Can Turkey tip the balance of power in the Caucasus conflict?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey and Azerbaijan have always been close, often describing themselves as "one nation, two states". © REUTERS

This week's collapse in European Union peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia underlines the growing importance of Turkey in the region, as Azerbaijan blames its refusal to attend the "talks" on the exclusion of its close Turkish ally.

The EU's attempt to revive peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended before they started, with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev refusing to attend.