Armenian Lawmaker Says Alleged Syrian Militants In Karabakh Pose Threat To North Caucasus

Armenian Lawmaker Says Alleged Syrian Militants in Karabakh Pose Threat to North Caucasus

Armenian lawmaker Arman Abovyan said on Tuesday that Syrian militants that allegedly operate in the breakaway republic of Nagorno-Karabakh could potentially end up in the North Caucasus region

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2020) Armenian lawmaker Arman Abovyan said on Tuesday that Syrian militants that allegedly operate in the breakaway republic of Nagorno-Karabakh could potentially end up in the North Caucasus region.

Earlier in the day, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Sputnik that Turkey was using terrorists from Syria and other countries to support Azerbaijan in the ongoing armed conflict. Assad also accused his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of being the main driving force behind the recent escalation of the conflict.

"Those terrorists that are being brought to South Caucasus, are not, in fact, fighting solely with Artsakh [the self-designation of Nagorno-Karabakh]. This is a direct threat against Russia as well, they [the terrorists] will inevitably appear in North Caucasus very soon," Abovyan said.

The lawmaker added that the international community should counter the alleged use of foreign militants with as much severity as possible, including introducing sanctions.

Since 1991, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been disputing the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-majority autonomy that proclaimed independence from what then was the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

The conflict reignited after Yerevan and Baku on September 27 accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

Most countries, including Russia, have called on the involved parties to cease hostilities and come to the negotiating table. In sharp contrast, Ankara has committed itself to fully supporting Azerbaijan.