Executive Summary: Railway officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan met in Ashgabat on February 10 to strengthen operational coordination in developing the Middle Corridor, signing a protocol that prioritizes digital transformation, data exchange, and bottleneck diagnostics. Uzbekistan’s deepening integration, combined with the construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, will cut Asia-Europe transit distances significantly, materially…

The South Caucasus region has been one of the important issues on the international security agenda over the past decades. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which lasted for many years and ended with Azerbaijan liberating its territories from occupation in 2020, has created new realities in the region. In the post-war period, a peace…

The South Caucasus is once again confronting a rapidly deteriorating security environment as major geopolitical rivalries unfold on its borders. To the north, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, while to the south, the confrontation between Iran and the United States/Israel has escalated through missile strikes, drone warfare, and retaliatory operations. Wedged geographically between…

Executive Summary: Iranian drones launched from Iranian territory struck Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on March 5, damaging civilian infrastructure near the international airport and a school. Baku condemned the attack as terrorism and demanded explanations, an apology, and accountability from Tehran. Azerbaijan rejected Iran’s denial of responsibility, citing technical monitoring confirming the drones’ Iranian origin….

The South Caucasus managed the geopolitical rivalries surrounding it remarkably well in 2025. Despite intensifying global competition and conflicts raging beyond its borders, the region avoided major military escalation and even made notable progress toward stability. For the first time in more than three decades, there were no deadly interstate clashes among the three South…

We can reasonably assume now that the drone attack on the Nakhchivan region of Azerbaijan was not a so-called flag operation by Israel or the US. It was a deliberate action by Iran. The question remains whether the decision was made in Tehran or at a lower command, but judging from the unofficial accounts associated…