Russia's Border Guards Cease Service at Armenia and Iran Borders: Is Russia Conceding to Armenia or Taking a Step Back?

Armenia hopes to sign provisions of a peace agreement with Azerbaijan within the next four weeks. Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan told Reuters that Yerevan wants to sign the 16 provisions already agreed upon with Baku before the UN Climate Conference in Baku, scheduled for November 11-22.

Russia's decision to allow Armenian border guards to patrol the Iranian border in Armenia’s Zangezur Corridor, a strategic land route connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, marks a significant shift towards establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus.

The Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict remains one of the most complex and longstanding disputes in the South Caucasus. After the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020, hopes for a lasting peace were high. However, the path to a final peace agreement has been fraught with setbacks and mutual distrust. The recent negotiations in Washington between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan, mediated by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, were viewed as another crucial attempt to bridge the remaining gaps and pave the way for a comprehensive peace agreement. These talks come at a time when both countries face international pressure to resolve their conflict and move towards stability.

As Georgia gears up for parliamentary elections on October 26, 2024, the country finds itself at a political crossroads. The upcoming vote could have far-reaching consequences, not only for Georgia’s internal dynamics but also for its foreign policy orientation and the broader geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus.