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Armenia commits a war crime by shelling Azerbaijani cities, for which the authorities of this country must answer before an international court, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense told Trend on October 8.
According to the ministry, the Armenian Armed Forces, not able to resist the Azerbaijani army, shell the settlements of Azerbaijan, as a result of which civilians are killed.
“The Armenian people, first of all, themselves must condemn the shelling of Azerbaijan’s civilian population. There is no doubt that perpetrators of this crime, that is, the leadership of Armenia, which is responsible for the death of civilians in Azerbaijani cities, will be punished by international justice,” the ministry stressed. “Turkey once again declares to the whole world that, as before, it will support Azerbaijan, and requires Armenia, before it’s too late, to withdraw its armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.”
“The international community, which for almost 30 years turned a blind eye to the Armenian occupation, must make efforts to liberate the territories of Azerbaijan,” added the ministry.
Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27.
Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.
The fighting continued into October 2020, in the early days of which Armenia has launched missile attacks on Azerbaijani cities of Ganja, Mingachevir, Khizi as well as Absheron district.
On October 6, the Armenian side officially recognized the retreat of its troops.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
