Ukraine supports Azerbaijan's territorial integrity

By Talha Yavuz

KIEV (AA) - Ukraine Friday voiced support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty amid the ongoing conflict over Armenian-occupied Upper Karabakh.

Speaking at the news conference in the western city of Chernivtsi, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia, highlighting the "privileged dialogue" between Ukraine and Azerbaijan in the last two years.

"We support Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty just as Azerbaijan always supports our territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said.

Zelensky said that the crisis between the two countries should be prevented from turning into a "frozen" conflict and that the problems should be resolved quickly.

Border clashes broke out last 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 occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Monday, Azerbaijan declared partial military mobilization amid the clashes.

- Upper Karabakh conflict

Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper 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.