Armenian terrorists captured many times in ranks of PKK terrorists - Turkish FM

By Trend

Armenian terrorists have been captured many times in the ranks of terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, Trend reports citing Turkish media Oct. 25.

Cavusoglu noted that Turkey always supports and will continue to support Azerbaijan in all areas.

The Turkish foreign minister added that the issues of resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are always on Turkey’s agenda; in particular, the statements by Armenian officials on the resolution of this problem cause concern.

Cavusoglu said that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is also to Armenia’s benefit, which is isolated from the region because of its occupation policy.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has been lasting around 40 years, claiming more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU.