Armenian consul in LA: Pompeo hopes for new ceasefire in Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Consul General in Los Angeles Armen Baibourtian said Thursday, October 22 that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed hope for the possible establishment of a new ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, after separate meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on October 23 in Washington.

Baibourtian reminded about the previous two attempts at establishing truce – the first on October 10 and the second on October 18 – which Azerbaijan did not honor. He added that Azerbaijan refuses to introduce verification mechanisms, which would reveal which side is violating the ceasefire.

“The Armenian party prioritizes the establishment of such a mechanism”, he told a press conference in Los Angeles, adding that the U.S. administration should take more practical actions to restrain Turkey.

“We are dealing with Turkish aggression – not only with Turkish participation, but also its direct aggression. Turkey seeks to expand its influence in the region through ethnic cleansing of Armenians. Turkey wishes to become co-chairing country of the Minsk Group, yet the country is biased in this conflict and its involvement in that format is inacceptable.

“The co-chairing countries – Russia, the U.S. and France – are trying to keep the current format intact”, he said.

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.