Üsküdar Üniversitesi Head of Medical Pathology Department, General President of Anatolian Intellectuals' Hearth, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Öztek, stated that the Karabakh issue is an unhealed wound of the Turkish world.
Prof. Dr. İbrahim Öztek participated as a speaker in a conference titled “Karabakh is Azerbaijan” as a guest of the Istanbul Loyal Heartfelt Friends Association on the evening of October 29. Following the opening speech by the association president Hüseyin Kurtaran, the 97th Anniversary of the Republic was also celebrated.
“It became an unhealed wound of the Turkish world”
Evaluating the importance given to Karabakh since Peter the Great and Catherine II within a historical context, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Öztek said, “According to Russian strategists, Karabakh is the heart of the Caucasus, and whoever dominated this region could dominate the geographies of Anatolia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Karabakh could also be a stepping stone to reach warm seas. And so it happened. Following the Ottoman-Russian and Iran-Russian wars in 1804, 1813, 1828, and 1829, some Armenians living in Anatolia and Iran were settled in today's Armenia region and Karabakh. Thus, the Russians created a buffer zone between themselves and the Ottoman state. The Armenians settled in the region never remained calm. Whenever they found an opportunity, encouraged by the Russians, they attacked Azerbaijani Turkish lands. From 1887 onwards, with the gangs they formed, they committed massacres and genocides in both Azerbaijan and Anatolia. On March 30-31, 1918 alone, 17,000 Turks were subjected to genocide in Baku. Upon this event, the Caucasian Islamic Army was formed, and the Turkish army under the command of Nuri Pasha gave this terrorist nation the lesson it deserved. The Khojaly genocide on February 25-26, 1992, became an unhealed wound of the Turkish world,” he stated.
“Azerbaijan is fighting the war of its rightful cause”
Underlining that Armenia’s border violations from 2016 have continued to this day, Öztek said, “On September 27, they also violated civilian settlements. They attempted to cut off the oil and gas routes, including TANAP, which goes to Turkey and Western countries via Turkey, in the Tovuz region. Now, they are paying the price for their treachery, the genocides they committed, and the genocides in the Turkish lands they occupied. Azerbaijan is fighting the war for its rightful cause. It is fighting to liberate the homeland territories occupied 30 years ago. Heroic Azerbaijani soldiers have now recaptured cities such as Aghdara, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan, which were in enemy hands. The others will also be liberated within a month. Armenia's losses are significant. Sooner or later, it is doomed to suffer even greater and mass losses. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's rapprochement with Soros and the West has caused Russia to withdraw its support. France, America, and Iran prefer to stay away for now. The strategy of this war should also connect Nakhchivan to Azerbaijan. Because Nakhchivan is the eastern gate of the Turk. This connection will not only bring Turkey and Azerbaijan closer but will also be a unifying path for the Turkish world.”