... the single state. One should keep in mind that going beyond the post-Soviet political geography was primarily
determined
by the situation in the Caucasus: among radical Jihadis fighting in the Middle East were quite a few natives of the Russian North Caucasus republics, of Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Whatever international security problems are put at the forefront today, thereby overshadowing the Caucasus challenges, this region retains its independent significance. The armed conflicts that accompanied the collapse of the ...
... a Turkish jet on 24th November 2015 over the Turkey-Syria border, and likely to escalate more taking the diverging and increasingly opposing positions to each other in the Syrian crisis into account, seem to have spillover effects also on the South Caucasus and particularly on Turkish-Azerbaijani ties.
Turkish authorities have always interpreted Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijan territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other districts, not just through the prism of a foreign policy issue, but rather like a domestic problem,...
... Syrian conflict and the unsettled Kurdish issue, Turkey today appears to be involved in Middle Eastern affairs to a far greater degree. Nevertheless, the author does not consider this to be an obstacle hindering Ankara’s intensified activity in the Caucasus. Furthermore, given strategic cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan, it could easily become an additional risk factor in relations with Armenia.
What will happen to the region should Moscow for some reason or other lose interest in it? These are the questions that the author fails to answer.
Jos Boonstra pays ...
