The military victory of Turkish-speaking Azerbaijan over Armenia was an important coup for Erdogan – as Ankara seeks to cement its influence in the former Soviet Caucasus region.
In contrast, the loss of key parts of Nagorno-Karabakh was a huge blow for Armenia, and it sparked a major political crisis there. Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets in recent months to protest the terms of the ceasefire, and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Pashinyan has been under such pressure to step down that snap elections are scheduled for Sunday (June 20).
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry condemned Erdogan’s and Aliyev’s visit to Shusha in a statement on Tuesday, calling it “provocative actions” that “significantly harm international efforts to establish stability in the region and (that) are absolutely unacceptable.”
The trip has also stirred painful memories for scores of Armenian families who were forced to flee their homes when the area was seized by Azerbaijani forces in November.
Euronews
