Karabakh after war: Mapping post-conflict reconstruction
In the summer of 2022, Azerbaijan began resettling its first village in Karabakh*, a region in its southwest that had been under Armenian control for about 30 years and was partially recaptured during the 2020 war. Since a war in the 1990s, the predominantly Armenian-populated mountainous parts of Karabakh, as well as seven Azerbaijani-majority districts…
Beijing Revives China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway
On June 6, the heads of state from China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan approved a trilateral pact to transform an oft-discussed railway from a vision into a reality. According to the agreement, construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway is expected to commence in October (Xinhua, June 6). Based on a memorandum signed in May 2023, it…
The Middle Corridor’s Perspectives and Opportunities for Europe and Central Asia
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Hamas pivot towards Iraq signals involvement from Iran’s ally
As headlines rage over an inevitable war between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Southern Lebanon, Hamas is using this time out of the spotlight to regroup, realign, and reposition. Eyes on the Israel-Hamas War are quickly shifting toward the north as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a reduction of…
Bulgaria Continues to Be a Reliable Gas Transit Country for Hungary
The visit of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev to Budapest has reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening economic relations, ensuring the secure flow of energy through Bulgaria, and enhancing cultural ties between the two countries. On 27 May 2024 the Bulgarian President paid a visit to the Hungarian capital to meet with the President of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok,…
Baku brings about creating renewable energy plants with Masdar
Agreements for green energy projects totaling 1,000 MW in installed capacity have been signed during the visit of Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of Masdar Company, to Baku, Trend reports via the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan. Specifically, an “Addendum to the Investment Agreement” was signed between the Ministry…
India-Iran Chabahar deal: implications for the South Caucasus
On May 13, India signed a 10-year agreement with Iran to develop and operate the port of Chabahar on Iran’s south-eastern coast along the Gulf of Oman. The deal has been long in the making as New Delhi has sought viable transport routes to Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East that bypass its regional…
“Russians never leave,” or how Azerbaijan proved the opposite
On April 17, 2024, an extraordinary development – something that does not happen every day – swept through the region and shocked the observers: the Kremlin confirmed the early withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Karabakh, a year ahead of schedule. Back in 2020, around 2,000 Russian peacekeepers arrived following Moscow’s mediation of a ceasefire that halted the fighting between…