Russian peacekeepers will withdraw from Azerbaijan

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 17 Apr 2024 by Alex Teddy
On April 17 Putin's spokesman made the announcement. After the 2020 war Russia mediated peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The peace agreement provided for 1,500 Russian troops to keep the peace in Nagorno-Karabakh. The region is legally Azerbaijani but was then ethnically almost exclusively Armenian. Russian troops patrol Armenia's border with Turkey. Turkey is a NATO country and Azerbaijan's closest ally. There is a Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia's second city.  Many Armenians were dissatisfied that Russia failed to stop Azerbaijan from seizing Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 and expelling Armenian civilians. Yerevan has repeatedly signaled its disillusionment with the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The CSTO is a 6-member military alliance of former Soviet republics led by Russia. Moscow underscores that the CSTO is defending Armenia and not Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenia illegally occupied. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Foreign Minister of Armenia went to the Commonwealth of Independent States Summit in Belarus in April 2024. This is presumably a protest at how Russia has disappointed Armenia. The CIS is a 9-member organization for former Soviet states. Armenia has signed a defense treaty with France and spoken of an ambition to join the EU but not NATO. The EU is keen to play peacemaker between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  It is unclear why Moscow is withdrawing troops from Nagorno-Karabakh. It could be to signal displeasure at Pashinyan's charm offensive towards the West. It could be that Russia needs the troops in Ukraine. There is no talk about withdrawing Russian troops from Armenia itself.

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