US objectives and how the region should react.
US objectives and how the region should react.
The Caucasus remains one of the world’s most strategic regions, connecting Central Asia with Europe, via Türkiye, and simultaneously, Russia with Iran and the Persian Gulf, via Armenia and Azerbaijan. Efforts for a lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan are overshadowed by a growing US interference into the region. Most recently, US ambassador to Türkiye, Thomas Barrack, proposed that the US should rent and manage the Zangezur Corridor for a duration of 100 years.
We spoke with Dr. Mehmet Perinçek, UWI expert and a researcher with great experience on the region, on Washington’s strategy and how the regional countries should react.
What is the US objective in the Caucasus?
In fact, the United States has a goal of controlling the world’s energy resources and energy routes. Of course, the South Caucasus plays an important role in this sense. On the one hand, it is of great importance both in terms of reining in Russia, encircling Iran and encircling Türkiye, and on the other hand, of course, keeping the energy routes in Central Asia under control. Therefore, the United States wants to gain an advantage over its own competitors by becoming dominant in this region.
Recently, the United States has suffered a serious defeat in the South Caucasus. Its plans in Georgia did not work out. It faced the situation of losing Georgia on the line. However, it could not use Armenia against both Russia and Türkiye as it wanted. It could not mobilize Armenia in this sense. After the Karabakh War, we see that it has seriously lost its initiative in that region. In other words, with the restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the Minsk group there was dissolved. The dissolution of the Minsk group led to the disabling of the United States.
The axis of Moscow, Ankara, and Baku developed a serious initiative there, and in the process, played a role in ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus. Now we see again that America wants to take an initiative in that region, let’s say it wants to re-establish its dominance, which it has lost.
How do they advance for that purpose?
The United States needs to attract both Türkiye and Azerbaijan to its side. In this sense, the Trump Bridge means killing several birds for America with one stone. First, it eliminates or reduces Russia’s dominance or tools in the South Caucasus and its initiative there.
However, with the opening of that corridor, it plays a role in the plan to encircle Iran. It plays a role in the plan to encircle Russia. In the same way, Türkiye is also being sieged by Washington.
In addition to all this, the US is actively driving a wedge between Türkiye and Azerbaijan and their natural allies in the region by bringing them into this project, and by isolating both of them in this context. The US thus makes them more dependent on itself. This approach turns these countries into easier chunks to chew. Of course, we can say that this initiative will also play a role in the project of puppeteering Armenia.
On the other hand, it should be seen that it is also important in terms of natural energy routes. But the project of transporting the energy resources in Central Asia to the west by circumventing Russia is also part of the plan. Even the transfer of these energy resources to Israel can be considered within this framework.
How do you judge in this context recent rising tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan? Does the US play a role here?
Now, when we look at the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, we are always faced with one law. If the relations between Armenia and Russia deteriorate, Azerbaijan and Russia will definitely have good relations. Or on the contrary, if Armenia and Russia are on good terms, or if Azerbaijan and Russia are on bad terms, Armenia and Russia are on good terms.
However, when we look at these recent events, we see that both countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan, are on bad terms with Russia at the same time and are experiencing serious tensions.
Therefore, it is possible to say that external intervention plays a far bigger role than bilateral relations in causing this unnatural situation.
In fact, this tension, of course, benefits the so-called Trump Bridge. Because in order for this project to be realized, both countries must be on bad terms with Russia and have good relations with each other.
In this regard, of course, we can say that these events are within the framework of America’s interests, that is, the Russian-Azerbaijani tension is within the framework of America’s interests, as well as the Russian-Armenian tensions.
On top, this all happens when Trump is changing his tone towards Moscow regarding the Ukraine conflict. Hence, it is an additional pressure on Russia, while, of course, in terms of Israel’s security, it is also important to weaken both Russia and Iran.
Some media organs report that a private US security firm shall manage the Zangezur Corridor. What’s your opinion about that, and how would it affect the region? How should regional countries react to that?
Of course, even if this is the name of a private security company, we need to see that all of these are tools of the American state. Therefore, the purpose of those soldiers or that group that there will not only be to secure that corridor or to solve certain security problems. It is clear that they will operate there within the framework of the strategy of the USA that we have just mentioned. The presence of troops here will be part of the direct encirclement of both Iran, Russia and Türkiye, as we have said.
Therefore, the countries in the region, namely Türkiye, Russia, Iran, American soldiers, should react very seriously against the presence or possibility of American soldiers there.
The Zangezur corridor, of course, can be used for good purposes, for the right purposes. If a regional initiative is established there and that corridor is opened within that framework, of course, a solution can be found there in favor of all the countries in the region.
However, the protection of a power from across the ocean, which has nothing to do with the region either geographically or in other aspects, will of course create a very serious weakness. The idea that an American private company can do what Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Türkiye cannot, will actually play a very negative role in terms of the image of the countries in the region.
Therefore, Russia, Iran, Türkiye, and indeed Türkiye and Azerbaijan should reject this idea right from the start and also, reject taking any role in it. If such an initiative is developed and implemented, it would be right to start a very serious struggle against it.