Armenia’s Parliamentary Elections: A view from Azerbaijan
Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections produced a result whose significance extends well beyond the country’s…
Armenia’s Parliamentary Elections: A view from Azerbaijan
Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections produced a result whose significance extends well beyond the country’s borders. With Civil Contract, led by current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, securing 49.81 per cent of the vote, the Strong Armenia Alliance of Samvel Karapetyan at 23.29 per cent, and Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance at 9.94 per cent, Pashinyan retains…
Digitalization Of The Middle Corridor: Azerbaijan And The OTS Connectivity Agenda – OpEd
The Middle Corridor has emerged as one of the key connectivity corridors between China, Central Asia, the Caspian region, the South Caucasus, Türkiye and Europe. In the face of evolving geopolitical and economic conditions, this route has become increasingly important as a dependable alternative for East-West trade and transit. Nevertheless, the Middle Corridor’s future competitiveness…
Türkiye-Italy relations: strategic convergence and new opportunities
As the European Union (EU) continues to struggle to properly recognise Türkiye’s importance for the European security architecture, Ankara’s relations with individual member states are simultaneously gaining notable momentum. Türkiye’s significance for the European continent is both substantial and self-evident. Türkiye’s economy is deeply integrated into European supply chains, and it is one of the…
The Contemporary Evolution of the Iran-Afghanistan Relationship
Contemporary Iranian-Afghan relations are characterized by a combination of strategic pragmatism, security competition, and economic interdependence. Despite persistent tensions over transboundary water resources, refugee flows, border clashes, terrorism, and cross-border criminal activities such as drug and arms trafficking, both states continue to maintain practical cooperation in trade, transit, infrastructure, and regional connectivity. The relationship is…
Georgia to introduce an official stablecoin GEL₮: Can it be successful?
On the 25th of May 2026, Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced in a press conference that Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, will begin operations in Georgia with a digital version of the Georgian Lari; GEL₮. The new cryptocurrency will be pegged to the Georgian Lari with a value of 1:1. With this new…
Azerbaijan’s Emerging Role In Context Of WUF13 And Post-Conflict Sustainable Urban Development – Analysis
The thirteenth session of the United Nations World Urban Forum (WUF13), held in Baku, is not merely a high-level international gathering; it is also a clear manifestation of Azerbaijan’s growing position within the global agenda on urban development and human settlements. Convened from 17 to 22 May 2026 under the theme “Housing the World: Safe…
Opinion: “Azerbaijan’s decision to interweave the global urban development agenda with its own post-conflict recovery story was deliberate and, on reflection, relevant”
When Baku was selected to host the 13th Session of the United Nations World Urban Forum (WUF13), it was not merely a recognition of Azerbaijan’s growing organizational capacity on the world stage. It was, in many ways, a fitting venue for a conversation about post-conflict reconstruction that the country has been engaged in more urgently…
Meloni Visits Baku to Cement the Italy–Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership
Executive Summary: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Azerbaijan on May 4, holding talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku that produced a roadmap for elevating their comprehensive strategic partnership across energy, defense, investment, and education. Meloni arrived in Baku directly from the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, a route that reinforces the…
Moscow’s pipeline blackmail: Lessons from the Druzhba Blockade and the need for infrastructural sovereignty
A Calculated Impasse On April 22, 2026, Russian oil started flowing again through the Druzhba pipeline to Europe, with reparations works handled by Ukrainians after a rupture amidst the events of the war. Yet, after a series of reports, it was confirmed that Russia would halt the passage of Kazakh oil sent to Germany through…
Should the Groningen gas field be reopened?
Het Groningenveld (the Groningen gas field) is the biggest gas field in Europe and belongs to the top 10 biggest gas fields in the world with around 2.800 billion m³ of gas. Since the 19th of April 2024, the gas field has been closed and it has been forbidden to extract new gas in this…