Russian Intelligence: Turkish intelligence embedded with Syrian mercenaries in Nagorno-Karabakh
(North Press) – Head of Russian Foreign Intelligence Sergey Naryshkin revealed on Friday that intelligence helped Moscow obtain accurate information about the participation of Syrian mercenaries in battles in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“We have precise information about the presence of terrorists in the combat zone in the Karabakh region, from the Middle East, and from Syria primarily,” Naryshkin said in a TV interview.
He added, “We receive this information from several countries, from various sources, and specialized partner agencies in the Middle East and the Near East.”
Naryshkin confirmed the presence of Turkish intelligence services in Nagorno-Karabakh, saying, “We feel the work of the Turkish intelligence and we see certain elements of this work.”
Three days ago, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed that the number of fighters from the Middle East in Nagorno-Karabakh is close to 2,000.
Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh, is a mountainous region officially recognized as part of Azerbaijan, though it has a predominately Armenian population and is a de facto independent country which calls itself the Republic of Artsakh. The current fighting is the fiercest since the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Artsakh’s declaration of its autonomy from Azerbaijan.
Earlier, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev denied the presence of mercenaries in his country, and criticized Lavrov’s statements in which he spoke about the participation of Syrian mercenaries in the conflict.
Aliyev stated his opinion that senior officials of countries, which should be neutral, act on the basis of the mandate granted to them by Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Moscow does not understand the reasons for the Azerbaijani president’s agitation over Minister Lavrov’s statements about foreign mercenaries in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Aides to the Azerbaijani president may have informed him of statements made by another person or provided him with their own explanations,” TASS Agency quoted the source as saying.