Expert: The presence of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh changed the  security architecture in the South Caucasus

ArmInfo.The presence of the Azerbaijani armed forces on the territory of Armenia is due to the lack of demarcation of the border between the two countries. A  similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by Alexander Skakov, Deputy  Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy  of Sciences.

" As in general, practically everywhere in the post-Soviet space,  this problem is by no means limited to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The  same problems between Azerbaijan and Georgia are due to the fact that  borders were drawn on maps in the absence of demarcation and  delimitation on the ground. The problem can be solved and it can be  solved through its study and negotiations. And by organizing  provocations, succumbing to provocations, this problem cannot be  solved. This will not lead to anything good, "he stressed.

Commenting on the prospects for the presence of the Russian  peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno- Karabakh after the completion of  the 5-year term of the peacekeeping mission, the expert stressed that  being the only guarantor of the existence of the Karabakh Armenians,  the Russian military will remain in Karabakh after 5 years. Taking  into account the fact that Karabakh can only be Armenian, since it  will be impossible for the Artsakh Armenians to live within  Azerbaijan, the Russian peacekeepers, according to his forecasts,  will remain in Karabakh for a much longer period.

"Of course, Baku can demand their withdrawal. But I think that Russia  has enough leverage in this case in response to such demands. It is  clear that otherwise Russian peacekeepers would simply not deploy in  Artsakh. It is also important to emphasize that it's hard to remember  a single case in international practice of the withdrawal of foreign  troops in similar situations. We are talking about the territories of  a number of countries. This is a common practice, and if foreign  troops have arrived, then, as a rule, they remain for a long time,"  he stressed.

According to the orientalist, the Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh  are an exception that does not fall under the Turkish influence that  has sharply increased as a result of the 44-day war. While  acknowledging the fact of Turkey's regional strengthening as  indisputable, Skakov simultaneously stressed the fact of the parallel  growth of Russia's influence. In this light, he noted that there were  simply no Russian troops in Artsakh and in the surrounding  territories until last autumn.

According to his estimates, Now with their presence the entire  security architecture in the entire region has changed dramatically,  including not only Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also Georgia. As a  result, according to Skakov, Georgia, which has plans for NATO  membership, is de facto surrounded by the Russian army.  The last two  circumstances, according to his estimates, make it possible to state  a rather tangible strengthening of Moscow's positions in the entire  South Caucasus.