EU Reporter (7 May 2023)

By EU Reporter Correspondent

Situated at the crossroads between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation, the Caucasus region is heavily influenced by these two regional superpowers - writes James Wilson.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers last week, intending to broker a lasting peace treaty between these two clashing countries. Many attempts to put the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict to rest have been made over the years, but this is the first time that US officials have taken an active part in the negotiations. It should come as no surprise that Blinken's decision to take a much more active part in the talks comes as a result of the increasing influence of other regional powers on the parties involved. This foreign influence also happens to have a distinct anti-Azerbaijani bias, as both Moscow and Tehran hold much against Baku.

A focal point in the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia is the Armenian-populated separatist exclave in the UN recognised territory of Azerbaijan, in the region of Karabakh. Since the 2020 war fought by Azerbaijan against Armenia over the Karabakh enclave, Russian peacekeepers have been deployed to the area to keep the peace and ensure the passage of goods from Armenia to the Karabakh Armenians and vice versa. But, the Russian forces on the ground soon found themselves pursuing different objectives than the ones stated in their official deployment.

To read the rest of the article, please click: https://www.eureporter.co/world/karabakh/2023/05/07/moscows-playbook-in-karabakh/