US Concerned about Turkey's Interference in Armenia-Azerbaijan Clashes

On Thursday U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Turkey’s interference in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia increased the risk in the region, repeating his call for the issue to be resolved through diplomacy.

Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan under international law but is populated and governed by ethnic Armenians. The clashes raised concerns that Turkey and Russia, which also back opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Libya, may get dragged in.

Turkey has accused Armenia of occupying Azeri territory and vowed full support for Azerbaijan. Ankara frequently called on the Minsk Group, formed to mediate the conflict and led by France, Russia and the United States, to urge Armenia to withdraw from the region.

Pompeo said in an interview with broadcaster WSB Atlanta, “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."

On Friday, the United States expressed to the Turkish government that the acquisition of Russian military systems such as the S-400 is unacceptable, warning of “potentially serious consequences” for its security relationship with Turkey if it activates the system.

State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus started that "If confirmed, we would condemn in the strongest terms the S-400 test missile launch as incompatible with Turkey’s responsibilities as a NATO  Ally and strategic partner of the United States."

These statements came after a local video recorded by "Reuters", which showed the launch of a missile, on the Turkish coast overlooking the Black Sea, where the army is expected to test the Russian S-400 air defence system.

In recent days, Turkey issued a warning restricting passage through airspace and in waters off the coastal region for launch tests.

Since announcing its purchase of the "S-400" system in 2017, Turkey.

By this, it angered the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization "NATO" on the one hand, and it also aroused the anger of the "Russian bear".