The Conflict In Nagorno-Karabakh Within The International Scenario
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14666/2194-7759-6-2-005Keywords:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh, EU, Russia, Four-Day WarAbstract
In April 2016, Azerbaijan and Armenia resumed their conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, reawakening tensions that had not been settled since the first years of the Soviet Legacy and, most of all, the end of the 1992-94 war. The first part of the present article aims at investigating the main historical and political reasons behind this “frozen conflict”. In order to reach this goal, the author will analyze the main issues in support of the status quo in the area, such as the Turko-Russian influence, the role of the European Union (EU) and the situation of minorities and IDPs. The article also offers an analysis of the Minsk Group, originally formed by the OSCE for conflict prevention and resolution in the territory, and proposes new perspectives to overcome the power games affecting its current structure and activity. Particularly, in the conclusion, the author promotes the benefits of an exercise of soft power such as a ground-level cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan. Especially if placed within a wider reform of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), this promotion of structural reforms in Nagorno-Karabakh might represent a valuable model to look at within the relations entertained by the EU with its Eastern Partners.
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