JRL NEWSWATCH: “Caucasus ceasefire cements Turkey as a power in Russia’s backyard; Azerbaijan-Armenia truce underlines new regional balance between Moscow and Ankara” – Financial Times/ Henry Foy, Laura Pitel
“… a six-week-long conflict with Armenia over … Nagorno-Karabakh … resulted in major gains for Azerbaijan and its Turkish-backed military …. A truce … freezes the conflict … includ[ing] agreements that [Russian ally] Armenia … must hand over additional land …. While the truce was brokered by Moscow — which has deployed [nearly 2,000] peacekeepers — … Azerbaijan’s success with Turkey’s support has cemented Ankara’s newfound influence in the Caucasus …. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani … but it and … [some] adjacent regions have been occupied by Armenia[] … since the early 1990s. … [T]he truce affirms … Putin’s role as … regional arbiter[] … [but] at the cost of recognising Turkey as a geopolitical actor … who[] … tipped the scales of a dispute that Moscow … … balanced for more than 25 years. … Russia and Turkey are haggling over details … including … [the prospect of] Turkish troops …. Turkey will be involved in a ‘joint centre’ for monitoring [ceasefire] adherence ….”