Turkish influence in South Caucasus grows since Karabakh war, The National Interest writes

Until relatively recently, the level of ambition among the Turkic states remained modest, with most cooperation focused on cultural and economic issues, The National Interest writes.

As noted, this began to change in 2020. During the Second Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Turkic solidarity had a geopolitical impact not seen in years. Even though Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are members of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization alongside Armenia, both signaled clear sympathy for fellow Turkic state Azerbaijan and avoided backing Armenia during the fighting in the fall of 2020.

This marked the beginning of Russia’s loss of influence in a region where it once held considerable sway. Moscow’s war against Ukraine has since further diminished Russia’s clout across its former imperial space. In this part of the world, as Russian influence has waned, Turkic influence has risen.