ANKARA

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement early Monday strongly condemning a deadly attack by Armenian armed forces on Azerbaijani troops.

The ministry said the fact that Armenia’s action, which is a new manifestation of its understanding of aggressive nationalism, was repelled by Azerbaijan is a concrete indication that aggression will not be left unanswered.

On Sunday, three Azerbaijani soldiers were martyred and four others injured in a border clash with Armenian troops.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said the Armenian army had fired on positions held by Azerbaijan in the northwestern Tovuz region.

The ministry also pointed out that such moves -- which Armenia makes to distract the international community’s attention from its years-long illegal occupation of the Azerbaijani region of Upper Karabakh and its surrounding areas and to add new dimensions to the conflict -- are doomed to remain inconclusive.

Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, is an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan that has been illegally occupied since 1991 through Armenian military aggression.

The ministry also called on the Armenian side to give up such “dangerous tactics” and urged it to act with common sense in following the law.

It noted that undertaking adventurousness for ambitions exceeding its own capacity showcases Armenia’s weakness in reasoning and constitutes the biggest obstacle to peace and stability in the region.

It added that Armenia’s efforts to cover up its aggression should not be accepted by the international community.

Turkey strongly condemns the attack by Armenian armed forces on Azerbaijan’s Tovuz region, the ministry said, conveying its condolences to the friendly nation of Azerbaijan over the lost lives.

It also wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.

“Turkey, with all its facilities, will continue to stand with Azerbaijan in its fight to protect its territorial integrity,” the ministry added.

*Contributions and writing by Sena Guler