Turkey Called Hire Of Syrian Mercenaries In Covert Genocide In The Middle Of The Armenian-Azerbaijan War

Image of Azeris firing artillery during the Nagorno-Karabakh clash (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Prime Minister (PM) of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has accused Turkey of committing genocide once again. He said the Turkish military directly led the attacks carried out by Azerbaijani troops against ethnic Armenian troops around Nagorno-Karabakh.

As reported by Reuters on Friday, October 2, dozens of people were reported dead, while hundreds of others were injured since fighting began on Sunday, September 27. The outbreak of fighting has again raised concerns about stability in the South Caucasus, a pipeline corridor that carries oil and gas to world markets.

The presidents of France, Russia and the United States (US), on Thursday, October 1, called for an immediate ceasefire between Azerbaijanis and ethnic Armenian forces around Nagorno-Karabakh. But Turkey, which is an alliance of Azerbaijan, said the three big powers should have no role in the peace movement.

"The situation is much more serious (compared to previous clashes in 2016). It would be more accurate to compare it to what happened in 1915, when more than 1.5 million Armenians were massacred during the first genocide of the 20th century, "Pashinyan told the newspaper Le Figaro.

"The Turkish state, which continues to deny the past, is once again treading the path of genocide," Pashinyan stressed.

The comments are likely to provoke Turkey. The Turks accept that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War I. However, Turkey denies these figures and denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated, let alone referred to as genocide.

Pashinyan, who provided no evidence of his statement, said Turkey had sent thousands of Syrian mercenaries to the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Turkish military officers were directly involved in leading the Azerbaijan offensive. "The world has to realize what's going on here," said Pashinyan.

“Turkey's desire is to strengthen its role and influence in the South Caucasus. It pursues the dream of building an empire imitating the Sultanate and embarking on a path that can burn the territory, "added Pashinyan.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron also accused Turkey of sending Syrian jihadists to fight in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was considered as a step that made the situation worse.

"We now have information showing that Syrian fighters from jihadist groups have (transited) through Gaziantep (southeast Turkey) to reach the Nagorno-Karabakh area of operation," Macron told reporters upon his arrival at the EU summit in Brussels. "This is a very serious new fact, which is changing the situation," explained Macron.

In a statement released, Macron stated that he had discussed the matter as part of efforts to achieve a truce. He discussed this with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a telephone call.

"They also shared their concerns about Turkey's sending of Syrian mercenaries to Nagorno-Karabakh," the statement said.