U.S. hopeful Armenians will defend against Azerbaijan – Pompeo

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Thursday, October 15 that Armenia would "defend" itself against Azerbaijan.

"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 (via AFP).

Pompeo voiced hope that the two sides would "get the ceasefire right, and then sit down at the table and try and sort through... what is a truly historic and complicated problem set."

"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.

Pompeo confirmed earlier that the United States is aware of Turkey's involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying that Ankara is "reinforcing" Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and Syrian and Libyan mercenaries deployed by Ankara, started a war against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. Foreign and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages.

Donations can be made to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, which has launched a fundraising campaign to support humanitarian efforts in Karabakh.