Peace or No Peace: Response to “The Nation”
In “Revolution or No Revolution,” published in The Nation on October 2, Pietro A. Shakarian…
Peace or No Peace: Response to “The Nation”
In “Revolution or No Revolution,” published in The Nation on October 2, Pietro A. Shakarian sets out to judge eight years of Nikol Pashinyan’s rule in Armenia. How Armenians assess their own government, its economic model, and its quarrel with the church is their business, and it is not for an Azerbaijani analyst to adjudicate….
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and China Coordinate Logistics Along The Middle Corridor
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and China increasingly seek to strengthen the Middle Corridor as a trans-Eurasian trade and logistics route. China’s proposal to extend Lianyungang Port’s existing logistics chain to Baku, alongside expanding container capacity at Aktau and new multimodal transport agreements, reflects a shift toward integrating previously separate infrastructure projects. Building on the existing Lianyungang–Khorgos–Aktau “Three…
EU-Backed Infrastructure Strengthens Azerbaijan–Central Asia Connectivity
Executive Summary: At an EU–Uzbekistan conference in Tashkent on September 30, officials signaled that the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor is shifting from political commitments to implementation, backed by growing European bank financing in Uzbekistan. In Kazakhstan, German logistics firm Rhenus Group and local partners agreed to advance a planned container terminal at Aktau, and Rhenus plans…
South Korea Broadens Multifaceted Ties with Central Asia
Executive Summary: Seoul’s inaugural Korea–Central Asia Summit moved relations from bilateral channels to a regular regional framework, with the Seoul Declaration setting four cooperation priorities for the next 30 years. Driven by its need for critical minerals, Seoul used this framework to secure 116 business memoranda, tailored deals with each Central Asian state, and new…
The Aliyev Doctrine: How Azerbaijan Defends Its Secular Identity Against Politicized Religion
Over the past month, Azerbaijan has been tested on a front that draws far less attention in Western capitals than its energy diplomacy or its peace process with Armenia. On September 21, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 309, which prohibits clothing items in state schools that conflict with the uniform dress code and…
Azerbaijan: Overcoming The Past, Embracing The Future – OpEd
Key Takeaways: The article argues that Azerbaijan’s restoration of territorial integrity through the 2020 Second Garabagh War and the 2023 dismantling of separatist entities has consolidated its sovereignty and enabled a more independent, proactive foreign policy free of external patronage. President Ilham Aliyev’s October 2026 speech is presented as outlining the need for continued military…
Azerbaijan Expands Defense Industry with Turkish and Other Partners
Executive Summary: Azerbaijan and Türkiye signed defense contracts worth more than $500 million in Baku on September 30. The contracts cover trainer aircraft, loitering munitions, a coastal defense system, and radars, along with an agreement to build a Turkish–Azerbaijani production facility in Nakhchivan. The Czechoslovak Group announced a joint venture valued at 1.8 billion euros…
AIR Center Chairman Farid Shafiyev addressed the CGTN panel discussion on Asian and global security, held on the occasion of the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA)
“We must strengthen the United Nations (UN) and the international system to ensure comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable global security. These efforts should be complemented through regional platforms such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and contribute to addressing challenges that require closer cooperation.” UN Permanent Representative Board Chairman Farid…
Conference held in Paris by IRIS (French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs) in partnership with the Embassy of Azerbaijan in France
On October 14, Leading Advisor of the AIR Center Sultan Zahidov participated in a conference held in Paris by IRIS (French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs) in partnership with the Embassy of Azerbaijan in France. In his remarks, he addressed the changing geopolitical landscape in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan’s growing regional role, its multivector…
Between fortress and open door: Azerbaijan’s policy on security, secularism and hybrid warfare
Editor’s note: Farid Shafiyev is the chairman of the Baku-based Center of Analysis of International Relations and Multiculturalism. The article reflects the author’s personal views and does not necessarily represent the position of News.Az. Introduction The South Caucasus has always been a crossroads where empires, regional powers and outside interests compete. In a world now…