Turkish Statements on Nagorno-Karabakh Could Aggravate Situation - Yerevan

The Armenian president slammed Ankara for making Nagorno-Karabakh statements which can further aggravate the crisis.

YEREVAN (Sputnik) — Turkey's statements on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh could further increase tensions in the region, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said Monday.

"While the international community is condemning the use of force in Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey is the only party supporting Azerbaijan's actions. Statements made by Ankara before and after the current situation, anti-Armenian approaches in which this country competes with Azerbaijan, can create new tensions in the region. Turkey already has such experience in the Middle East," Sargsyan was quoted as saying by his press service.

On Saturday, Azerbaijan and Armenia reported about fighting in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least 33 people were killed and more than 200 injured as a result of violence escalation.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988, when the Armenian-dominated autonomous region sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. The rival sides agreed on cessation of hostilities in 1994. In September 2015, the conflict escalated, with the sides blaming each other for violating the truce.