Last June an incident on the ceasefire line between Armenia and Azerbaijan left five people dead. That event, which was followed by numerous other ceasefire violations and passionate public declarations on both sides, attests to the increased tension in the region, a tension the international community has not so far managed to defuse. At the heart of the hostilities is the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (or Upper Karabakh) attached to Armenia, which Azerbaijan and Armenia already fought over between 1992 and 1994, and a fraction of Azeri territory controlled by Yerevan since the end of the armed conflict.
“Renewed conflict in the Caucasus is, unfortunately, one of the possibilities to be envisaged”, notes Jean-François Drevet in this article. He goes on to stress that the attitude of Turkey can be described as an essential factor in the evolution of the situation. That attitude is still determined, argues Drevet, by the non-recognition of the Armenian genocide. In this context, Jean-François Drevet calls on the European Union to involve itself more in this region and put in place a clearer, more vigorous policy, “before it is too late”.
