The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan shows no sign of stopping as it continues for the tenth day on Tuesday. The dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh has taken an interesting turn as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan of being the main instigator.
In an interview published on Tuesday that is likely to exacerbate international frictions over the clashes in the South Caucasus region, Assad also said militants from Syria were being deployed to the conflict area.
However, Turkey has denied any involvement in the fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The region is a mountain enclave that belongs to Azerbaijan under international law but is governed by ethnic Armenians.
“He (Erdogan) … was the main instigator and the initiator of the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Assad told Russian news agency RIA.
Assad supported the allegations made by French President Emmanuel Macron that Turkey has sent Syrian militants to exacerbate the conflict.
Ankara did not immediately respond but has described similar accusations as part of attempts by Armenia to create “dark propaganda” about Turkey.
More than 250 people have been reported killed – and many more are feared dead – in clashes that have been fought with artillery, drones and tanks.