Russia leaves little room for Turkey in Azeri-Armenian truce
The terms of the Russian-sponsored deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia speak of Moscow’s reluctance to let Turkey increase its influence in the region.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to end hostilities in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh under a Russian-sponsored deal that sidelines the United States and Europe from settlement efforts and leaves little diplomatic say to Turkey despite its military support for Azerbaijan.
The agreement, announced in the wee hours of Nov. 10, allows Azerbaijan to retain areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that it has recaptured in clashes since Sept. 27 and requires Armenia to hand over several adjacent areas over the next few weeks.
Under the deal, the Agdam region and Armenian-controlled areas in the Kazak region would be returned to Azerbaijan by Nov. 20. A Russian peacekeeping force comprised of 1,960 troops, 90 armored vehicles, 380 other vehicles and special equipment would deploy along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the so-called Lachin Corridor, the main road from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, under a five-year mandate that is automatically renewable if neither side objects six months in advance.
Other areas Armenia would return to Azerbaijan include Kalbajar, to be handed over by Nov. 15, and the Lachin region by Dec. 1, excluding the five-kilometer (three-mile)-wide Lachin Corridor. Shusha — Nagorno-Karabakh’s second-largest city, which Azeri forces seized Nov. 8 — would remain in Azeri hands. A new road linking Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s largest city, to Armenia would be constructed in three years in the Lachin corridor. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, would gain passage to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an Azeri exclave separated from the mainland by a strip of Armenian land, and the link would be controlled by Russian border guards.
