The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that due to armed attacks and provocations-, the Azerbaijani army launched on Tuesday an anti-terrorism operation which "targets exclusively military elements" in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
The long-standing provocative acts by Armenian armed groups targeted Azerbaijani military and security personnel in the region, according to a statement by the ministry.
"Azerbaijan had to take the measures it deemed necessary on its own sovereign territory as a result of the fact that the legitimate and rightful concerns it has constantly expressed about the situation on the ground in the past three years since the end of the Second Karabakh War, have not been resolved.
"We believe that result-oriented continuation of the comprehensive negotiation process that has been meticulously carried out between Azerbaijan and Armenia to date, is the only way for maintenance of peace, security, prosperity and lasting stability in the region," the statement reads.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia broke out in 1991 when the Armenian army occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a region internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, and seven other border regions.
In fall of 2020, Azerbaijan regained control of several cities and towns from Armenian occupation during a 44-day war which ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.
However, deadly clashes renewed earlier today when Azerbaijan launched a military operation against Armenian militants in the region.
Source: Kuwait News Agency