Ankara favors peaceful resolution of Karabakh conflict with due respect for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity - Turkish foreign minister
BAKU. April 26 (Interfax) - Ankara supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, told journalists in Baku.
"Turkey has always stood by Baku and supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan," he said.
Ankara is in favor of a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said.
The Armenian-Azeri conflict must be resolved diplomatically, with due respect for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and the principles of international law, he said.
"We require the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] Minsk Group, as well as its co-chairs - the United States, Russia and France, to honestly fulfill their obligations, and should they wish so, I can reassure you, this conflict will find its swift resolution," the Turkish minister said.
Armenia opposes a political solution to this problem hence its steps to escalate the conflict, he said. "Azerbaijan has already demonstrated its love of peace, having unilaterally declared the ceasefire. And Baku has proved to the whole world that it favors a diplomatic solution to the conflict. I stress once again: Turkey will stand by Azerbaijan on any issue, and no one in the world must doubt that," Cavusoglu said.
Tensions in the Karabakh conflict zone abruptly escalated in the small hours of April 2. Hostilities engaging aircraft and artillery began. The sides traded accusations of the breach of ceasefire along the contact line, as well as claiming the adversary's substantial losses and limited losses of their own.
On April 5, Baku and Stepanakert, the capital of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, announced that an agreement had been reached to cease fire in the Karabakh conflict area from midday local time. Since then the sides have been daily trading accusations of multiple truce breaches.
