Top Turkish, Canadian diplomats discuss Upper Karabakh

By Behlul Cetinkaya

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the ongoing Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict with his Canadian counterpart, a Turkish diplomatic source said Friday.

Cavusoglu and Francois-Philippe Champagne discussed bilateral relations and the Upper-Karabakh during a telephone conversation, according to the source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The Turkish diplomat voiced his opinion on Armenian aggression in Upper Karabakh and said Canada should call the Yerevan administration to "withdraw from Azerbaijani territories.”

The men also discussed Canada’s decision to hinder export licenses of defense industry products from Turkey.

Champagne said Monday that certain allegations have been made in recent days regarding "Canadian technology being used in the military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh."

- Upper Karabakh conflict

Fighting in the Upper Karabakh region erupted Sept. 27 when Armenian forces targeted civilian Azerbaijani settlements and military positions, leading to casualties.

World powers, including Russia, France and the US have urged an immediate cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense.

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, and seven adjacent regions.

Multiple UN resolutions as well as international organizations demand the withdrawal of the invading 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 to in 1994.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar