Turkey open to four-way talks to resolve conflict in occupied Karabakh

Ankara has said it would favour four-way talks between Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey to try to solve a conflict in occupied Karabakh, where a ceasefire is not being respected.

“As Mr. Aliyev stated ‘Since Russia sides with Armenia and Turkey sides with Azerbaijan, we as four nation can sit down and talk to resolve this issue.’ As Turkey, we won’t say ‘no’ to this call,” Ibrahim Kalin, Turkey's presidential spokesman said in a televised interview on Haber Global.

His statement comes after more than two weeks of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the region left hundreds dead.

"If the Minsk Group hasn't been able to find a solution for more than 30 years, it's time to find a new mechanism," he added in reference to a grouping chaired by France, Russia and the US set up to find a resolution to the conflict.

A ceasefire negotiated in Moscow over the latest flare-up in fighting was due to come into force on Saturday, but never saw the light of day with both sides accusing each other of violations.

READ MORE: How Russia is helping Armenia portray the Azerbaijan clash as a holy war

Turkey to probe human rights violations in Karabakh

Meanwhile, Turkey’s parliament formed a subcommittee on Tuesday to probe human rights violations that begun September 27 when Armenian forces targeted civilian Azerbaijani settlements in occupied Karabakh.

"As committee, our mission is not to look on the war crimes committed, and is also to call world opinions' attention to the civilian casualties," Hakan Cavusoglu, head of the Turkish parliament's committee on human rights, told members.

The subcommittee under the human rights committee will also investigate the situation of Turkish citizens of Armenian descent.

Cavusoglu said that the rights of citizens of Armenian descent are under the protection of state law.

"Turkey will never accept building any relationship between our [Armenian] citizens including the thousands of Armenians who illegally work in our country and the clashes [between the two countries]," he said.

Armenian forces launched a missile strike on Azerbaijan's second-largest city, Ganja, at around 2200GMT Saturday (2 am local time Sunday) – despite the region being outside the frontline zone – violating a cease-fire between the two sides and leaving at least 35 civilians wounded, including women and children.

The humanitarian truce had been declared on Saturday for exchanging prisoners and retrieval of bodies of either sides' soldiers in Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognised territory of Azerbaijan.

The ceasefire came after a trilateral meeting was held on Friday in Moscow between Russian, Azerbaijan and Armenia foreign ministers.

Latest fighting

The latest outburst of fighting between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces has left hundreds of people dead in the biggest escalation of the decades-old conflict over occupied Karabakh.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh.

Recent clashes began when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani settlements and military positions in the region.

Many world powers, including Russia, France and the US, have called for a new cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defence and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as many international organisations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying Armenian forces.

READ MORE: Turkey urges EU to take 'consistent stance' on Azerbaijan