U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed deep concerns about the situation in the southeastern outskirts of Europe.
According to Time.com, Blinken has issued a warning to U.S. officials that Azerbaijan is preparing for an invasion.
Conflict with Armenia resurfaces
The conflict with Armenia is once again coming to the forefront.
The U.S. believes that Azerbaijan's leader, Ilham Aliyev, who is allied with Putin, is planning to invade the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The invasion could commence within the next few weeks, causing significant concern within the administration that the conflict could escalate.
France takes precautions
Just a month ago, Azerbaijan declared victory after a swift offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, which forced over 100,000 ethnic Armenians in the region to flee.
Now, France, one of the EU's most powerful members, is preparing for a new attack. This week, France approved the immediate sale of anti-aircraft systems and other weapons to Armenia.
"Even though we are not part of the same military and political alliances, we operate from this defense relationship, based on the simple principle that you must be able to defend yourself and your civilian population," said France's Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, as reported by Armenian news media Artsakh.
Armenia distances itself from Russia
The political support from the West is growing as Armenia increasingly distances itself from Russia, a former ally. Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan stated just a month ago that cooperating with Vladimir Putin was a "strategic mistake."
"Armenia's security architecture was 99.999% linked to Russia. But today, we see that Russia itself is in need of weapons. Even if they wanted to, the Russian Federation cannot meet Armenia's needs," Pashinyan said, according to CNN.
European collaborations
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan share a border with Georgia and are part of several European collaborations. They are members of the European Political Community (EPC), the Council of Europe (COE), and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Both countries also participate in non-political events and organizations, such as the European football federation UEFA.
