Canada says Turkey and others should ‘stay out of the conflict’ in Nagorno-Karabakh

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada made clear to Turkey on Friday that it and other nations should stay out of the conflict between Armenian and Azeri forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, said Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.

Champagne, who will fly to Europe on Sunday for talks with allies on the crisis, said he had urged Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to help deescalate the conflict and encourage close ally Azerbaijan to take part in peace talks.

“My message was very clear, that Turkey and all external parties should stay out of the conflict … we had a firm discussion where I was firm with him as to where Canada stands,” he told reporters on a conference call.