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Turkey backs Azerbaijan against Armenia as war looms over Caucasus

Armenia and Azerbaijan are once again fighting over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in a conflict that could draw in Russia and Turkey.
A picture taken on September 28, 2020 shows an unexploded artillery shell on a road on the outskirts of the Azerbaijani city of Tartar during clashes between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region. (Photo by Tofik BABAYEV / AFP) (Photo by TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images)

As renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh enters its second day, the question of why now is looming ever larger, amid fears of a full blown conflict in the Caucasus that could draw in Russia and Turkey.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement today that Turkey already had a “direct presence on the ground” and that Turkish military experts were “fighting side by side” with Azerbaijani forces who were using Turkish weapons and aircraft.

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