South Caucasus realignment

The South Caucasus is a small region bordered by Russia, Turkey and Iran and reached by the interests of the European Union and the United States. Its principal fault lines are long-standing. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over Nagorno-Karabakh in wars in 1988-1994, in 2020, and in 2023, after which Azerbaijan reestablished control of the territory and its Armenian population departed; the two states negotiate over a peace treaty and the delimitation of their border. Armenia's alignment is disputed between its membership in the Russian-led CSTO and Eurasian Economic Union and closer ties with the EU. Georgia contests its own external orientation, including EU accession, a law on foreign-funded organisations, and election results, while Abkhazia and South Ossetia -- the subject of conflicts in the early 1990s and the 2008 Russia-Georgia war -- remain outside Tbilisi's control and are backed by Russia. A proposed transit corridor across Armenia's Syunik province, and competition among Russia, Turkey, Iran, Israel and the United States over energy, security and connectivity, run through the region.