Four Turkish parties issue joint statement condemning Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Four Turkish political parties on Sept. 28 unanimously condemned what they saw as the Armenian attack on Azerbaijan. Turkey supports Azerbaijan’s right to self-defense to ensure its territorial integrity, a joint statement said.
Duvar English
Four Turkish political parties on Sept. 28 unanimously condemned Armenia over the clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces. The parties include the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and İYİ (Good) Party.
"As political parties having representation in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, we strongly condemn the attack with heavy weapons by the Armenian Armed Forces targeting Azerbaijani civilian settlements and soldiers on Sept. 28 in clear violation of the cease-fire and international law in Upper Karabakh," said a joint statement released by the parties.
The parties said that Azerbaijan has a right to self-defense and called on the international community to stand by the country. They indicated that the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been under Armenian “occupation” for 30 years and reaffirmed support for a peaceful solution to end the “occupation” in line with the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the joint statement of the parties, thanking them in a tweet.
“On behalf of myself and my nation, I thank political parties which have put their signatures on this joint statement, which strongly reaffirms that Turkey is always standing by Azerbaijan, and congratulate our veteran parliament from my heart due to its noble and powerful stance,” Erdoğan said.
At least 21 people were killed on Sept. 28 in a second day of fierce fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inside Azerbaijan run by ethnic Armenians. Ankara has pledged support for Azerbaijan in the conflict.