Exploring Turkey’s Strategic Goals in Caucasus Region During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the lack of a superior power in the Caucasus region has led to regional and international great powers competition. The existing energy resources are the main reason for competitions in the south Caucasus, and besides other crises, the resources have heightened the political tensions among regional   and international players. The Karabakh crisis, which has been a regional conflict for many decades, was precipitated in 2020 due to unprecedented armed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which led to an increase intensions and threats in the Caucasus region. During this time, Turkey, by supporting Azerbaijan, has had a prominent role in determining the results of the conflicts in favor of Azerbaijan. To clarify Turkey’s role in this matter, the present study explored Turkey’s strategic goals in the Caucasus region during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis. Turkey’s strategic goals in this regard have been argued to be geopolitical development, dominance over energy pipelines, and the reinforcement of its position in both the Caucasus region and the international arena.