Turkey rejects planned Karabakh referendum

ANKARA

Turkey will not recognize a “referendum on constitutional changes” in Upper Karabakh, a region which has been “under Armenian occupation for a quarter century,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said that Ankara condemns the “referendum, which will constitute a new violation of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

“This referendum and its results, which we consider illegitimate, will not be recognized by Turkey,” the statement added.

The referendum is planned to be held on Feb. 20.

“This ‘referendum’ is a clear breach of the principles of international law, UN Security Council resolutions, and the principles of the OSCE. This and other similar actions impair efforts to reach a peaceful and lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” it added.

“The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to be the most important impediment to peace, stability, and cooperation in the South Caucasus. The clashes along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and at some sections of the Azerbaijan-Armenia border in April 2016 clearly demonstrated that the status quo is not sustainable anymore and the conflict should immediately be resolved in a peaceful manner.

“Turkey, as a member of the Minsk Group, will continue to support the efforts aiming to reach a fair and lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the statement added.

Occupied Upper Karabakh is recognized as Azerbaijani territory by the international community but was taken over by Armenian secessionists as the Soviet Union broke up in the late 1980s.

Despite a 1994 peace deal, border skirmishes are a frequent occurrence. In April 2016, these escalated into the worst outbreak of fighting since the war, resulting in the deaths of more than 270 military personnel.