Online published on 24 November, 2011.
The long-standing dispute about the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan has simmered down in recent years, partly due to international mediation mechanisms in the context of the more acute conflicts in the North Caucasus but it remains explosive as it straddles areas of influence disputed between great regional powers, Russia, Iran, Turkey as well as the US and the EU. The antagonism between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet Republics, also has undertones of Christian-Muslim enmity. Predictably Turkey supports the claims of Turkic Azerbaijan and Russia backs Armenia, which enables it to maintain a military presence in this strategic region. The history and present situation of the conflict are depicted in this article.
