Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan is interested in the aggravation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh to divert Russia’s attention from the Syrian direction and generally reduce its influence in the Middle East, said Elena Panina, a member of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Earlier, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with RIA Novosti that Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan was the main initiator of a new round of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In an interview with RIA Novosti, Panina noted that the participation of a third party – Turkey – in the Karabakh conflict, including the supply of weapons and the activities of Turkish military advisers, is obvious. In addition, the MP considers it highly likely that Turkey’s role in Baku’s political decision to “unfreeze” the conflict was decisive, which is confirmed by the statement of the Syrian leader.
“Erdogan is interested in diverting Russia’s attention from the Syrian direction and generally reducing its influence in the Middle East, where he claims to be an absolute leading role. The main target in this case is not Armenia, but Russia,” Panina said.
The MP stressed that the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is known as a responsible and predictable politician, thanks to whom the republic maintains political and economic stability: the desire for military solutions is not his style.
“On the other hand, Erdogan’s inclination to all kinds of geopolitical adventures aimed at reviving the Ottoman Empire in a new political format is well known,” Panina summed up.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced on September 27 that the Armenian Armed Forces fired on settlements on the line of contact in Karabakh, according to these data, there are civilians and soldiers killed. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, Karabakh “was subjected to air and missile attacks.” They said in Yerevan that Baku “launched an offensive” in the Karabakh direction. In the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, it was reported that peaceful settlements in Karabakh, including the capital Stepanakert, were shelled, the authorities called on the population to hide, and later declared martial law and mobilization in Karabakh.
Armenia also declared martial law and general mobilization. Former Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia, ex-Ombudsman of Karabakh Ruben Melikyan told RIA Novosti that general mobilization is announced in Armenia for the first time. The President of Azerbaijan approved the introduction of martial law in a number of cities and regions of the republic and a curfew in the country, and also announced a partial mobilization.
French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier that 300 Syrian militants were deployed through the Turkish city of Gaziantep in Baku. According to him, these people are identified, belong to a group operating in the Aleppo region. After Macron’s statement, the head of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, demanded an apology from France, stressing that Azerbaijan has no mercenaries.
The leaders of Russia, the United States and France previously called on the opposing sides to end the clashes, pledge to begin negotiations without preconditions, condemned the escalation, and also expressed condolences to the relatives of the dead and wounded.
The conflict in Karabakh began in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its secession from the Azerbaijan SSR. During the armed confrontation in 1992-1994, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven adjacent regions. Since 1992, negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict have been conducted within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, headed by three co-chairs – Russia, the United States and France. Azerbaijan insists on preserving its territorial integrity, Armenia protects the interests of the unrecognized republic, since NKR is not a party to the negotiations.