The restoration has sparked arguments about whether the mosque should be considered “Persian” or “Azerbaijani,” and some locals question whether the Armenian-controlled territory should be rebuilding its mosques at all.
Local families rushed to move belongings out of their farmsteads, as masked Russian soldiers began fencing off their property from the rest of Georgia.
An exchange of Armenian and Azerbaijani detainees could help build trust to make further progress in peace negotiations – but it could also exacerbate tensions.
As Armenia and the other CSTO member states appear increasingly at loggerheads about who should lead the group, Russia has resigned itself to letting no one have the position.
Washington is increasingly assertive in its criticism of Armenia’s ties with Russia and Iran, but it’s not clear whether it has the clout to do anything about Yerevan’s allies.