Russia, backed by Turkey, has brokered a ceasefire to end the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh that sees Azerbaijan keep hold of military gains made in six weeks of combat but is a major setback for Armenia. Analysts say the deal is hugely significant and will have major repercussions in the Caucasus region and beyond.
Times of India reports in its article Five reasons why Russia's Karabakh deal is pivotal on reasons why the accord -- agreed between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia -- is a game-changing moment.
The deal brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin formalises key military gains made by Azerbaijan to control territory around Karabakh and the strategic town of Shusha. "It's a gain that is symbolic and strategically important," said Emmanuel Dreyfus, of the Institute for Strategic Research at the Military School (IRSEM). He noted that people displaced in the conflict will be able to return to their original regions. He added that the deal excluded any “resumption of the conflict in the short of medium term”.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who now faces growing anger at home, says Yerevan had “no alternative” but to accept the accord after a string of setbacks. Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center, wrote that the deal could “weaken or end” the rule of Pashinyan and there may be a sense of “betrayal” towards Russia. But the fighting has ended with Russia sending peacekeepers to a region. “As everywhere in the post-Soviet region, it was Russia which had the upper hand on the management of the crisis,” said Dreyfus.
Turkey was not officially a party to the accord but the deal came after intense telephone talks in the last few days between officials, including a call between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Western diplomacy had no impact on the conflict.
