Author: Greg Madatian

Russian President Vladimir Putin explained Russia's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire on Thursday and said that the region is an integral part of Azerbaijan according to international law.

"From the international legal point of view, all these territories are an integral part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This is how our position was built in the Minsk Group, where Russia, the United States, and France are co-chairs. For many years, we have always assumed that the seven held areas around Nagorno-Karabakh should be returned to Azerbaijan," he said at an annual news conference in Moscow.

The current status of Nagorno-Karabakh should remain unchanged under an obligatory condition of creating a communication channel between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, he said, adding that the Lachin corridor, connecting Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, was established for this purpose.

Putin stressed that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh "should be transferred to the future," noting: "The status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh should be fixed."

Asked about Turkey's position in the conflict, Putin said: "Turkey defended, as they believe, the just cause of Azerbaijan, namely, the return of the territories that were occupied during the clashes in the 1990s."

He refused to speculate about external reasons for the latest outbreak in Karabakh, saying: "The tension lasted for many years."

"I don't think it was due to any outside interference. Many times, there were tensions, clashes, and small shootouts. As a result, it developed into a conflict," he said.

Putin noted that the trilateral agreement between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan secured the positions of the parties to the conflict at their locations when the agreement on the cease-fire was reached.

"This agreement on the cessation of hostilities is very important. Because it stopped the bloodshed, the civilians have stopped dying, this is an extremely important thing, this is fundamental. Everything else is secondary. Saving people's lives and health is the most important task that we have solved," he said.

Commenting on the recent violation of the cease-fire, Putin expressed hope that it would never happen again.

As for a possible rise in the number of Russian peacekeeping troops in the region, he said it can be done only with the approval of all parties because its size was negotiated and agreed upon at the stage of drafting the cease-fire agreement.

"If everyone comes to the conclusion that this is necessary (to increase the number of peacekeepers), we will do it, if not, then we will not do it," he said.

Relations between the ex-Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian occupation.

On Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

The truce is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have been withdrawing in line with the agreement.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Azerbaijan and the European Union leaders summit will be the top items on Turkey’s foreign policy agenda this week.

The Turkish leader’s trip to Baku, shortly after Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia, has immense symbolic value. The liberation of that country’s sovereign territory after three decades of occupation was undoubtedly a major accomplishment. It is no secret that Ankara’s unwavering and multidimensional support was instrumental in that victory.

The ease with which Azerbaijani forces managed to get past Armenia’s strongly reinforced line of defense was a historical military accomplishment. In this regard, Erdoğan certainly deserves to join his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in celebrations.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, however, remains unresolved. The status of Armenian-controlled lands has not been finalized, as France attempts, through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, to block the Turkish-Russian agreement.

Still, the lesson to draw from the latest war is that Turkey is key to stability in the Caucasus. That the region has been Russia’s backyard since the Soviet era and that Moscow, in fact, is unhappy with Ankara’s level of involvement there are hardly meaningful arguments.

If Moscow desires regional stability, it has no choice but to work with Turkey. That is the only way to create a process that will bring about peace, stability and cooperation among Caucasian nations, including Armenia. Again, stability in the Caucasus will have a positive impact on the Black Sea and Central Asia.

The second item on Turkey’s agenda will be the EU summit on Dec. 10-11. Having resisted the urge to sanction the Turks in October, the EU now threatens to punish Ankara. Greece and Austria, led by France, are calling for sanctions on Turkey over the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus.

European leaders have not taken advantage of the last two months to promote dialogue between Turkey and Greece. Germany still seeks to block efforts to derail the EU’s cooperation with Turkey. Again, Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, recently said that Europe was prepared to use all tools at its disposal – which suggests that minor sanctions could be on the table.

For the record, I do not expect that possibility to end what Michel called the cat-and-mouse game.

The trans-Atlantic alliance’s future remains unclear, and the West’s policy on Russia is still in the making. Therefore, there must be peace and calm between Ankara and Brussels. Both sides need to do their homework to make that happen.

Erdoğan made clear his political position by saying that “we belong in Europe.” That does not mean that Turkey intends to make concessions in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean. EU leaders must distance themselves from French aggression and Greek maximalism.

Instead, they ought to promote Germany’s rational and conciliatory tone. The ball is in Brussels’ court. It’s time to make a strategic decision to end the game of cat and mouse to the advantage of shared interests.