Controversy: Is Turkey sending mercenaries to Azerbaijan?
Reports received by Greek City Times journalists confirm that Turkey is transferring armed mercenaries from northern Syria to Azerbaijan due to rapidly escalating tensions and clashes with Armenia.
The Greek City Times reported that US journalist Lindsay Snell, who was previously kidnapped by Ankara-supported terrorists in northern Syria and imprisoned for two months after her escape, wrote on Twitter that fighters belonging to the Al-Hamza squadron have arrived in the capital, Baku, via Turkey.
When the journalist was asked via Twitter whether most of the fighters heading for Azerbaijan were from Syria or Libya, she revealed that most of them came from Syria, but that some 70 militants were also in Libya.
Snell published an audio recording of one militant that said "up to 1,000 fighters would be transferred to Azerbaijan". When the Greek City Times attempted to confirm this information, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry categorically denied these transfers.
From Baku, the accusations about the transfer of Syrian terrorists to Azerbaijan are said to be a "misleading campaign" launched by Armenia, the sources used by the American journalist Snell belong to pro-Turkish factions in Syria.
For his part, a spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry told the Greek City Times: "The Armenian parties are in full control of the situation. We are confident in our ability to protect Armenia and Artsaj, and to preserve the security and rights of the Armenian people in their land".
The information on the transfer has created much controversy as it is not clear whether the militias will train the Armenians of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan or remain in support of the forces of their main ally.
The Daily Sahab newspaper states that "terrorists are expected to provide training to Armenian militias on sabotage, raids and improvised explosive devices (IEDs)", citing the Turkish daily Yeni Şafak, citing Azerbaijani media.
On the other hand, the Turkish Ministry of Defence warned Armenia on Monday that it will not play with fire after an Azerbaijani soldier was killed in a clash. Turkey has criticised Armenia for illegally occupying Nagorno-Karabakh, accusing the country of "violating the ceasefire in the Tovuz region by killing an Azerbaijani soldier", the ministry reported on Twitter.
The Nagorno-Karabakh war is an armed conflict that occurred between February 1988 and May 1994 in the small Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the southeastern Caucasus region, a former Soviet province populated by a minority of Armenians and an Azeri majority, completely surrounded by the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have defined borders, but within each territory there are areas which have been declared independent and are part of both. A complex territorial dispute that has not ended and is constantly sparking tension in the Caucasus.
Ankara and Baku, with the participation of the countries' air and land forces, engaged in joint military exercises following the recent Armenian attacks on Azerbaijan's border points between 29 July and 5 August this year.
Official relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are assured, at least until the objective of these militias within Azerbaijani territory is confirmed.