Karabakh: Macron demands "explanations" from Turkey on the presence of jihadists
French President Emmanuel Macron at the European summit in Brussels, October 1, 2020. Francisco Seco / POOL / AFP
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The French president denounces the interference of jihadist groups in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Emmanuel Macron will call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to demand “explanations”, he announced on Friday, calling on NATO to “look in the face” of the actions of Ankara, a member of the alliance.
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In his statement to the press at the
European summit this Thursday in Brussels
, the French president did not beat around the bush.
"
According to our own information, 300 fighters left Syria to reach Baku via Gaziantep [in Turkey],
"
Emmanuel Macron
said
.
They are known, traced, identified, they come from jihadist groups operating in the Aleppo region
.
Other contingents are preparing, roughly the same size.
A red line is crossed, it is unacceptable.
"
France, along with Russia and the United States, is part
of the OSCE “
Minsk group
” responsible for mediating this conflict.
"
I will call President Erdogan in the next few days because as co-chairman of the Minsk group, I consider that it is France's responsibility to ask for explanations
", insisted the French head of state .
Ankara, Baku's most loyal ally
Fighting escalated in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on Thursday despite new calls for a ceasefire.
This territory, mostly populated by Armenians, had seceded from Azerbaijan, leading to a war in the early 1990s which left 30,000 dead.
Since Sunday, the forces of the separatist enclave, supported by Armenia, and those of Azerbaijan have clashed in the deadliest fighting since 2016. Turkey is Azerbaijan's most loyal ally.
►
To read also: Nagorno-Karabakh: the fighting still so intense, the Armenian diaspora is mobilizing
"
Face it
" Turkey's behavior
In addition, Emmanuel Macron called out to NATO: "
I invite all NATO partners to simply look in the face what the behavior of a NATO member is: I don't think that is relevant. .
"
The 27 estimated this Friday that there can be "
no military solution to the conflict, nor any interference
" in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in their conclusions of the first day of the summit.
Moscow had reported Wednesday information similar to that of Emmanuel Macron.
Russia, a regional power which maintains cordial relations with the two ex-Soviet republics, has also expressed concern about the role of Turkey, a geopolitical competitor but with whom it has pragmatic relations.
►
To read also:
Emmanuel Macron on the diplomatic offensive
►
See also: Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh: Israel, a long-time partner of Azerbaijan
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France
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