'Int'l public opinion should speak up against Armenia'

ANKARA

The Turkish Defense Ministry said on Sunday "international public opinion should speak up against Armenia," referring to the Armenian army's attacks on civilian settlements and violation of the temporary cease-fire with Azerbaijan.

"Committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, Armenia now violates the ceasefire," the ministry said on Twitter.

"Even in a ceasefire, Armenia continues to assault civilian settlements," it added.

The Armenian attacks continued despite a humanitarian cease-fire agreed for the exchange of prisoners and retrieval of bodies in Nagorno-Karabakh, which came into force at 12 p.m. local time (0800GMT) on Saturday.

The truce came after a trilateral meeting in Moscow on Friday between the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

Earlier in the day, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said Armenia is “grossly” violating the cease-fire agreement by trying to mount attacks.

Fighting began on Sept. 27, when Armenian forces targeted civilian Azerbaijani settlements and military positions in the region, leading to casualties.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Some 20% of Azerbaijan's territory has remained under illegal occupation by Armenia for roughly three decades.