Latest Articles about Azerbaijan
ALIYEV ISSUES NEW DECREES TO IMPROVE ELECTION TRANSPARENCY
A combination of international pressure and domestic tension has forced the Azerbaijani authorities to make several significant concessions regarding the November 6 parliamentary elections. Speaking at the October 25 governmental session, President Ilham Aliyev outlined new measures to ensure a transparent and democratic electoral process.... MORE
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, some of whom were quickly arrested by the country's law enforcement agencies. This risky, but... MORE
AZERBAIJAN’S ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN: FREER, FAIRER, AWAITING FAIR JUDGMENT
Images of baton-wielding police breaking up unlawful rallies by the radical opposition in a central square of Baku are partly responsible for diverting international attention from Azerbaijan's genuine advances toward holding freer and fairer elections. The other distracting factors include local authorities' uneasy learning process... MORE
PRESIDENT ALIYEV SACKS KEY MINISTERS, CLAIMS COUP WAS IMMINENT
On October 19, Azerbaijani authorities announced they had successfully prevented a coup in the country. Authorities arrested two powerful and influential cabinet ministers -- Minister of Economic Development Farhad Aliyev (no relations to President Ilham Aliyev) and Minister of Health Ali Insanov. A third figure,... MORE
GULIYEV STOPPED BEFORE REACHING BAKU
As Azerbaijan's November 6 parliamentary elections draw near, public interest in election-related events has increased dramatically. Perhaps counting on this heightened public attention, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP), Rasul Guliyev, recently announced that he would return to his country. Guliyev has been... MORE
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 develop close cooperation among the coast guard and border agencies of the Black Sea and... MORE
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. Before the meeting, Azerbaijan's foreign minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, declared, "The peace process has not yet... MORE
AZERBAIJAN’S OPPOSITION ANGERED BY LIMITS ON FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY
After three month of peaceful demonstrations, last Sunday (September 25) Azerbaijan's opposition parties and police clashed in downtown Baku. Ministry of Interior forces broke up the unauthorized rally by the main opposition alliance, Azadliq (Freedom), which unites the three largest opposition parties (Musavat, Popular Front,... MORE
SHARP DROP IN DOLLAR RATE PANICS AZERBAIJAN AND RAISES POLITICAL QUESTIONS
September 17 became "Black Saturday" in the history of the dollar in Azerbaijan. In just a few hours, the exchange rate of U.S. dollar to the Azerbaijani manat fell by almost 20% (from 4,600 manat per dollar to 3,800 manats), creating chaos and panic in... MORE
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 Azerbaijan -- Musavat, Popular Front, and Democratic Party – held yet another rally in Baku... MORE