Silence in face of savagery means complicity in murder, Armenia will be held accountable, says Turkish Foreign Minister
Armenia continues to commit “war crimes” in Azerbaijan, killing civilians there, including children, Turkey’s top diplomat said on Saturday. “Silence in face of savagery means complicity in murder. Those who do not claim their share of humanity will be held accountable for their crimes,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.
He also reiterated that Turkey will always stand with Azerbaijan. Earlier Saturday, at least 13 civilians were killed, including two children, and more than 40 others injured, when the Armenian army struck Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second-largest city, with missile attacks, officials said. It was Armenia’s second deadly attack in less than a week on Ganja, an area far from the front line with a population of half a million people. More than 20 houses were destroyed, according to preliminary reports.
Since new clashes erupted between the two countries on Sept. 27, Armenia has continued its attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces. Before last night’s attack, Azerbaijani officials said Armenian attacks had killed at least 47 civilians and injured 222.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan. Some 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory has remained under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.
The OSCE Minsk Group – co-chaired by France, Russia, and the US – was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed to in 1994. Multiple UN resolutions, as well as international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.
World powers, including Russia, France, and the US, have urged a new cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku’s right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia’s occupying forces.
Source: Anadolu Agency