Thomas de Waal: BERG-KARABACH: THE CLOSING DOWN OF AN ENCLAVE

Tessa Szyszkowitz in conversation with Thomas de Waal

BERG-KARABACH: THE CLOSING DOWN OF AN ENCLAVE

After the military victory of Azerbaidschan over Armenia a mass exodus of Armenian refugees fleeing Berg-Karabach reflects the changing realities of this 200-year-old conflict. More than half of the population has fled. On September 19, Azerbaijan used military force to retake the Armenian-populated territory of Nagorny Karabakh, crossing a red line drawn for it by both the European Union and the United States. The fact that Western actors were blindsided strengthens the supposition that Aliyev cleared his military assault in advance with Moscow—which then failed to condemn Baku—and is coming into closer alignment with Russia. That is all the more relevant as the next big issue is the planned transport route across Armenia to Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan. Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey all have a shared interest in imposing their own version of what the latter two call the Zangezur Corridor with as little Armenian control of the route as possible—and perhaps by force. Azerbaidschan has given orders to close down the enclave by January 1 2024.
In this Online talk Kaukasus-expert Thomas de Waal will explain the deep implications of the end of Berg-Karabach for the international policy arena.

Thomas de Waal, is a senior fellow with Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region. He is the author of numerous publications about the region. He is best known for his 2003 book Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War.

Tessa Szyszkowitz, is an Austrian journalist and author. She writes for Austrian and German publications such as Falter & Tagesspiegel, she is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute in London.