IRAN: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia Squeezed Between Tehran and Washington
Armenia finds itself in an unfriendly neighborhood and engaged in a highly militarized 20-year territorial dispute with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. It has long pulled off a diplomatic coup, maintaining simultaneous close relations with Iran, Russia and the United States, all three of which it relies on for protection, investment and trade. READ MORE
Turkic Summit In Turkey Concludes With Declaration
The 10th Summit of Heads of State of Turkish Speaking Countries in Istanbul ended after signing of a declaration. READ MORE
Black Sea LNG Project Draws On Gas From Azerbaijan
During a meeting on September 13-14 in Baku, Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, and Traian Basescu of Romania, as well as Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, announced the launching of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. Designated as the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector (AGRI), and linking up with Hungary, this is the first-ever LNG project in the Black Sea. READ MORE
Trend Commentator: Europe Wastes Time And Gas
Azerbaijan has always been famous for its oil industry. In the last four years, it has been strengthening its position in gas exports. Azerbaijan's gas exports are as important as its oil and oil products. Proof of this can be seen in the recent signing of extentions to the contract for Azerbaijani gas supplies to Russia. They involve a doubling of fuel supply up to two billion cubic meters in 2011 and a further increase in 2012. READ MORE
Russia seeks to maintain balanced relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan
In less than a fortnight after Russia signed a deal with Armenia Russian president Dmitry Medvedev heads to Baku to discuss the urgent issues with the Azerbaijani government. Some experts believe that this highest level visit is aimed at soothing the effect of Russian-Armenian military agreement. Political analyst Viktor Nadein-Rayevsky, a senior fellow of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, shared his views on the situation in the South Caucasus. READ MORE
Ignoring Azerbaijan could cost the U.S.
Tensions between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia on the fate of the Nagorno-Karabakh region are reaching dangerous levels. In the past year, the Azeri enclave in the South Caucasus, which Armenia has occupied since 1992, has been the focus of increased violence. Just last month, six people were killed in an exchange of fire across the temporary line that separates the two sides. READ MORE
Russian President arrives in Baku for official visit
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Azeri capital for an official two-day visit on Thursday. READ MORE
Are Tbilisi and Baku good friends?
Relations between republics of South Caucasus play an important geopolitical role for Russia given that this near-border region is ethnically close to citizens of Russia's south and is highly integrated into Russia's economy. On one hand, establishment of new states in the territory of Soviet republics drastically changed relations between them making it possible for the West to set up a base to put pressure on Russia's south. We considered Georgian-Turkish relations and it is much more important how Georgia and Azerbaijan, two close neighbors, communicate. READ MORE
Azerbaijan Accepts Suggestions of the OSCE Minsk Group with Definite Exceptions
On July 6th Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that with definite exceptions the country accepts the suggestion of the cochairmen-states of the OSCE Minsk Group, developed on the basis of Helsinki principles. READ MORE
Aliyev: Azerbaijan’s defense spending tops Armenia budget
President Ilham Aliyev has said Azerbaijan is committed to increasing its military power that now surpasses the budget of Armenia, a neighboring country that occupies part of Azerbaijani territory, ignoring international law. READ MORE
