Davutoglu says Turkey stands by Azerbaijan in Karabakh conflict

Turkey will continue to stand by Azerbaijan in the conflict with the Armenian-backed militias in the occupied Karabakh region, said the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday.

Speaking at a meeting of his Ak Party in parliament, Davutoglu said "The whole world needs to know that Turkey will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Azerbaijan against Armenian aggression and occupation until the end of time."

"Each soldier martryred in Azerbaijan is our martyr. We will stand by Azerbaijan until all of its land, including Karabakh, is liberated," he continued.

Davutoglu's remarks came as Azerbaijani Defence Ministry stated that four Azeri civilians and 16 servicemen have died in Armenian attacks in the occupied Karabakh region in the last two days.

"I express my condolences to all Azeris ... over the deaths of Azeri citizens resulting from Armenian attacks," Davutoglu said.

The recent fighting, which is stopped on Tuesday is one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence since a 1994 peace treaty between the countries brought about through Russian mediation.

The conflict between the two countries started with Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan in 1988 during the disintegration of the Soviet Union, of which both Azerbaijan and Armenia were constituent states.

Since 1992 the Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Karabakh region - a landlocked mountainous region - and seven surrounding districts.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also has stated that Turkey backs Azerbaijan in its struggle against Armenian militias saying, "The fire of Armenia's massacres in Karabakh continues to burn in our hearts."

"Karabakh will surely be returned to its rightful owner, Azerbaijan, one day," he added.