Australian Institute of International Affairs - AIIA (7 June 2024)

Taras KUZIO

The steps towards peace in the South Caucasus should be considered a positive regional movement, and one that deals with lingering Soviet era conflicts. Avoiding irredentist claims to formerly occupied territory won’t be easy, particularly given Russia’s interest in keeping conflict alive.

The way in which European and US leaders relate to the South Caucasus, by supporting one side (Armenia) and stigmatising two others (Azerbaijan, Turkey), you would think they are not interested in peace. This is despite the fact that the region is not only a great source of natural resources, but also strategically important as a crossroads between the Greater Middle East, Eurasia, and Europe. Europe should be applauding Armenia’s signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan and the normalisation of Armenia’s relations with Turkey.

When the USSR was in the throes of disintegration at the end of the 1980s, ethnic and other forms of conflict began to take place in different parts of the Soviet sphere. In all these cases the conflicts were organised and manipulated by the Soviet KGB to discredit popular movements demanding democratic and national rights.

To read the rest of the article, please click: https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/why-europe-should-support-peace-in-the-south-caucasus/