... South Caucasus are primarily pursued within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, encompassing geopolitical, geoeconomic, and security dimensions. Accordingly, China has sought to deepen diversified cooperation with Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia.
The South Caucasus is not only strategically significant but also a complex region characterized by sharply conflicting interests among major global powers. By leveraging its economic and technological cooperation opportunities, China can steadily strengthen ...
...
However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the seizure of the Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan districts by Armenian forces during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, approximately 240 kilometers of the former Soviet-era railway infrastructure in the South Caucasus came under Armenian control. Under these circumstances, Armenia completely dismantled its southern railway line, which had previously connected Nakhichevan to the Republic of Azerbaijan and had sustained damage during the conflict. Further along this corridor, the ...
... University
Dmitry Sidorov, Head of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies, Moscow State Linguistic University
Andrey Areshev, Political Analyst, Expert at the Foundation for Strategic Culture
Discussion Highlights
Tigran Meloyan
Russia continues to view Armenia as a strategic partner and ally in the South Caucasus and remains committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Yerevan.
The current period of geopolitical turbulence has exposed shortcomings in Russia’s and Armenia’s ability to meet each other’s expectations. As a result, bilateral ...
... countries also share deep historical and cultural ties, with Azeris in Iran forming the second-largest ethnic group after Persians. This puts Iran in a difficult position between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as it tries to maintain a balance between supporting Armenians, its traditional ally, and avoiding stirring up Azeri nationalism within Iran.
The regional map of influence has undergone drastic changes, with Iran losing much of its traditional sway in the South Caucasus following Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh War. These changes come at a time when Iran’s regional and international standing is far from ideal. In this context, tensions with Moscow reveal a complex diplomatic game that requires ...
... President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron twice
called
Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a bid to find common ground between EU interests and the Sochi-Moscow Russia-Azerbaijan-Armenia negotiating format.
Andrey Petrov:
Peace in South Caucasus: What Awaits Russia in Armenia?
The beginning of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine overhauled this balance. First of all, the positions of Russia and the West have become holistic. There is no room left for nuances or shades. That is why Moscow
sees
the EU mission in ...
... the very potential for weakening Russian-Armenian ties after the forceful resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, which surely coupled with the zero point of Armenia’s foreign policy decisions.
Sergei Melkonian, Jason Wahlang:
India in the South Caucasus: Implications for Russia, Iran and Turkey
Armenia no longer has the need to compete with Azerbaijan for the Russian policy efforts in South Caucasus, while its services as an agent of foreign influence in the region have seen a sharp increase in demand recently from ‘buyers’ such as France,...
... SWATHI radars, anti-tank missiles with ammunition, 155mm artillery pieces and anti-UAV systems. Notably, Armenia became the first foreign operator of the Akash SAM system. According to
Indian experts
, having become the largest importer of Indian arms, Armenia is gradually turning into India's strategic ally in the South Caucasus. In addition to military deals, the mutual appointment of military attachés by the parties was another key moment of progress in the defense sector.
Other important areas of cooperation between Yerevan and New Delhi, which have a strategic ...
... Armenian-Azerbaijani and Armenian-Turkish borders have not been opened yet, but these bilateral issues do not constitute a region-wide problem. Even if not de jure, then at least de facto, South Caucasus is now a peaceful region, once again.
Sergey Markedonov:
Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict: Last Chapter or More to Come?
Peace in South Caucasus is what Russia sought for three decades, but it was restored at a price—a temporary ratcheting up of anti-Russian tendencies in Armenia. Yet, it is beyond any doubt a geopolitical and geo-economic gain or dividend in Russia’s foreign ...
... innovative businesses.
Opportunities
Under-explored markets such as renewable energy, biological agriculture and high-tech;
Affordable and skilled labour resources available;
Possible regional cooperation between the three main countries - Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan - instead of seeking different alliances outside the South Caucasus
Threats
Remaining ethnic tensions (internal and external) and the constraint of continuous political repetition compulsion regarding the de facto autonomous territories;
Laissez-faire the corruption and cronyism at all levels of the ...
... that it was just a couple of months ago. There is apparently no appetite for confronting Russia either in Belarus, or in the South Caucasus, not to mention Central Asia.
The United States is obsessed with its election drama; the European Union struggles ... ... For instance, the Russian public has expressed an implicitly negative attitude towards a possible interference into the Azeri-Armenian conflict. It may be concluded that, given the pandemic, the so-called “Crimean consensus” is becoming entirely ineffective,...
