Turkish gov't slams main opposition deputy for voicing claim that Turkey sent jihadists to Azerbaijan
The Turkish government has slammed CHP deputy Ünal Çeviköz for voicing the claims that Turkey sent weapons and jihadists to Azerbaijan. AKP Group Deputy Chair Bülent Turan said that the CHP is "unnational," while asking, "Did the CHP become a party of Armenia?" "Our nation and the state stands with Azerbaijan no matter what the CHP says," Turan said. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, denied that Turkey sent it fighters from Syria.
Duvar English
The Turkish government has slammed a main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy for voicing the claims that Turkey sent jihadists to Azerbaijan.
CHP deputy leader Ünal Çeviköz voiced on Sept. 27 the claims that Ankara sent jihadists from Syria to Azerbaijan to fight against Armenia.
"Unfortunately, reports suggest that Turkey sent weapons and jihadists groups to Azerbaijan," Çeviköz said, prompting anger from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
AKP Group Deputy Chair Bülent Turan said that the statement went down in CHP's history as a "black stain."
"What kind of a statement is this?! May God protect the people from this understanding coming to power. Our nation and the state stands with Azerbaijan no matter what the CHP says," Turan tweeted on Sept. 27.
He also accused the CHP of being "unnational just like it was" on the issues of Libya, Syria, the eastern Mediterranean and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) trucks, referring to the report on Turkey sending weapons to Syria in 2014.
"Did the CHP become an Armenian party?" Turan said.
"Pull it together now!" he added.
Later in the day, Çeviköz released a written statement, saying that the party condemns "Armenia's ceasefire violations that are against the international law."
"We stress once again that the CHP always stands with our Azerbaijani brothers," Çeviköz said.
Various media reports have been suggesting in the past couple of days that Turkey sent jihadists to Azerbaijan.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the Turkish government transported over 300 militants of the Turkish-backed Syrian factions, mostly of “Sultan Murad” and “Al-Amshat” factions, from the villages and towns of Afrin canton in northwestern Aleppo.
Azerbaijan denies Turkey sent it militants from Syria
An aide to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev denied on Sept. 28 that Turkey had sent fighters from Syria to Azerbaijan amid fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia's ambassador to Russia said earlier that Turkey had sent around 4,000 fighters from northern Syria to Azerbaijan and that they were taking part in the fighting, the Interfax and RIA news agencies reported.
"Rumours of militants from Syria allegedly being redeployed to Azerbaijan is another provocation by the Armenian side and complete nonsense," said the aide, Khikmet Gadzhiev.