Pompeo hopes Armenia ‘defends’ itself against Azerbaijan, criticizes Turkey | Al Arabiya

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Thursday that Armenia would "defend" itself against Azerbaijan, appearing to show sympathy to one side over the other in the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.


"We're hopeful that the Armenians will be able to defend against what the Azerbaijanis are doing," Pompeo said in an interview with WBS radio in Atlanta.

He added that Armenia and Azerbaijan should "get the ceasefire right, and then sit down at the table and try and sort through this.”

The top US diplomat also criticized Turkey over its involvement in the conflict.

"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," Pompeo said.

“The resolution of that conflict ought to be done through negotiation and peaceful discussions, not through armed conflict, and certainly not with third party countries coming in to lend their firepower to what is already a powder keg of a situation,” he added.