Why Russia is the only country that could stop Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict?

A noteworthy point of the new Armenian-Azerbaijani war is Russia’s apparent apathy. During the last Nagorno-Karabakh clashes in April 2016, the transcontinental country had already convened a meeting between the countries’ defense commanders and had brokered a ceasefire.

Russia is a major powerbroker in the region, and it maintains close economic ties with Armenia and Azerbaijan. It has adopted a vigilant stand towards the recent eruptions. However, Armenia is deeper within Moscow’s ring as a member of Russian-led territorial military and economic alliances CSTO and EEU, while Azerbaijan is not.

Russian assistance and military guarantees are significant to Armenia, whose defense budget is dominated by Azerbaijan’s arms spending. Armenia also hosts a Russian military base near its second-largest city.

On the other hand, Azerbaijan has also tried to lean itself to European nations as an alternative energy supplier to Russia.

What has Russia done in the past concerning similar situations?

Russia mediated the initial ceasefire in May 1994 and put an end to the Four-Day War in April 2016 — a dispute that killed more than 100 people.

Russia, France, and the U.S. have moderated reconciliation efforts as the “Minsk Group,” but the last big drive for a peace deal failed in 2010.

Russia has also supplied both Azerbaijan and Armenia with billions of U.S. dollars’ worth of weaponry, including infantry fighting means, rocket launchers, and ammunition.

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