Armenia places PKK terrorists in Nagorno-Karabakh to gain advantage
By Nazrin Gadimova
By placing terrorists from the PKK and other organizations in the occupied territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia is trying to gain an advantage.
Goksel Gulbey, head of the International Association to Fight Unfounded Armenian Allegations (ASİM-DER), believes that PKK terrorists have relocated their base from the Iraqi city of Kandil to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan as a result of operations conducted by the Turkish security forces.
"Being in need of the power of these armed groups, Armenia gave permission to the PKK terrorists to use the territories, occupied with a Russian support, as a base," Gulbey added.
He emphasized that Armenia is ready to shelter other terrorist organizations in the occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh in order to take advantage of their help in case of need.
He stressed the fact that the Armenian families do not send their children for military service in this region.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by several states and organizations, including NATO and the European Union. Azerbaijan, which has suffered from Armenian terrorist activities, also recognizes PKK as a terror organization and at the same time cooperates with Turkey, its strategic partner, in the fight against terrorism.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that Armenia uses the Nagorno-Karabakh territory as a testing ground for terrorist activities, as well as for drug trafficking.
A military doctrine, adopted by Azerbaijan in 2010, emphasized that the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory by Armenia not only causes damage to the national security, but also have a negative impact on regional security.
The Turkish official said the Azerbaijani army is ready to return back the occupied territories.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
The peace talks have been largely fruitless so far despite the efforts of the co-chair countries over 20 years.
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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova
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