Ankara calls on Armenia to send back foreign 'mercenaries'

Turkey said Monday Armenia must stop its occupation of Azerbaijan's lands and send back the "mercenaries and terrorists" it brought from abroad for stability in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where Armenian and Azeri forces have clashed.

"Armenia must immediately halt its attacks, send back the mercenaries and terrorists it brought from abroad and withdraw from the Azerbaijan lands," said Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, adding a ceasefire and peace are needed.

He said Turkey stands by its Azerbaijani brothers in defending their native land, adding Armenia must retreat from the occupied Azerbaijani territories to achieve peace and stability in the region.

Border clashes broke out early Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties.

Azerbaijan's parliament declared a state of war in some of its cities and regions following Armenia's border violations and attacks in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.
Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions as well as many international organizations demand the withdrawal of the occupying 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.

France, Russia and NATO, among others, have urged an immediate halt to clashes in the occupied region.