EDITORIAL: WAR IN THE CAUCASUS
Current Affairs for 26th September, 2023
EDITORIAL: WAR IN THE CAUCASUS
NEWS?
Azerbaijan's military recaptured the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Roots of the conflict- in the final days of Soviet Union when the enclave's majority Armenian Christian population held a referendum to break away from the Shia majority Azerbaijan.
The region was then run by Armenian separatists, backed by Armenian government.
In 2020, Azerbaijan backed by Turkey, fought Armenia, a Russian treaty ally, and captured much of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. After a failed Russia-brokered ceasefire, Azerbaijan blockaded the Lachin Corridor, the main road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
Last week, it attacked Stepanakert in the region, forcing the locals to hand over full control to Baku.
Two important geopolitical shifts seem to have helped Baku– first, Turkey backing Azerbaijan this time; second, Russia's fading influence in the Caucasian region owing to its ongoing war with Ukraine.