“Turkish tensions in Caucasus, East Med will ‘not end well’ – Arab LeagueSecretary-General
Turkey’s role in increased regional tension in the Caucasus and Mediterranean regions “will not end well” for the country, the head of the Arab League said on Sunday.
“Turkey is facing a group of differences with regional and superpower parties to a degree that will not end well for it or its leadership,’’ Saudi-based Arab News cited Secretary-General of the league, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, as saying in a televised statement.
The Arab League secretary-general referred to Turkey’s ”military involvement in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Libya,” and Ankara’s tensions with Greece and Cyprus over hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean and Turkey’s interference in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“It annoys me that the Syrians use mercenaries to fight with Azerbaijan against Armenia … It is very sad that Syrian mercenaries are being used by Erdogan in cases that are unrelated to Turkey,” Aboul Gheit said.
Turkey has thrown its full support behind Azerbaijan in the latest bout of fighting in decades that started last week with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Around 900 Syrian mercenaries have been transported to Azerbaijan by Turkish security companies, according to war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Turkey denies that it is sending fighters.
Last month, the Arab League issued a statement, condemning Turkey’s activities in the Middle East and East Mediterranean.