In the middle of July, armed conflict recently broke out again between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia and Azerbaijan are two former Soviet republics that neighbor each other in the Caucasus Mountains. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, war occurred between the two countries over the province of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an enclave inside of Azerbaijan that is controlled by Armenia and mainly consists of ethnic Armenians. In Soviet times, Nagorno-Karabakh was an autonomous region controlled by Armenia. However with the Soviet grip weakening, in 1988, the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum to join Armenia which was won by a large majority.

However, the Azerbaijanis did not accept this, so in 1992 a war occurred between the two countries. Due to historical animosity, Turkey backed Azerbaijan. On the other hand, Russia supported Armenia because of their cultural similarities and to contain Turkish influence. The war ended with an Armenian victory and a ceasefire was signed between the two countries in 1994. Since then, there has been no official peace treaty signed to conclude the war.

Border clashes have occurred several times since then, but no further escalation or trading of land has taken place. Russia is attempting to broker talks between the two, but as for the foreseeable future no resolute peace seems to be on the horizon.