Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashninian appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide security assistance while fighting continues over Nagorno-Karabakh, which would be seen as a major development in the conflict and could result in a showdown with Turkey.
The Associated Press reported last Saturday that the Kremlin was yet to respond to Pashninian’s request. Russia has an agreement to provide military assistance to Armenia, and a refusal could be a geopolitical loss for Russia’s prestige, the report said. Putin has said earlier that about 5,000 people have already died in the conflict over the predominately ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.
The AP reported that leaders of the two countries have met in Geneva at the behest of the Minsk Group, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is comprised of Russian, French, and U.S. officials. There have been cease-fire agreements, which have ended with both sides accusing the other of violating the deal.
The Financial Times reported that Armenia’s request is the first time the country appealed to Moscow since the pact was agreed on in 1997. Azerbaijan has benefited from the support of Turkey throughout the conflict.
On Sunday, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev promised to “go to the end” if negotiations failed and condemned Armenia, saying it has “no basis” to request Russian military assistance in the territorial dispute.
TRENDPOST: As we have noted, while Turkey’s economy is tanking and its lira continues to hit all-time lows against the dollar, it is militarily involved in the Syrian and Libyan wars, and it is in a territorial dispute with Greece over claims to hydrocarbon resources.
In response to Turkey sending a vessel on a research mission in the contested waters this past Sunday, the Greek Foreign Ministry condemned the Turkish move, stating, “These actions show once again that Turkey is continuing to act in defiance of the appeals of the international community, including the conclusions of the October meeting of the European Council, which called on Turkey to cease these actions.”
As Gerald Celente has said, “When all else fails, they take you to war.” With economies across the globe failing, governments will divert the public’s attention away from national issues by intensifying conflicts with countries they have, or will have, disputes with.
Thus, Turkey’s involvement in the Caucuses, the Middle East, and with Greece are key trigger points with explosive potential that could destabilize the regions and lead to World War III.
