Erdogan accuses Russia, US & France of providing ‘weapon support’ to Armenia amid Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused members of the OSCE Minsk Group of providing “weapon support” to Armenia in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, reiterating his own support for Azerbaijan.

Speaking at an event of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the southeastern Sirnak Province on Sunday, the Turkish president accused Russia, France, and the US – the states that co-chair the OSCE Minsk Mediation Group on Nagorno-Karabakh – of siding with Armenia in the conflict. The three countries are providing “all kinds of weapon support” to Yerevan, Erdogan claimed without giving any details.

The president reiterated that he stands with Azerbaijan, insisting it is within its rights to “liberate” the disputed, predominantly Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Our Azerbaijani brothers are currently in a very serious struggle against Armenia. Why are they fighting this struggle? Because they are fighting to liberate Azerbaijan’s occupied lands from the Armenians,” Erdogan said. “What can be more natural than that?”

The recent escalation began in late September with the Armenian-backed, self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh republic and Azerbaijan laying blame for the hostilities on each other. The region unilaterally broke away from Azerbaijan after a bloody war in 1990s. Although it declared independence, Baku continues to regard Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the country.

Turkey has openly supported Azerbaijan in the ongoing conflict. Ankara has faced accusations of providing direct aerial support to Baku as well as sending Syrian militants to the region – allegations that Turkey has rejected.

Despite the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, and Russia in particular, the fighting continues. A ceasefire reached on October 10 didn’t succeed in stopping the hostilities. A new truce agreed late Saturday was apparently short-lived as well, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of breaching it.

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