Heads of Azerbaijan, Turkey Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Settlement

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani leader's press service reported Monday.

BAKU (Sputnik) — Aliyev arrived in Turkey on Sunday to participate in the 22nd World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul.

"The sides discussed the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. President Ilham Aliyev informed the Turkish President in detail about the latest Armenian provocations and war crimes on the contact line," the press service said.

Erdogan stressed that Turkey always supports the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of international law within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

It is noted that the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey also talked about further expansion and strengthening of cooperation between the countries in the military sphere.

Azerbaijan's Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh proclaimed its independence in 1991, triggering a military conflict that led to Azerbaijan losing control over the region. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk group has been trying to settle the conflict since 1992. The violence between Azerbaijani and Nagorno-Karabakh forces escalated on April 2, 2016, leading to multiple casualties. The sides agreed to a ceasefire on April 5, but clashes have continued.