Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan format threatening Armenia: opinion

Military cooperation of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan poses threat to Armenia’s security, Ruben Safrastyan, Director of Oriental Studies Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, told a press conference.

Defense minister of the three states are meeting in Batumi today in an effort to organize joint military exercises in June and September. In this light, Safrastyan believes that the format seeks to isolate Yerevan.

Turkey has been actively trying to promote its interests in the South Caucasus recently, and the trilateral format with Tbilisi and Baku is quite useful a platform for Ankara’s to do implement its plans.

The expert explains Turkey’s active efforts in the region with the recent strain in the relations of Ankara and Washington. American military units in Syria have taken two important positions on the Syrian-Turkish border, which is a serious blow to Ankara. In addition, the recent incident in Washington, where Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s guards attacked and beaten up Kurdish demonstrators, left a bitter taste.

Despite rhetoric, for Turkey’s government the relations with U.S. are extremely important. With its active efforts in South Caucasus Ankara sends a message to Washington to show its importance as a regional power.