Resolving Upper Karabakh issue essential for mending ties with Armenia: Erdoğan

Resolving the Upper Karabakhmatter is vital for mending ties with Armenia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Saturday during an official visit to Azerbaijan.

Speaking at an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku by the Caucasian Islamic Army, Erdoğan recalled the 1992 Khojaly massacre that killed hundreds of Azerbaijani citizens.

"Those who cannot explain what happened in Khojaly 26 years ago, the massacre in Upper Karabakh, and declare the killers heroes, should not give Turkey any kind of history lesson," Erdoğan said, referring to Armenia.

He added that "those who occupy 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands and prevent over 1 million Azerbaijanis to return to their land should not expect Turkey to open its borders".

Erdoğan arrived in Azerbaijan earlier in the day to attend ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar accompanied Erdoğan on his visit and Erdoğan had a one-on-one meeting with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines.

The Khojaly Massacre is regarded as one of the bloodiest and most controversial incidents of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan for control of the now-occupied Upper Karabakh region.

On the heels of the Soviet Union's dissolution, Armenian forces took over the town of Khojaly in Karabakh on Feb. 26, 1992, after battering it with heavy artillery and tanks, assisted by an infantry regiment.

The two-hour offensive killed 613 Azerbaijani citizens, including 116 women and 63 children, and critically injured 487 others, according to Azerbaijani figures. Also, 150 of the 1,275 Azerbaijanis that the Armenians captured during the massacre remain missing.

On Sept. 15, 1918, Baku was liberated by the Caucasian Islamic Army, comprised of Azerbaijani and Turkish soldiers.