A new regulation on school uniforms introduced last month, which bans ‘elements that contradict the principle of secular education’, is sparking fierce protests in Azerbaijan. Underlying this is the sensitive issue, common to the whole of Central Asia, of striking a balance between religious freedom and the fight against fundamentalism.
An opinion poll among immigrants from the former Soviet Union ranked Azerbaijan as the country closest to Israel and Aliyev second only to Trump among the world's most friendly leaders. A bond cemented by many factors, including historical reasons but also today's commercial agreements on energy and military cooperation.
Azerbaijan might provide troops for the Gaza international stabilisation force under Trump’s peace plan. For 30 years, the Muslim nation in the Caucasus has been a key ally of the Jewish state as well as a channel of communication with Turkey. Bilateral relations are based on the common fight against Islamic extremism and terrorism.
After representing the ruling classes for half a century, at 87 he has been accused of wanting to overthrow the Aliyev regime. His arrest is symbolic of Azerbaijan's new position on the international stage, which is bringing to fruition the military campaign to reconquer Karabakh and redefine relations with other countries in the Caucasus and the Middle East.
The disputed 40 kilometres between the Azerbaijani border and the Nakhchivan enclave through Armenian territory are of fundamental importance for the entire region. The Corridor will not only reunite Azerbaijani territories through Armenia, but will also significantly shorten the entire Eurasian and Trans-Caspian Corridor route, which is essential for transport that must avoid sanctions against Russia.
The Washington meeting confirmed the role of the US as mediator in place of Russia. Many issues remain to be resolved, including the international disputes between Yerevan and Baku, borders and prisoners. But the central issue is the opening of the so-called ‘Zangezur Corridor’, renamed the ‘Trump Corridor’ and under US control. The challenge for the Armenian Church.
After the incident involving a plane carrying 67 people that crashed in December due to “interference” with the war in Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Russia are once again in the midst of a diplomatic crisis over a police raid. In the background is the crisis of Russian influence in the Caucasus, increasingly overshadowed by Turkish activism in the region.
Azerbaijan is on the front line of the conflict between Israel and Iran, with its ambivalent role as a strategic partner of Tel Aviv and complex and contradictory relations with Tehran. But neighbouring Armenia also openly expresses fears that the conflict could be protracted, involving other countries in the region.
Protests erupt during the visit of Moscow’s Foreign Minister, whom many Armenians blame for failing to support them against Azerbaijan. Russia offers reassurances on the importance of "allied relations" between the two nations, also aimed at countering Armenia’s rapprochement with Europe. Yerevan, however, has no plans to withdraw from the CSTO.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev continues to insist that “the Turkic World is our family”—a perspective that resonates increasingly with the rising nationalist sentiment in the majority-Azeri regions beyond the Iranian border, fuelled in part by support for Tabriz’s football team. A phenomenon that the authorities in Tehran are responding to with harsh repression.
Aliev's resentment towards the Europeans motivated by what he percieves as an ‘attempt at interference’ in Georgia's affairs is also being transmitted to Azerbaijan, through ‘human rights NGOs and the flow of capital connected to them’. He also heaps praise on Tbilisi for having introduced the law on ‘foreign influences’.
The international sanctions against Russia and Iran have allowed Azerbaijan to exploit its central position, and not only in geographical terms. The bet is on a large north-south transport corridor that would open the doors of the Indian Ocean to Moscow, from where it could circumvent any form of pressure.
The Russian authorities have not yet recognised their responsibilities in the tragedy that cost the lives of 38 people in Kazakhstan on 25th December and have not responded to the requests for compensation. President Aliev's plane itself is believed to have been targeted and local analysts point the finger at geopolitical manoeuvres. Meanwhile Azerbaijan closes the Dom Rossii suspected of espionage.
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