“Armenia directly targets civilians [in Azerbaijan] which is essentially a war crime,' : Cavusoglu

Visiting NATO chief voices 'deep concern' over Upper Karabakh dispute during joint news conference with top Turkish diplomat

The Turkish foreign minister on Monday said Armenian forces have been targeting civilians in recent tensions at the Azerbaijan-Armenia front line.

“Armenia directly targets civilians [in Azerbaijan] which is essentially a war crime," said Mevlut Cavusoglu after hosting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the capital Ankara.

Cavusoglu urged all, particularly NATO, to call on Armenia to withdraw from occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Stoltenberg, for his part, said NATO is "deeply concerned" over the Upper Karabakh conflict, and he called for the peaceful solution of the dispute.

"We should support all efforts to find a peaceful negotiated solution because there is no military solution to the situation in and around Nagorno-Karabakh," said Stoltenberg, urging all parties to immediately cease fighting.

"I expect Turkey to use its considerable influence to calm tensions," he added.

The visiting NATO chief is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later today.

Fighting began on Sept. 27 when the Armenian forces targeted civilian Azerbaijani settlements and military positions in the region, leading to casualties.

Upper Karabakh conflict

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Multiple UN resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the invading forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.

Many world powers, including Russia, France and the US, have urged an immediate cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense.

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