Russia – Turkey and the Gas War in South Caucasus

Turkey’s support for the war for Nagorno-Karabakh, a strategic mountainous enclave overlooking two Turkish-backed pipelines, is being propelled by a gas competition with Russia. “Russia is neither an ally, nor an enemy, but we can’t negotiate if we are too dependent on them, especially when it comes to energy,” said a senior advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “We have vital interests to protect, just as any other great country,” he told AT in Ankara. In the South Caucasus, at the top of the list of Turkish priorities are twin pipelines, one of them due to begin taking natural…