Türkiye counters Russia by aligning with Azerbaijan and Georgia, advancing projects like the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and leveraging its NATO role to promote stability. Iran, meanwhile, balances cooperation with Russia while guarding against Azerbaijani nationalism and Türkiye's growing influence. The region is effectively divided into North-South (Russia-Iran) and East-West (Türkiye-Georgia-Azerbaijan) alliances, complicating conflict resolution. Stability requires regional powers to shift from competition to cooperation.