Taleh Ziyadov
Taleh Ziyadov is a research fellow at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cambridge (UK).
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Articles by Taleh Ziyadov
AZERBAIJAN STATE OIL COMPANY TO BUILD REFINERIES ABROAD
On July 13 the Turkish Energy Markets Regulatory Authority (EMRA) approved a joint proposal by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Turkey’s Turcas Petrol to build a refinery
PUTIN’S GABALA OFFER GETS MIXED REACTION IN AZERBAIJAN
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to jointly use the Gabala radar station with the United States caused debates and split opinions in Azerbaijan. Putin made the offer on the sidelines
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT RAISES CONCERN IN BAKU AND YEREVAN
On March 6, the U.S. Department of State released its 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, prepared by its Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The annual report
BAKU AND TEHRAN SIGN AGREEMENT ON TV AND RADIO BROADCASTING
On February 3, Azerbaijan’s minister of communications and information technology, Ali Abbasov, and the head of the Iranian State Broadcasting Agency, Ezzatollah Zarghami, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on
SURPRISE SUSPENSION OF PRIVATE TV IN AZERBAIJAN LEAVES MANY PUZZLED
At its regularly scheduled November 24 meeting, the National Radio and Television Council (NRTC) of Azerbaijan decided to suspend the broadcast license of ANS TV, the first private television station
CONSTRUCTION OF THE STRATEGIC KARS-AKHALKALAKI RAILWAY TO START IN 2007
For almost a year, officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey have been engaged in intense discussions about ways to finance the construction of the strategic Kars-Akhalkalaki railway system. This rail
FIRES IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES PUT BAKU AND YEREVAN AT ODDS
Since June, officials in Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at odds over the question of who caused massive fires burning Azerbaijani territories currently under Armenian control. The fires have become
AZERBAIJAN IS GROWING RAPIDLY, THANKS TO ITS OIL
The July 13 opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline marked the beginning a new era in the history of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. Azerbaijan is already begun to collect dividends
BTC PIPELINE COULD MAKE CEYHAN AN ENERGY HUB
On Thursday, July 13, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline will be inaugurated at a ceremony in Ceyhan, Turkey. More than 40 high-level officials from some 30 countries plan to attend (Trend.az,
STATEMENT BY OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS SPARKS DEBATE IN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
On June 22, during a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, the Minsk Group co-chairs announced the main principles of the Karabakh peace process. The accompanying statement described
IRAN’S NUCLEAR DEMANDS: TOWARD A NEW ERA OF CONTAINMENT?
On May 31, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a statement that the United States would "join the EU-3 talks" with Tehran "should Iran verifiably suspend all of its
IRAN BLAMES “FOREIGN POWERS” FOR RECENT ETHNIC UNREST
Last week’s protests by Azeris in several major cities of Iran caught official Tehran off guard. Based on their response, Iranian officials fear domestic unrest could destabilize the ruling regime
WILL WASHINGTON LEAD THE KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS?
After a failed February attempt to break the deadlock in negotiations between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, observers thought the Karabakh peace process was dead. But
AZERBAIJAN FEARS STANDOFF BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN
Yesterday, April 26, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev began a three-day visit to the United States. This is his first official visit to Washington, which many observers believe will boost U.S.-Azerbaijan
BAKU PREPARES FOR NEW PHASE IN U.S.-AZERBAIJANI STRATEGIC RELATIONS
As Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliev prepares to visit the United States at the end of April, several high-ranking officials from Azerbaijan have already toured Washington and explored ways to strengthen
NEWFOUND U.S. INTEREST IN AZERBAIJAN PROMISES MORE HEADACHES FOR BAKU
On March 13-14, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried and U.S. Special Negotiator for Eurasian Conflicts and U.S. Minsk Group co-chair Ambassador Steven Mann
EUROPE HOPES TO REVIVE TRANS-CASPIAN ENERGY PIPELINES
The deputy energy and foreign ministers of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova will meet in Baku February 24-25 to discuss regional cooperation in the field of energy security. Senior energy
PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT RE-FREEZES KARABAKH CONFLICT
On February 10-11, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharian met in France in an attempt to break a deadlock in the Karabakh peace process. The talks failed
IRAN AND CHINA SIGN AGREEMENT TO EXPLORE OIL IN THE CASPIAN SEA
On January 18, Iran's North Drilling Company (NDC) and the Hong Kong-registered China Oilfield Services Ltd. signed an oil-exploration agreement for management, repair, and maintenance of the Alborz semi-floating platform,
AZERBAIJAN WORRIED OVER POTENTIAL SANCTIONS OR MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN
Iran's recent decision to resume nuclear fuel research has sparked a strong reaction from the United States, the European Union, and even Tehran's traditional ally, Russia. It also brought back
ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN HOPE TO MAKE 2006 A “YEAR OF PEACE”
For Armenia and Azerbaijan, the year 2005 was marked by intensified negotiations over a possible agreement in the Karabakh peace process. The presidents and foreign ministers of the two countries
OFFICIALS MEET TO DISCUSS SOUTH CAUCASUS RAIL SYSTEM
Last week, officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey met in Tbilisi to discuss further steps in the construction of another strategically important project in the South Caucasus, the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku (KATB)
IRAN’S SEARCH FOR ALLIES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
As international pressure mounts over Iran's nuclear activities, the Iranian government has intensified its public relations campaign in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki has been touring nearby states
NATO PEACEKEEPING TROOPS IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS?
During his November 9 visit to Armenia, NATO South Caucasus Liaison Officer Romualds Razuks declared that NATO is ready to deploy peacekeeping forces to the South Caucasus, if necessary. Razuks
CONSPIRATORS OR SCAPEGOATS? AZERBAIJAN STILL BUZZING OVER CABINET SHAKEUP
Throughout the past week, Azerbaijan's citizens and outside observers have been discussing President Ilham Aliyev's surprising cabinet reshuffle. On October 19 President Aliyev suddenly dismissed several ministers and high-ranking officials,
WILL INCREASING U.S. PRESENCE IN AZERBAIJAN MEAN MORE TROUBLE FOR RUSSIA AND IRAN?
Yesterday the governments of the United States and Azerbaijan convened a two-day conference in Baku on "Black Sea and Caspian Sea Maritime Nonproliferation." Running October 12-13, the workshop seeks to
PUBLIC MOOD IN AZERBAIJAN POINTS TO A NEW WAR
On September 26-27, OSCE Minsk co-chairs Bernard Fassier (France), Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), and Steven Mann (the United States) met in Vienna to discuss further steps in the Karabakh peace process.
AZERBAIJAN’S “ELECTION MOMENTUM” PICKS UP
As Azerbaijan's November 6 parliamentary elections draw closer, opposition parties are becoming more active. On Saturday September 10 the opposition bloc Azadliq (Freedom), a coalition of three major parties in
U.S. TROOPS IN AZERBAIJAN? MOSCOW SAYS NO, BUT BAKU SAYS MAYBE
Reports of potential U.S. military bases in Azerbaijan have intensified in the wake of another expected visit to Baku by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Donald H. Rumsfeld is expected
ARMS RACE IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS: A TIME BOMB?
Locked in a decade-old conflict over Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been increasing their military expenditures over the last few years. Lately this trend seems to have accelerated dramatically. The