Day: June 13, 2025
The German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (“AHK Azerbaijan”) and the Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBDA), operating under Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Economy, announced plans to launch a joint platform aimed at expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in managing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Azernews reports.
Turkey’s role in the South Caucasus
Turkey is actively positioning itself as a mediator in major international conflicts — from the Middle East and the South Caucasus to Ukraine and Africa. To boost its prestige and influence in global affairs, it skilfully leverages diplomacy and its strategic geographic location.
Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan shares his view on how Turkey’s ambition to become a global power could complicate the regional situation and increase pressure on Armenia within wider geopolitical processes.
- ‘There’s a chance to open new era in Caucasus’ – Armenian Foreign Minister at Antalya forum
- Armenia–Turkey border opens for 10 days – what’s next?
- Opinion from Yerevan: “Turkey’s preconditions for Armenia are often voiced from Baku”
Ruben Safrastyan, turkologist
Drive for global influence
“After the 2020 Karabakh war, Turkey’s role in the South Caucasus increased. But its ambitions go far beyond the region. Ankara is striving for a higher status — it seeks the role of a global power capable of influencing international developments. This is one of the main goals of Turkish foreign policy, and it is largely driven by the personal ambitions of President Erdoğan.
However, as a mid-sized regional power with limited resources — in terms of population, economy and territory — Turkey faces challenges in pursuing these far-reaching aims. To raise its global profile, it increasingly acts as a mediator in international conflicts. This is part of its strategy to expand influence.
In the South Caucasus, Turkey remains one of the key players alongside Russia and Iran. But its focus is shifting more and more toward the Middle East, where it sees greater opportunities to achieve its strategic objectives. Despite the region’s importance, the South Caucasus is gradually losing priority in Ankara’s foreign policy.”
US support and role in Syria
“With backing from the United States, Turkey has stepped up its role in the Middle East, particularly in Syria. There, it is assisting the new regime — with its particular nature — in maintaining control over the country.
Syria is a complex state with many ethnic and religious groups, and therefore many conflicts. Turkey is filling the vacuum left by the reduction of the US presence. This is, in part, a realisation of its ambition to become a power with global influence.
However, as a mid-sized regional state, Turkey struggles to cope with the increased responsibilities. It is also competing with Saudi Arabia, which the US continues to support through multibillion-dollar arms deals. Saudi Arabia, in turn, is counterbalancing Israeli influence in Syria — especially in light of Iran’s potential strengthening should it reach agreements with the US, and Egypt’s growing ambitions. In this complicated game, the Middle East has become Ankara’s main focus — and the South Caucasus a lesser priority.”
Differences in Turkey and Azerbaijan’s approaches
“Turkey and Azerbaijan view the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process differently. Ankara approaches it from a global perspective. It is pushing for a swift signing of a peace agreement in order to solidify its leading role in the South Caucasus through Azerbaijan. This is a strategic move aimed at formally confirming its influence in the region.
Azerbaijan, by contrast, is acting tactically. It is pursuing more localised objectives, particularly seeking additional concessions from Armenia. Baku is focused on achieving practical results, whereas Turkey is satisfied with any outcome — as long as the process concludes quickly.”
Transport ambitions
“For Turkey, the so-called ‘Zangezur Corridor’ holds strategic importance. If granted extraterritorial status, the corridor would allow Ankara to connect directly with Azerbaijan — and via the Caspian Sea — with the Turkic states of Central Asia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is actively promoting the idea of strengthening cooperation among Turkic countries and creating a unified Turkic world. Turkey also openly aspires to become a key regional oil and gas transit hub. The vision is that energy resources from Central Asia would flow through Azerbaijan and southern Armenia (the road through Meghri, referred to by Baku and Ankara as the ‘Zangezur Corridor’) into Turkey, from where they would be distributed to Europe.
At present, Erdoğan’s project faces significant challenges: Turkey’s railway network is not connected to Nakhichevan.To achieve this, a 220-kilometre railway must be built from Kars to Nakhichevan through challenging mountain terrain with bridges and tunnels. Despite a decade of talks, construction began only recently and isn’t expected to finish before 2029.
For Turkey, the corridor remains more of a political concept than a practical project. For Azerbaijan, however, it has tangible utility — namely, providing a direct railway link to Nakhichevan.
Although Baku currently uses an upgraded road through Iran, it aims to reduce reliance on Tehran. At the same time, it aims to increase pressure on Armenia.
Turkey, too, is keen to eliminate Iranian control over transit routes. For this reason, both Ankara and Baku insist on extraterritorial status for the corridor through Armenia — meaning they do not want Yerevan to control the road running through its own sovereign territory.”
Limits to Turkey’s ambitions
“Pressure from Ankara and Baku on Armenia is unlikely to succeed. Yerevan will not agree to an extraterritorial corridor — the road runs through Armenian territory, and Armenia must retain control over it.
In theory, Azerbaijan could resort to military force. But after its significant losses in the 2020 war in Artsakh, and given current geopolitical realities, that scenario is unlikely.
For Turkey, the priority is to secure the current status quo in the region. The key outcome of the Nagorno-Karabakh war has been the weakening of Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus. For years, the Karabakh conflict served as a strategic lever for Moscow — but that tool is now gone.
Ankara seeks to consolidate this result and maintain its position in the region until more favourable conditions emerge. However, its global ambitions remain constrained by the limits of a middle power — making many of its goals difficult to achieve.”
Another Georgian fighter, Demetre Darchia, 22, was killed in the war in Ukraine, the Georgian Foreign Ministry confirmed to Civil.ge on June 12.
The Georgian Legion, a prominent group of Georgian and foreign volunteer fighters in Ukraine, said Darchia was killed by the detonation of an explosive device brought to their base by an unidentified person in what they described as a “diversion act.”
The Legion’s commander, Mamuka Mamulashvili, said the incident occurred at their training base in Kyiv. According to him, no explosives have been stored at the base. He said an investigation is underway and that the details will be determined. “Most likely, he was given a box that presumably contained an explosive device, which detonated when he opened it in a room,” Mamulashvili told RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, noting that no other fighters were present at the time of the incident.
With the latest casualty, the unofficial number of Georgian citizens who have died fighting in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, has reached 67.
Also Read:
- 16/02/2025 – Another Georgian Fighter Killed in Ukraine
- 07/02/2025 – Two More Georgian Fighters Killed in Ukraine
Opinion on political arrests in Georgia
Zviad Koridze, a representative of Transparency International Georgia, responded to the sentencing of Mate Dvalidze, a young man arrested during recent protests, and remarked that Ivanishvili makes no secret of building a state founded on violence, hatred and repression.
Koridze noted that Bidzina Ivanishvili has “put the entire justice system in his pocket” and will make whatever decisions he pleases.
Mate Dvalidze, 21, accused of assaulting a police officer, was found guilty by Judge Nino Galustashvili and sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison.
He was charged under Article 353, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (assaulting a police officer in connection with the performance of official duties), which carries a sentence of 4 to 7 years.
Zviad Koridze:
“How could three police officers be so influenced that they allowed themselves to lie in court? The prosecutors sitting in court, the judges hearing cases — they do not represent a justice system. They are not independent individuals and do not defend the interests of independent state institutions.
Bidzina Ivanishvili has put the entire justice system in his pocket and only makes the decisions that serve his interests. This is not just about the fifty people we consider prisoners of conscience. He will treat anyone this way — including people who have committed no crimes at all.
Mate Dvalidze’s words, ‘In search of light in endless darkness,’ spoken before he left the courtroom, were addressed to society as a whole. He was telling us that we are in darkness and must seek the light to escape it.
If we don’t light a candle, if we don’t pave the way, Georgia will be lost in this century. Ivanishvili’s main message today is to plunge Georgia into the shadows. <…> This is the very era that will be illuminated by people like Mate, Mzia (Amaghlobeli), and Andro (Chichinadze) — those who today suffer as political prisoners.”
US State Department on Georgia envoy resignation
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce issued a written comment to Globalnews query regarding the resignation of US Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan, stating that the ambassador will continue to receive full support from the United States until she officially leaves her post.
Statement by Tammy Bruce on Georgia envoy resignation
“We thank Ambassador Dunnigan for her 33 years of distinguished service to the United States. She can count on our full support as she departs her post. We will continue to evaluate our approach to Georgia in order to advance American interests.
The United States has made it clear what steps the Georgian government can take to demonstrate the seriousness of its intentions to improve relations with the United States,” the letter said.
On 5 June, US Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan announced her resignation, describing it as a personal decision. She was appointed ambassador by US President Joe Biden on 13 February 2023, succeeding Kelly Degnan in the post.
“After 33 years representing the United States as a diplomat, I have made the personal decision to retire. Serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia has been the greatest honor and privilege of my entire career, and I will forever be proud of the work the tremendous U.S. government team, in Washington and here at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, has done to advance the partnership between our peoples and our countries,” Dunnigan said.
US State Department on Georgia envoy resignation