According to the widespread assumptions about the Russian-Ukrainian war, it is actually America’s and China’s “proxy” war. Formerly, during the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States clashed in numerous wars for global supremacy through proxies around the world in Vietnam, North and South Korea, Cuba, Angola, and elsewhere. With the rise of China taking the lead, the USA competes not with the Soviet Union, but with China.

In the times of the bipolar world, against the backdrop of the above-mentioned competition, wars were waged at the crossing points of the two camps. In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the international order changed and became unipolar. Along with the strengthening of China, we are now back to the previous situation. In order not to downplay its role, Russia does not want to call it a bipolar world, preferring to call it multipolar.

This is a new reality and whether we like it or not, we have to take it into account when pursuing our foreign policy. If previously the "proxy" wars were fought at the crossing points listed above, and Armenia, being part of the Soviet Union, was far from the conflict zone, we have to face a different situation now. Such a proxy war has been waged in our region with Armenia’s involvement, e.g. the last Artsakh war should be considered from that perspective.

And it is no coincidence that Israel, Turkey, the UK, and Pakistan were and are Azerbaijan's open and hidden allies backing it then and now. This confrontation will continue for a long time until the future multipolar world achieves legitimacy and all parties officially recognize each other's spheres of influence.

As it was mentioned, we are in the conflict zone of parties aspiring to become a future pole. In this sense, the South Caucasus and Central Asia are interconnected regions, the processes taking place in one of them affect the other. In light of the expected new realities, a big forum with the China-Central Asia agenda is planned for May, with the participation of Xi Jinping, where, according to the Chinese Foreign Minister, the "greatest offer" will be made by China to those countries.

It is noteworthy that after this news, the EU is discussing the issue of imposing sanctions on the mentioned countries if they try to help Russia in evading sanctions. What these sanctions will lead to, if any, is hard to say. It is possible that they unwittingly help them to get under the deeper influence of China or to turn Central Asia and the South Caucasus into a zone of destruction with the formula "neither to me nor to you".

Anyway, the situation around Central Asia is getting tense and it is not out of place that they have already started the active circulation of the possibility of a new Armenian-Azerbaijani war. What Azerbaijan wants is understandable, but what Armenia wants is unclear. What is our strategy and who are our allies? These issues need clarification as soon as possible.