ANKARA (Reuters) — Turkey and Russia are at odds over Ankara’s wish to set up an independent military observation post on Azeri territory, a Turkish source said, after the two agreed this month to monitor a ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Turkey and Russia have already agreed to set up a joint center in the region to monitor the November 10 ceasefire, which ended weeks of fighting between Azerbaijan’s troops and ethnic Armenian forces in the enclave.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is populated by ethnic Armenians.
The ceasefire agreement, which locked in Azerbaijan’s territorial gains from the fighting, involves the deployment of some 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russian and Turkish officials have still to agree on the parameters of the monitoring mechanism, but Turkey, a staunch ally of Azerbaijan, also wants its own independent observation post to boost its influence in a region it sees as key to its own security.
“The biggest difference of opinion right now is the observation post Turkey will establish on Azerbaijan’s lands,” the Turkish source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.