Alaa Al-Ghatrifi writes: The Caucasus … a Sunni emperor or an...

The gods punished “Prometheus” in Greek drama with exile to the mysterious mountains; To live in shackles and tormented, an eagle ravages his liver by stealing the gods’ fire, as the famous play narrates.

The mysterious mountains here are the Caucasus Mountains, whose land the ancient Egyptians called “the paradise of the dead,” and called the country “Cass Kas,” from which names were given that varied between geography, history and myths, including that the peoples of the earth mixed there on the mountain of Al-Alsun when God distributed creation to Various parts of the earth.

The ambiguity surrounding that geographical spot explains much of what has gone through throughout history, for this unique state of division that geography has ensured has made it always a subject of endless conflict and disputes, the harsh climate and the difficult terrain, have perpetuated the lack of coherence and the lack of unity, as shown in the ethnic diversity The linguistic and religious in the region that estimated the nationalities inhabited by 100 nationalities, ended up in 26 nationalities.

The geographical and natural peculiarity of the Caucasus, it has been central to many theories of geopolitics, especially the theory of control over the heart of the world; The Caucasus Mountains separate Europe and Asia, the north is located in Europe, the south is in southwestern Asia, and the Caucasian mountain extension between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea forms a dam or a bridge between the two continents, and the area is 440,000 square kilometers, which is nearly half the area of ​​Egypt.

Turks are “settlers”

The Turanians were the “Tatars and Turks” of the ethnicities that make up the Caucasus, among the 3 other ethnic groups: (Caucasians, Indo-European peoples and Semitic “Arabs”), and the Turks were among the settlers, not from the original Caucasians, such as Armenians, Circassians, Georgians, Dagestans, Chechens and Ossetians.

The Caucasian race is known for its reddish white skin color, and the colored eyes, especially blue, with differences between mountain race and black sea race in the shape of the nose, eye color, stature and head shape.

Some in the Caucasus speak the original Turkish language, such as Azerbaijan, and this embodies the Turkish / Azerbaijani alliance, and supports the religion in connection. The majority of Azerbaijanis are Muslims, and Christianity and Islam are spread in the entire region with a Jewish minority in Dagestan with Turkish roots.

The Caucasus is an arena for international conflict

The Caucasus was not far from the international conflict at any time, especially since the region was within the former Soviet Union, and after the end of the Cold War, the republics of the South Caucasus “Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan” became independent, while the North Caucasus, such as Chechnya and other autonomous areas in the Russian Federation, entered independence .

Turkey considers the Caucasus a historical area of ​​influence, and at the end of the Cold War it found an opportunity to strengthen its accession to the West with the threat of Russia, and to consolidate relations with what it considers the “independent Turk republics” separated from the Soviet Union – according to their political expression – and then the region witnessed competition with the Russians in light of different strategic interests. Between them, the important geographical position of the region in the global conflict, and its enjoyment of large reserves of oil and gas and natural resources.

Historic rivalry

The Caucasus was an arena of confrontation between Russia and Turkey. Turkey, which is driven by a historical knot, a “fearful neighbor” in the perception of the Russians, always fears the Russian bear, with whom the relationship creates wars and confrontations through the ages.

But Erdogan decided at the beginning of his term to cool the conflict with Russia in the Caucasus, and adhered to a policy of calm and cooperation that Putin also wanted, and despite this, the crises did not end in light of the contradictions, as happened recently in the military confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorna Karabakh a few days ago.

Russia enjoys good relations with Armenia, and is different with Azerbaijan, as for Georgia, relations are tense and reached the Russian military invasion in 2008 due to the Georgian desire to head towards the West, while Turkey is allied with Azerbaijan, which speaks in a Turkish language through a branch of the Turkish language, and has good relations with Georgia Of course, because of the legacy of historical hostility, Armenia is hostile to “accusing the Ottomans of committing the Armenian genocide in 1915.”

Russia has a military base in Armenia near the Turkish border, and it always tries to help isolated Armenia within its borders, as it does not overlook any sea ports, and Turkey and Azerbaijan close the borders with it.

Sunni Emperor / Orthodox king

The religious dimension is employed in the Caucasian conflict, for the sake of interests and gaining influence, as Turkey is allied with Azerbaijan, which is inhabited by a Muslim majority, while Russia exploits the Orthodox majority that make up Armenia and Georgia, and if Erdogan presents himself as a Sunni emperor, Putin presents himself to the Caucasians as a Christian king Orthodox.

Turkey has established arms that use religion as a tool to consecrate its influence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, such as religion and the Islamic Council in Eurasia, and non-governmental movements such as the Nursei, to create cultural influence in the Caucasus, along with a remarkable presence of the service movement of Fethullah Gulen in the Caucasian countries.

Some analyzes indicate that religion is not an absolutely influential factor, but that it is employed in the Caucasian conflict, with other factors, of course, supported by it.

Religious influence, for example, is mixed with conflict over trade, economy and interests, as indicated by the explosions that affect the railway line that connects Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and connects China and Europe, and is part of the New Silk Road. The explosions were on the borders of Christian Georgia, and the dead were Turks and Muslim Azeris.

Nagorno-Karabakh

“Nagorno Karabakh” is the most prominent arena in the South Caucasus conflict, as it is a disputed region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which the Armenian majority resides that reject the authority of Azerbaijan, and Armenia supports it in its struggle against the Azerbaijani government, which is what makes continuous military confrontations between the two countries, as happened recently in the confrontation that It broke out a few days ago and portends an open war in the region in which other regional parties interfere.

Sunni Turkey supports Shiite Azerbaijan in this struggle for its historical hostility with Armenia, its Muslim neighbor Iran supports Christian Armenia, and Christian Georgia sympathizes with its Muslim neighbor Azerbaijan more than it sympathizes with Christian Armenia.

A conflict in which religion and interests overlap with ethnicity, and the features of the map of the international conflict and the search for areas of influence, and in it the Russian-Turkish competition emerges.

Eternal chessboard

The Caucasus is an eternal chessboard, in which what happened in Syria and then Libya is repeated, a frantic endeavor to strengthen areas of influence at the expense of other peoples, benefit in making deals and exchanging positions and does not at all deny the military confrontation, and the mercenary password can attack at one time and maneuver at another and retreat in third.

This is how Moscow did with Ankara, and Ankara does with Moscow in the often burning and quiet battlefields of conflict, perhaps, to remember the Turkish apology for the downing of the Russian plane in Syria, and other confrontations, understandings, plots and finger biting as well.

Reports that Turkey withdrew mercenaries from Libya and directed them to Azerbaijan to fight the Armenians are not surprising, as the mercenaries used the approach of Ankara and Moscow together.

In the mountain black park “Nagorno Karabakh”, Erdogan and Putin dance in the ring, chasing after the past, escaping forward in light of internal problems and flirting with Caesarean myths and Ottoman illusions.