Page 58 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine May 2024

58 Opinion
serve Russian interests and not oppose the strengthening of
the West in the region.
Aliyev described the April 5 meeting as a step by the US and the EU to isolate Azerbaijan. By speaking about the danger of Azerbaijan's isolation, Aliyev thus admits that he has lost the game he started with Russia to push the West out of the South Caucasus. Aliyev's "big game" has brought the opposite result.
By refusing to conclude a treaty with Armenia through the mediation of the US and the EU, Azerbaijan aimed to remove extra-regional forces from the region. Azerbaijan did not
“The US and France are also participating in the reforms of the Armenian armed forces, which would have seemed like a fantasy years ago”
want to see the US and the EU as mediators in the Armenian- Azerbaijani negotiation process; now it will be forced to see them as the most important partners of Armenia.
Armenia, which is striving for rapprochement with the West in the military, economic, and political spheres, is becoming a reliable partner of the US and the EU in the region. This means that the plans of Russia and Azerbaijan to expel the West from the South Caucasus were defeated by Yerevan.
Moreover, if Armenia and Georgia become members of the European Union by 2030, the South Caucasus will become the eastern gateway of the EU. In other words, there is serious potential for establishing the institutional presence of the West and removing Russia from the region.
If Aliyev is compelled to hold a meeting with Armenia in Washington or Brussels to overcome isolation, the West will become central to that process. However, the aggressive, unpredictable, and unreliable policy of Azerbaijan has forced the US and the EU to attempt to establish de facto peace. This peace will not be based on a de jure peace treaty but on the military-political balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
By committing to support the increase of Armenia's resilience, the US, the EU, and France are creating a geopolitical balance in the region. This will allow Armenia to achieve structural rapprochement with the West in
a situation where it is as safe as possible from Russian- Azerbaijani threats.
However, Western support for Armenia is also a practical matter. In addition to the resources to increase economic
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capabilities, the West has also provided Armenia with real tools to enhance its security capabilities. Armenia conducts deep military and security cooperation with important
US allies such as France, India, Greece, the EU, and some European countries.
While from 2011 to 2020, 95% of Armenia's military arsenal was equipment purchased from Russia; today Moscow’s share is 9%. The US and France are also participating in the reforms of the Armenian armed forces, which would have seemed like a fantasy years ago.
This will allow Yerevan to more freely and safely freeze relations with Russia and move towards the West. Having acquired security and economic capabilities and restored relations with Turkey, Armenia will be able to raise the issue of withdrawing the Russian military base and border guards.
Armenia's turn to the West may, however, remain incomplete if Donald Trump is elected president of the US in the coming months. If Joe Biden wins re-election, there's a chance Yerevan and Washington will sign a document guaranteeing high-level military-political cooperation.
In Brussels, the victory of political groups opposing the EU's expansion in the upcoming elections is also a risk.
As for Turkey, though it is a member of Nato and has the status of a candidate for EU membership, it has no real leverage to hinder Armenia becoming an EU member.
To the surprise of many, Iran is approaching Armenia's European aspirations quite cautiously, in a discreet and non-aggressive manner. Armenian and Iranian diplomats held consultations in Tehran days before the meeting in Brussels. Probably Yerevan managed to convince Tehran that deepening cooperation with the West and the possible scenario of joining the EU is not against Iran. And why should Iran not want to have a direct border with the European Union?
By supporting Armenia's capacity building, the West is identifying a partner it will rely on in the coming years. After many years, Armenia's accession to the EU is a realistic scenario. Georgia also has a chance to be an ally of the West.
Thanks to Armenia, the role of the US and the EU is increasing in the South Caucasus and Russia’s is decreasing. Armenia has called for the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory. Even Azerbaijan has been pressing for Russian troops to leave its reconquered Nagorno- Karabakh territories, something that is now happening.
There’s a high probability that a new geopolitical balance can be established in this region – considered the traditional sphere of influence of Russian empires for 200 to 300 years – where Russia will finally be absent.