Turkey denounces French decision on Karabakh

The Turkish defence minister has criticised a so-called resolution in the French Senate urging the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as "a republic".

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hulusi Akar said on Thursday: "[The decision] once again showed that France is part of the problem not the solution in the Karabakh issue."

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory recognised as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

READ MORE: Erdogan, Putin discuss Karabakh as Azerbaijani army takes over Kalbajar

New clashes erupted on September 27 and ended with a Russian-brokered truce six weeks later.

According to international law and the United Nations resolutions Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other regions occupied by Armenia belong to Azerbaijan.

The French President Emmanuel Macron in a video also said that the Yerevan occupied territories belong to Baku.

READ MORE: Azerbaijan slams France for its biased resolution on Karabakh

'France be fair!"

Azerbaijani officials also criticised the French resolution.

Several dozen people protested in front of the French embassy in the capital, Baku, on Thursday, chanting “France, be fair!” The country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Wednesday that the document can only be seen "as a provocation."

Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev denounced the resolution on Thursday as a “piece of paper adopted to serve narrow political ambitions," and said that France's “open pro-Armenian position... has become one of the main factors hindering the peaceful resolution of the conflict."

READ MORE: Russia strengthens border guards in Armenia after Karabakh ceasefire

Illegal raid on Turkish ship

On the illegal search of a Turkish-flagged commercial ship by an EU operation to enforce a Libya arms embargo, defence minister Akar said the responsible parties are trying to "blame each other as they are aware it was illegal."

Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke over the phone on Thursday, a diplomatic source said.

The two leaders discussed matters pertaining to the illegal search of a Turkish-flagged vessel bound for Libya, eastern Mediterranean, Nagorno-Karabakh and Afghanistan.

"Discussed preparations for next week’s Foreign Ministers Meeting w/ @NATO SG @jensstoltenberg. Emphasised that forceful boarding to our ship is unacceptable," Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

Turkey has consistently opposed Greece's efforts to declare an exclusive economic zone based on small islands near Turkish shores, violating the interests of Turkey, the country with the longest coastline on the Mediterranean.

READ MORE: Turkey: Greek-led EU mission's search of Libya-bound ship illegal