ATLANTA – US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo expressed hopes that the Armenians will be able to defend themselves against the Azerbaijanis in a radio interview with Erick Erickson of the Erick Erickson Show on WSB Atlanta on October 15. He offered no indication of US assistance. The excerpt from the transcript of the show below is from the official State Department website.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, I didn’t know your history there in Dubai. Let me – two things, and then I’ll turn to Armenia. What the Emirati leadership did in making the decision not to make hate for Israel the core piece of their foreign policy was bold and will benefit the people of every one of the Emirates, whether it’s in Abu Dhabi, or Dubai, or elsewhere. It’s a good thing for the region. It’s a great thing for the American people, who will have to send fewer there – fewer of their kids to go fight in faraway places in the Middle East. The risk of terror in the area is reduced too, as we all focus on the real threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
When you say that, you now turn to the conflicts that are there, and you watch what’s taking place in Azerbaijan and Armenia today. It is dangerous. 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, a small territory with about 150,000 people, but —
QUESTION: Right, for the —
SECRETARY POMPEO: — highly contentious.
QUESTION: — last thousand years?
