'Turkey Stands With Baku Amid Clashes With Armenia'

Turkish foreign minister on Monday strongly condemned a deadly attack by Armenian armed forces on Azerbaijani troops.

Mevlut Cavusoglu, in a televised interview, called on Armenia to "pull its head together" and noted that Turkey stands with Azerbaijan "with all it has".

"What Armenia did is unacceptable," Cavusoglu said.

"The Azerbaijani army did what was necessary and repelled these attacks.

"From this [incident], we see that by creating new conflict areas, Armenia wants to draw attention to other places, especially away from the lands it has occupied," he added.

"Whatever solution Baku prefers for the occupied lands and Karabakh, we will stand by Azerbaijan," he said.

Cavusoglu's remarks came shortly after four Azerbaijani soldiers were martyred and four others injured in a border clash with Armenian troops on Sunday.

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

Hagia Sophia

Regarding Turkey's recent decision to reconvert Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia into a mosque after serving decades as a museum, the minister said the country strongly rejects comments that try to intervene in the country's sovereignty rights on the decision.

On Friday, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree that had turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for its use again as a mosque after 85 years.

The court ruled that the architectural gem was owned by a foundation established by Sultan Mehmet II, the conqueror of Istanbul, and presented to the community as a mosque -- a status that cannot be legally changed.

Libya

Furthermore, Cavusoglu reiterated Turkey's aspirations of a cease-fire in Libya and said: "We believe that a political solution is the only solution, but the necessary conditions must be met."

Responding to a question on whether the Libyan government was planning a military operation in the port city of Sirte, controlled by Haftar forces, Cavusoglu said that although there is a preparation for an armed operation, the issue is tried to be solved at the negotiation table.

"We are trying to make Haftar and the forces that support him withdraw," he added.

Cavusoglu said that this is discussed at a 5+5 meeting, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and attended by five people from the Government of National Accord (GNA) and another five from Haftar forces.

During these meetings, the al-Sarraj government suggested the conditions, he added.

"When they return to the 2015 lines, they have to withdraw from both Sirte and Jufra," he added.

Cavusoglu highlighted the strategic importance of these cities, and said: "So they have to withdraw from these [cities]."

Turkey hopes a withdrawal from these areas, a political process, and a permanent cease-fire, he added.

"But this cease-fire should be permanent and binding this time," he added.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to the military offensive by warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces.

The UN recognizes the Libyan government headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj as the country's legitimate authority. -