New clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh; Pompeo says Turkey makes situation worse

FILE PHOTO: A burnt car is seen outside a hospital, which, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, was damaged during recent shelling by Azeri armed forces, in the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in Martakert October 15, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer

YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - Armenian and Azeri forces fought new clashes on Friday, defying hopes of ending nearly three weeks of fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Turkey for inflaming the situation by arming the Azeris.

The worst outbreak of violence in the South Caucasus since Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over the enclave in the 1990s, the fighting risks creating a humanitarian disaster, especially if it draws in Russia and Turkey.