Russia has a strong trump card - the keys to Karabakh
Not only has Turkey's physical presence in Azerbaijan increased, but its political influence has also grown.
This was stated by Konstantin Makienko, deputy director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), in an interview with Moskovsky Komsomolets, as reported by PolitNavigator correspondent , in response to a question about whether Turkey's military presence in Azerbaijan had increased following the war in Karabakh.
“Yes, it is quite obvious that the Turkish presence in Azerbaijan has sharply increased. But it is important that there was not just an increase in physical presence, but also an increase in Ankara’s influence. Moreover, the increased prestige and influence will now have an impact on the situation not only in the South Caucasus, but also in Central Asia, the North Caucasus, and the Volga region. You need to understand that military presence and growing influence are not identical concepts,” the analyst said.
According to him, Turkey has increased both its presence and influence, while Russia has only increased its presence.
“But Russia, as a result of the good work of diplomacy and the military, has a strong trump card - the keys to Karabakh, which has actually become a Russian protectorate, now lie in Moscow. In general, there is a feeling that Russian diplomacy works very well in crisis situations, achieving the maximum possible even under unfavorable circumstances. This does not negate the fact that in retrospect, after the collapse of the USSR, Russia’s influence and attractiveness in the post-Soviet space are consistently weakening,” Makienko believes.
Russia now has a powerful trump card – the keys to Karabakh.