'Azerbaijan has liberated 193 settlements from Armenia'

ANKARA The Azerbaijani army has liberated 193 settlements from Armenian occupation, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Sunday as clashes in Karabakh continue for over four weeks. "The heroic Azerbaijan army continues to save its occupied territories by demonstrating its strength and capabilities at the front line," it said on Twitter. 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.

 Fresh clashes erupted on Sept. 27, and since then Armenia has repeatedly attacked Azerbaijani civilians and forces, even violating three humanitarian cease-fires since Oct. 10. While world powers have called for a sustainable cease-fire, Turkey has supported Baku's right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces. Multiple UN resolutions also call for the withdrawal of the invading forces.