Changing power policies in the geopolitics of the South Caucasus and the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict

The South Caucasus is an important geopolitical region for regional and global actors due to its geographical location and its proximity to the energy-rich Caspian Basin. In the 19th century, the ethnic policies implemented by Russia in Georgia and Azerbaijan in order to expand its sphere of influence against the Ottomans and Iran, and the resettlement of Armenians to the Karabakh region, after the collapse of the USSR, revealed the Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh Problem. Various attempts of international organizations to solve the problem have been adversely affected by the regional struggle between Russia and Western states. In this direction, the Karabakh wars and the Russia-Georgia War could not be prevented. Attempts to normalize and sign a peace treaty between Azerbaijan, which liberated its own lands from occupation with the Second Karabakh War in 2020, and defeated Armenia, this time turned into wearing visits to Moscow and Brussels. In this direction, the aim of the action is to examine the regional policies of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, USA, EU and China, which play an active role in the conflict process, and to show the effect of the struggle between the mentioned actors on the Azerbaijan-Armenian conflict. In the action, while examining the geopolitical situation of the region, the possibility that the current ethnic problems create a regional energy security problem has been evaluated. In addition, the historical process that revealed the Nagorno-Karabakh Problem was investigated in terms of politics, economy and military. The policies of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, USA, EU and China regarding the region and their effects on the problem have been examined. As a result of the action, it is aimed to contribute to the literature by defending the assumption that the actors with different approaches on the region slow down the solution of the problem and that the problem will be solved by creating a peaceful environment within the scope of the 3+3 platform.