Turkish lawmakers visit Ganja city in Azerbaijan

By Berk Ozkan

GANJA, Azerbaijan (AA) - The Human Rights Inquiry Committee of Turkey's parliament examined Saturday the sites of Armenian military attacks on Azerbaijan's second-largest city Ganja for rights violations.

Stressing that the body's visit would be limited to investigating the area and reporting on violations, commission head Hakan Cavusoglu said: "We all know that even [residents of] Armenian origin suffered and lost their lives [in Armenia's attacks]."

"The attacks by Armenia, which had no military necessity, on Ganja, Barda and Tartar, where civilian life continued routinely, are war crimes," he added.

He also criticized international organizations for not responding to the attacks and human rights violations.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Fresh clashes erupted on Sept. 27, and the Armenian army continued its attacks on civilian and Azerbaijani forces, even violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements for 44 days.

During this period, 26 civilians and children died in Ganja.

Baku liberated several cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from Armenian occupation during this time.

Before the second Karabakh war, about 20% of Azerbaijan's territory had been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

On Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russia-brokered agreement to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive solution.

Turkey welcomed the truce, terming it a "great victory" for Azerbaijan.

*Writing By Havva Kara Aydin