Russia will not give up the Caucasus to Turkey – international affairs expert
The withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh can be regarded as a symbol of Russia's loss of influence in the Caucasus, but there is no need to rush to do this. Russia itself is to a large extent the Caucasus.
Sergei Markedonov, a leading researcher at the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO, stated this in an interview with the Armenian YouTube channel CivilNet, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Today we can say that the Caucasus is not an exclusive domain of Russian influence, but, at a minimum, a Turkish-Russian condominium. The Turkey factor has increased qualitatively. With the departure of Russian peacekeepers, it is clear that Türkiye is a beneficiary. Azerbaijan will present all this as a final victory, but these processes are non-linear.
The Caucasus is important to Russia. Russia itself is a North Caucasian power. It will be present in the region, even if somewhere its participation will be less,” Markedonov said.
He recalled how in 2006, when Russian troops left Georgia and there were feelings that this was the most pro-NATO country in the Caucasus, but already in 2008 the situation changed.
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