Turkey may provide military assistance if hostilities break out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, head of the Strategic Research Center under the Turkish Foreign MinistryBulent Aras told journalists in Baku today.
"Turkey does not want a military conflict in the region. However, if war breaks out, military assistance by Turkey is not excluded,” Aras said.
The Azerbaijani and Turkish governments have signed an agreement on financial military cooperation.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
/Trend/
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