South of the immediate Caucasus Mountains lies a clash of cultures between the Armenians and the Azeri Turks. Armenia and Azerbaijan were part of the former Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union broke up, a bitter six-year war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan where ethnic Armenians live and are now under the protection of the Armenian army.
Within Azerbaijan's recognized territory live Armenians under the protection of the Armenian army.
Since the Turkish-Armenian War in 1920, Armenia and Turkey are regional enemies. Azerbaijanis are a Turkic people and thus are supported by Turkey in disputes with Armenia. When the war over Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan was underway in 1993, Turkey closed its borders with Armenia in support for Azerbaijan. This cut off all economic and diplomatic relations between the two nations that have already had a very long history of animosity.
Recently, however, steps are being made in improving relations between Armenia and neighboring Turkic nations with the presidents of Armenia and Turkey meeting face to face in a symbolic meeting between the two heads of rival states. Some political experts are saying relations will continue to improve and the border between Turkey and Armenia will open within the next few years.
Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan met with Turkish president Abdullah Gul on October 14th, 2009
There still remains the issue over Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey has stated that it will not open its borders with Armenia until they withdraw their troops from this region. Until this disputed territory is settled there is no way to tell how far Turkey and Armenia will go in their trend towards friendship.
Residents Nagorno-Karabakh fear for the loss of their freedom if they are handed over to Azerbaijan. Armenian pensioner Aleksandr Osipov explained to Radio Free Europe last month that the people of Karabakh want to live in their republic among Armenian people and want things to remain as they are.
Aleksandr Osipov,
The situation is very unlikely to remain the same for this region. The international community has its eyes on Armenia and Turkey rather than Azerbaijan to see if there will be a resolution to this ethnically Armenian region in Azerbaijan’s recognized territory.
