Azerbaijan’s ‘struggle’ with Armenia not over: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on a visit to Azerbaijan Thursday said Baku’s “struggle” with enemy Armenia was not over after his close ally’s decisive victory over a disputed region.

“Azerbaijan’s saving its lands from occupation does not mean that the struggle is over,” Erdogan said during a military parade in Baku.

“The struggle carried out in the political and military areas will continue from now on many other fronts.”

Turkey backed its Azerbaijan during recent clashes with Armenian forces over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Hostilities erupted on September 27 and ended six weeks later with a Moscow-brokered deal under which Armenia ceded to Baku parts of the disputed territory and Azerbaijan’s adjacent districts it controlled since the 1990s.

Ankara was widely accused of dispatching mercenaries from Syria to bolster Baku’s army, but denied the charge.

Erdogan arrived in Baku to attend nationwide celebrations marking Azerbaijan’s victory in the Karabakh conflict.

In his speech, the Turkish leader also said that “Karabakh’s freedom will be the beginning of a new era” in the region, adding that Armenia must be held responsible for “war crimes” committed during the conflict.