U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to “end violence and protect civilians. This comes after nearly a month of intense fighting in the declared breakaway mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan.
Pompeo met separately with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Washington, D.C., on Friday (Oct. 23). The U.S. State Department issued a statement later.
State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said, “The Secretary also emphasized the need for the parties to engage in substantive negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to resolve their differences based on the Helsinki Final Act principles of the non-use of force or threat of force, territorial integrity, equal rights and self-determination of peoples. Conflict.”
Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told VOA as he left the U.S. State Department on Friday that the talks were “very good.” Asked about a timetable for a cease-fire, he said, “We (will) continue to work on it.”
About two dozen demonstrators, mostly Armenians, gathered outside the U.S. State Department on Friday.
Russia made two failed attempts to broker a ceasefire before arranging the meeting in Washington. It was the worst outbreak of fighting in the region in more than 25 years.
Pompeo has joined other global leaders in trying to push for an end to the fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. But Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday that at this stage of the conflict, he does not see a diplomatic solution possible.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that Armenian troops must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh in order to end the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the conflict may have killed some 5,000 people since the violence began.
Turkey said on Wednesday that it would not hesitate to send troops and provide military support to Azerbaijan if the country requests it. Pompeo called on other countries not to add fuel to the conflict.
As Pompeo was about to begin separate meetings in Washington with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he wants to work with Russia to resolve the conflict.
Recent Comments