Since gaining independence, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia have all generally sought to distance themselves from their Soviet pasts and strengthen their relationships with the West. But each has moved at its own pace, with Azerbaijan and Georgia rejecting Russia much more quickly and definitively.
In fact, within a few years of the Soviet Union’s collapse, Azerbaijan and Georgia, together with Ukraine and Moldova, formed the GUAM Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development, aimed at bolstering their post-communist transitions and limiting Russia’s regional influence.
By contrast, Armenia maintained close ties with Russia, not least to secure military support in its conflict with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, where both Azerbaijanis and Armenians lived during Soviet times. Following the Soviet Union’s collapse, the two groups went to war over the territory, with the Armenian side ultimately securing de facto control.