in blatant violation of the ceasefire, as well as international law, along the Line of Contact in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

With this act of aggression on Azerbaijan, Armenia once again proved that it is the main obstacle to the establishment of peace and stability in the region.

This heinous attack was the culmination of Armenian provocations, which started in Tovuz on 12 July and continued with frequent breaches of the ceasefire by the Armenian armed forces along the Line of Contact.

Like with its previous acts of aggression, the Armenian occupation and attacks on civilian people are the root causes of profound human suffering and the displacement of a million Azerbaijanis from their own lands in almost three decades.

Azerbaijan launched a counter operation to protect its population and restore its territorial integrity by invoking its inherent right of self-defense enshrined in the Article 51 of the UN Charter.

As Turkey, we swiftly condemned the latest attacks and declared our strong support for Azerbaijan after the Armenian attacks. After all, Azerbaijan is conducting its operations within its internationally recognized borders andon its own territory, which has been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

The international community must pressure Armenia to resume sincere, substantive and result oriented negotiations in good faith. Azerbaijan deserves the justified support and sympathy given by our allies, including Albania, and European partners to Georgia, Ukraine and Moldovia, with regard to the conflicts of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Crimea, Donbas or Transnistria.

Remaining equidistant to both sides regardless of who the aggressor is not a healthy understanding of impartiality and only emboldens and rewards the evil.

During these latest armed confrontations, the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and many other states called for an immediate ceasefire. But at this stage, the issue is not just about establishing another ceasefire.

A ceasefire that is not designed to move towards a negotiated settlement by means of ending the occupation will be fragile and temporary, which we have witnessed this weekend.

The cease-fire between Azerbaijan and Armenia declared earlier last Friday did not hold for even a full day, as Yerevan launched an attack on Azerbaijan's second-largest city, Ganja, less than 24 hours from the inking of the cease-fire. Armenian missiles Sunday hit civilian settlements in Ganja, where search and rescue efforts continue among the wreckage.

Armenian armed forces are also targeting other major cities in Azerbaijan like Mengiçevir, Abşeron, Hızı, Terter, Berde, Beylegan with long range artillery and rocket fire.

As a result of all these attacks, Azerbaijan's public chief prosecutor's office announced at the beginning of this week that 41 civilians had been killed, with 207 others injured. Some 1,185 houses, 148 civilian facilitates and 57 apartments have also been rendered beyond use following the attacks. Armenian attacks constitute a clear violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Armenia is committing war crimes.

Armenian allegations about Turkish involvement in the field and about the fighters from outside are baseless and irrational. Both Azerbaijan and the relevant authorities in Turkey totally and unequivocally rejected these Armenian fabrications. In fact, Armenia itself has brought many Yezidi Kurds and terror squads of the PKK terrorist organization from Iraq to Karabakh to fight for its interests.

The disinformation campaign of Armenia aims to divert attention away from its illegal occupation and portray itself as the victim.

Turkey gives and will continue to give strong political and moral support to Azerbaijan. However, Turkey is not a party to this conflict and is not present on the battleground. 

In addition to its disinformation campaign, in a state of frenzied desperation, Armenia is intensifying its attacks on the civilian population and infrastructure in Azerbaijan away from the conflict zone.

Armenia also targets the gas and oil pipelines threatening the energy security of a wider region including Europe. Its attack of southbound energy pipelines that reach Europe passing through Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania and Italy are leaving Russia as the only supplier of energy for the whole of Europe.

The recent attacks from Armenia to the Mingechevir dam reservoir and the hydroelectric power plant show that Armenia does not inhibit itself in anyway.

By targeting the cities and civilians outside the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, Armenia aims to provoke Azerbaijan to retaliate on Armenia. Armenia hopes to widen the conflict to bring Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) into the theater. Armenia also tries to spread the war to the whole region and include other countries in this war and throw the entire region into the fire.

However, Azerbaijan’s leadership has declared that they will not respond to such Armenian provocations and they will keep their counter operations confined to the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. We fully support this wise and lawful response of Azerbaijan to liberate its territories from the aggressor.

Now is the high time for the international community to realize that Armenian forces are attacking civilians and committing war crimes. The Minsk Group should strike a fair balance between the “aggressor” and the “victim”. The immediate and permanent solution to this conflict should begin by urging Armenia to withdraw from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan as of today. Only then can we start talking about a meaningful and peaceful solution.

*Ambassador of Turkey to Albania. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to ADN