Turkish actor Cem Uçan, who starred as Aliyar Bey in the smash hit TV series Resurrection: Ertugrul, posted an Instagram story to show solidarity with Azerbaijan on the 29th anniversary of its independence amid the ongoing conflict in the Armenia-occupied Upper Karabakh region, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.
The 44-year-old shared images of the national flags of Turkey and Azerbaijan and wrote, “Happy 29th anniversary of Independence, beloved Azerbaijan,” expressing solidarity with Baku in its fight for territorial integrity.
Border clashes broke out on Sept. 27, when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties.
Relations between the two ex-Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.
On Oct. 10, Baku and Yerevan agreed to a cease-fire starting midday to allow a prisoner exchange and the retrieval of bodies in Upper Karabakh.
Before 24 hours passed over the agreement, the Armenian army carried out a missile attack on the city of Ganja in Azerbaijan, killing 10 people and injuring 35 others.
A second ceasefire was agreed on Saturday after the deal brokered by Russia a week earlier failed to halt the worst fighting in the South Caucasus since the 1990s. More than 1,000 people have been killed since fighting began on Sept. 27
