UPDATE - 'Azerbaijan able to liberate occupied lands by itself'

ADDS MORE STATEMENTS BY TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER

By Jeyhun Aliyev and Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Azerbaijan has the ability to liberate its occupied lands by itself, Turkey's top diplomat said Wednesday, amid Azerbaijan fighting off an offensive by Armenian forces in occupied Upper Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan is fighting to protect its own lands. Where in the world are the occupied and occupier treated the same?" Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at Anadolu Agency’s Editors' Desk.

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

With these attacks Armenia ignored the international system and international law, Cavusoglu said, adding that this attitude deserves a response.

Armenia illegally resettled ethnic Armenians from Middle Eastern countries to the Azerbaijani land it occupies in Upper Karabakh – also known as Nagorno-Karabakh – he added.

Turkey continues to support Azerbaijan, he added, saying: "We said that if Azerbaijan wants to solve [the Armenian occupation problem] on the ground, we will stand by Azerbaijan."

Cavusoglu stressed "diplomacy hasn't worked for 30 years" to solve the conflict in Upper Karabakh, with no solution reached at the negotiating table since Armenia’s illegal occupation began in 1991, and this failure served to "encourage" Armenia.

"Despite all the warnings, where does Armenia find its courage?" he asked.

"If Armenia hadn’t enjoyed support today from other countries, from the West, Russia, it wouldn’t be able to muster up this courage."

Cavusoglu slammed the international community for only urging a cease-fire but failing to call Armenia to leave the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

"This is not a proper approach," he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron showing solidarity with Armenia, while showing no concern about occupied Azerbaijani lands, effectively means supporting occupation, says Cavusoglu.

Noting that Azerbaijan is in the right both morally and legally, Cavusoglu said the international community should support Azerbaijan, just as it supports Ukraine, Georgia, and other countries which have lands under illegal occupation.

- Upper Karabakh conflict

Relations between the two former Soviet republics 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 on in 1994.

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

- Eastern Mediterranean

Turning to developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cavusoglu reiterated Turkey's proposal for a regional conference to find a solution.

"We have no designs on the rights of others, but neither will we let our own rights be usurped," he said.

Referring to US State Secretary Mike Pompeo's visit last week to the Greek Cypriot administration, and the US partially lifting an arms embargo from the Greek Cypriots, Cavusoglu said: "The US should not violate its neutrality. It’s not right for them to lift the embargo, even if it is limited. This violates its neutrality."

Cavusoglu said there was a "positive atmosphere" for discussions on the Eastern Mediterranean as Greece agreed to restart exploratory talks with Turkey.

Tensions have recently escalated over energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration, and other EU members have tried to block Turkey’s energy exploration, claiming it is searching in Greek waters, using a maximalist view of Athens’ maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.

Turkey – the country with the longest coastline on the Mediterranean – says this view is illegal and makes no sense and has sent out drill ships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, saying that both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have rights in the region.

Ankara has repeatedly urged negotiations with no preconditions to reach a fair sharing of the region’s resources.