Conflict and Peace

For three decades Russia has pretended that its military base on the Moldovan territory of Transnistria was a "peacekeeping force", despite several attempts by the Moldovan government to end its mandate, and accusations that it promoted separatism.

Turkey has challenged Russian monopoly in the South Caucasus. Ankara's deep military partnership with neighboring Azerbaijan, and its decision to openly support the latter during the fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone significantly asserted its role in the conflict and the region, argues Fuad Shahabzov in this op-ed

Under the 10 November agreement Russian troops will now patrol the strategic Lachin corridor that connects Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh.

A new round of UN-mediated Syrian peace talks are starting this week in Geneva to agree on national principles before drafting a new constitution. Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, has been pushing towards revising Syria's constitution as a step towards ending the country's nine-year-old civil war.

Maya Sandu also spoke in favor of replacing the Russian troops in Transnistria with a civilian observer mission under the auspices of the OSCE.