
Latest Articles about Azerbaijan

Iran May Not Be the Entirely Reliable Ally in the Caspian Moscow Hopes For
Following last month’s (August 12) Caspian Economic Forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (see EDM, September 4), a number of Russian commentators celebrated what they saw as a victory of the “Russian-Iranian approach,” which seeks to promote north-south trade over the east-west flows supported by the three... MORE

Economic Diversification in Azerbaijan and Its Geopolitical Implications
On August 19, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on applying the “Agrarian Insurance Law” and establishing the “Agrarian Insurance Fund”—key steps designed to help diversify the South Caucasus country’s economy (Azertag, August 19). In recent years, diversification of the economy has become a... MORE

Hopes Reemerge for Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, but Critical Obstacles Persist
On August 12, delegations led by the prime ministers of the five Caspian littoral states—Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan—came together at Turkmenistan’s coastal resort of Awaza to hold the first annual Caspian Economic Forum. The heads of government from two other countries, Uzbekistan and... MORE

Georgian-Azerbaijani Monastery Dispute and the Intersection of Local, National and International Drivers of Conflict
Following a series of protests and heightened tensions earlier this year at the Davit Gareja/Keshikchidag monastery complex (see EDM, May 14, June 6), which straddles the border between Azerbaijan and Georgia, an even more serious incident occurred there on July 15. That day, a group... MORE

Azerbaijan’s Military Exercises Send Defiant Message to Armenia
The armed forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey conducted two late-spring joint exercises, around Baku (on May 1–3) and in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan (June 7–11). The goal of these drills was to increase the level of coordination and interoperability between the two militaries, to... MORE

Azerbaijan-Georgia Partnership: What Next?
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze visited Baku, Azerbaijan, on June 20. While meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ogtay Asadov, the latter noted that Azerbaijan as well as Georgia suffer from separatism and territorial losses, which obstruct their political-economic progress; otherwise, the Baku-based lawmaker... MORE

Azerbaijan, Armenia Respond to Growing US Engagement in South Caucasus
On June 19–20, the ministers of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Elmar Mammadyarov and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, respectively, visited Washington, where they met with United States National Security Advisor John Bolton (Mfa.gov.az, June 19; Panorama.am, June 20). According to the foreign ministries of the two... MORE

US and Azerbaijan Focus on Common Interests Rather Than Disagreements
Over the last two years, United States President Donald Trump has sent six congratulatory letters to his Azerbaijani counterpart, President Ilham Aliyev. Collectively, these letters contained three important messages. First, they addressed Azerbaijan’s contribution to European energy security through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) and... MORE

A China-Europe Rail Link Circumventing Russia Could Have Major Geopolitical Consequences
To buttress the country’s flagging economy, Moscow has counted on the Russian Federation being the primary transit route for Chinese goods being shipped to Europe. However, Beijing’s commitment to becoming the dominant player on the Northern Sea Route (The Barents Observer, June 7) as well... MORE

Azerbaijan and Georgia Narrowly Avoid Fresh Border Conflict
On May 28, as Azerbaijan marked its most important national holiday, Republic Day, and finalized preparations to host the UEFA Europa League Final at the Baku Olympic Stadium (May 29), events around the sprawling Davit Gareja (named Keshkichidag, in Azerbaijani) Monastery complex again started to... MORE