Turkey increasing risk in Karabakh conflict by giving resources to Azerbaijan, says Pompeo
Washington [US], October 16 (ANI/Sputnik): US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview on Thursday that Turkey is increasing the risk in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by supplying resources to Azerbaijan.
"It is dangerous. We now have the Turks, who have stepped in and provided resources to Azerbaijan, increasing the risk, increasing the firepower that's taking place in this historic fight over this place called Nagorno-Karabakh, a small territory with about 150,000 people," Pompeo said.
Pompeo stressed that the conflict is a longstanding one and its resolution should only come through peaceful negotiations rather than by arms "and certainly not with third-party countries coming in to lend their firepower to what is already a powder keg of a situation."
"We're hopeful that the Armenians will be able to defend against what the Azerbaijanis are doing, and that they will all, before that takes place, get the ceasefire right, and then sit down at the table and try and sort through this - that is - what is a truly historic and complicated problem set," Pompeo added.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with Sputnik earlier that there is evidence of Turkey deploying militants from Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh because Azerbaijan cannot fight there on its own.
Pashinyan also said Turkey's and Azerbaijan's plans to take control of Nagorno-Karabakh with a blitzkrieg have failed so far.
The fighting on the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh started on September 27 with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of initiating the hostilities. The international community strongly condemned the escalation and called on the parties to settle the conflict via dialogue, while Turkey has pledged its full support for Azerbaijan.
The two sides have agreed to a Russian-brokered humanitarian ceasefire last week, but fighting has continued. (ANI/Sputnik)
