US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that he hoped Armenia could "defend" itself against Azerbaijan in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that Turkey’s role had increased the risk of further violence.
The fighting between the two former Soviet republics over the contested territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians, has left more than 500 dead since late September.