French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken of his concern at "rash and dangerous" statements from Turkey as clashes over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region go on for a fourth day.
France was "extremely concerned by the warlike messages" from Turkey, he said during a visit to Latvia.
Turkey says it is "fully ready" to help ally Azerbaijan recover the enclave, controlled by ethnic Armenians.
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Some of Turkey's NATO allies are increasingly alarmed by Ankara's stance on Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region inside Turkey's close ally Azerbaijan that is run by ethnic Armenians but is not recognized by any country as an independent republic.
ReplyDeleteEchoing remarks by President Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday Turkey would "do what is necessary" when asked whether Ankara would offer military support if Azerbaijan asked for it.
Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, later thanked Turkey for its support but said his country did not need military assistance. Fighting would cease if Armenian forces immediately "leave our lands," he said.
Cavusoglu also said French solidarity with Armenia amounted to supporting Armenian occupation in Azerbaijan.
French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is home to many people of Armenian ancestry, hit back during a visit to Latvia. He said France was extremely concerned by "warlike messages" from Turkey "which essentially remove any of Azerbaijan's inhibitions in reconquering Nagorno-Karabakh".
"And that we won't accept," he said.