Opinion: COP29 host Azerbaijan faces unfair accusations

“As the host country of COP29, we have become the target of a coordinated, well-orchestrated campaign of slander and blackmail”, said President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan during his inauguration speech at the climate conference on 12 November. This conference was the largest international event ever organised in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus. Bringing together 80…

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Baku COP29 Successfully Achieves Its Primary Goals – OpEd

The COP29 event held in  Baku will undoubtedly go down in history as a platform where global agreements to address ecological challenges were successfully reached. We have ample grounds to support this conclusion, which will be elaborated on shortly. Furthermore, the high level of organization, positive feedback from participants, and tangible outcomes make this event highly significant…

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The Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye Trilateral Format Expands across Multiple Domains

On November 8, Azerbaijan celebrates the 4th anniversary of the end of the Second Karabakh War, which concluded in 2020 and resulted in the liberation of the Karabakh region and surrounding districts previously occupied by Armenia. The resolution of this conflict and complete de-occupation of the Karabakh region in September 2023 has significantly bolstered Azerbaijan’s geopolitical standing. This…

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Second Karabakh War Created a Unique Opportunity for Regional Integration in the South Caucasus

Throughout the entire post-Soviet period, the South Caucasus was described as lacking a cohesive “regional” identity in the traditional sense. It was a result of fragmantation of this region amongst the three countries (i.e., Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia) which adopted often opposing geopolitical orientation and lacked any consolidated cooperation amongst themselves. There were numerous efforts…

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Azerbaijan’s Balancing Act under Pressure: Quest for Alternative Regionalism

Introduction After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the countries of the South Caucasus, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia were offered by Russia and the West (i.e. the European Union and the United States) two alternative integration platforms: On the one hand, the Russia-led regional integration projects, including the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and…

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Multiple Countries Strive to Enhance Middle Corridor Despite Challenges

Executive Summary: The European Union is working with the countries along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (also known as the Middle Corridor) to support infrastructure development and provide technical assistance for improving standards, digitalization, and regional interoperability. Disruptions along the trans-Russia northern route due to Western sanctions against Russia and the unavailability of the trans-Iran southern…

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The AIR Center’s delegation attended the 12th meeting of the CICA Think Tank Forum

Chairman of the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) Farid Shafiyev and leading advisor Roza Bayramli attended the 12th Meeting of the CICA Think Tank Forum themed “Asia’s New Role in a Multipolar World” on October 24-25, in Shangai, China. Addressing the first session titled “Development of a Multipolar World from an Asian Perspective,”…

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Opinion: Third meeting of 3+3 and reconfiguration of the South Caucasus geopolitics

On 18 October, the 3+3 regional cooperation platform which hypothetically includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia “plus” three surrounding powers (Türkiye, Iran, and Russia) convened the third meeting at the ministerial level, though again without the participation of Georgia. Hosted by Türkiye in Istanbul, the meeting took place amidst a sensitive security situation in the wider…

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