Turkish parliament's head due in Azerbaijan for talks

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish parliament's speaker is set to leave for Azerbaijan on Sunday for a three-day official visit.

According to a statement by the speaker's office, Mustafa Sentop will start his visit on Sunday which marks the Independence Day of Azerbaijan.

Sentop will meet President Ilham Aliyev and his Azerbaijani counterpart Sahiba Gafarova on Monday.

On Tuesday, Sentop will address Azerbaijani lawmakers in the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, Sentop added Azerbaijan's flag to the cover photo of his official Twitter account to show solidarity with Azerbaijan against Armenia's attacks on civilians in Upper Karabakh.

- Nagorno-Karabakh dispute

Clashes erupted between the two countries on Sept. 27 and Armenia has since continued its attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces, even violating a humanitarian cease-fire that came into force last week.

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

Some 20% of Azerbaijan's territory has remained under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

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 to in 1994.

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

World powers, including Russia, France, and the US, have called for cessation of hostilities. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces.