Putin seeks to reassert influence in the Caucasus

Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to Azerbaijan, it is clear that he wants to remain a power broker in the Caucasus. However, whether it has the means to do so remains an open question.

Putin’s August 18-19 trip to Baku took place against the backdrop of the collapse of Russia’s strategic partnership with Armenia, the outcome of which led to Yerevan. INCREASE its political and security ties with the West and an ongoing Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. Despite this, Putin maintained a normal attitude throughout his stay in Azerbaijan, mainly promoting the economic benefits of a “Declaration of Alliance” signed between Russia and Azerbaijan in 2022, just days before the unprovoked attack began of Russia over Ukraine.

“Here we can talk not only about energy, but also about industrial cooperation, transport, logistics, light industry. We have many areas of joint work,” Putin told Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in prepared remarks ahead of a one-on-one meeting. Aliyev, meanwhile, emphasized Azerbaijan’s commitment to preserve and surrender Russian, saying that more than 300 Russian schools in the country had more than 160,000 students enrolled.

Aliyev went on to note Russia’s role in maintaining peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Given Russia’s strained relations with Armenia, a question on many minds during the visit was: Can Moscow do anything to produce a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan?

Putin certainly seems to want to try. At one point, he told Aliyev that he would “be happy” to facilitate efforts to delimit and demarcate the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as well as broker the signing of a peace agreement. He certainly does not want to find himself, or Russia, on the sidelines of peace negotiations.

“Russia’s historical involvement in the situation in the South Caucasus, even in recent years, dictates the need for us to participate in these events (the peace process – of course, to the extent that it is requested by the parties – this is without a doubt),” statement published by the presidential press office of Azerbaijan, Putin said.

Armenian officials, who accuse Moscow of failing to meet security guarantees during the Second Karabakh War, appear far from open to the idea of ​​greater Russian involvement in the peace process. On August 19, a representative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry accused Russian diplomats made “clearly biased, often disrespectful comments” about Armenia and questioned Russia’s commitment to promoting “constructive engagement” between Armenian and Azerbaijani officials.

Of Eurasianet.org

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