Turkey on Tuesday urged the world to stand by Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and questioned the utility of a ceasefire in the ethnic Armenian separatist region.

 

"To put these two countries on equal footing means awarding the occupier. The world must be on the side of those who are right, namely on the side of Azerbaijan," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on a visit to Baku, adding: "There are calls for a ceasefire, but what will happen next?"

 

The visit comes a day after Russia, the United States and France called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to agree an "unconditional ceasefire" after the neighbours began shelling major cities in an escalation of their conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. 

 

Cavusoglu said the latest call for a ceasefire was "no different" from the previous ones. 

 

"Ok, let the ceasefire take place but what will be the result? Can you (the world) tell Armenia to immediately withdraw from Azerbaijani territories or can you produce solutions for its withdrawal? No," he said. 

 

"They have been making the same call for nearly 30 years."