Russia's preoccupation with the war in Ukraine is leading to a significant decrease in its influence in the South Caucasus region, particularly in Armenia and Azerbaijan. After a 44-day war between the two countries in 2020 over Nagorno-Karabakh -- a mostly ethnic Armenian region internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan and long at the center of the two countries’ mutual animosity -- Russian President Vladimir Putin mediated a cease-fire, reinforcing Moscow’s traditional role as the region’s power broker. In March, Pashinian said there would be no foreign deployments along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border after a treaty is signed, and the idea is also not really attractive to the Azerbaijanis either, according to Vadim Dubnov, a correspondent for RFE/RL’s Echo of the Caucasus.
Author: RFE/RL staff
Published at: 2025-07-16 21:00:00
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