There is an old comic scene humanity has laughed at for centuries: the bride is at the altar, the guests are waiting, the ceremony is ready — but the groom never arrives. Something similar happened in Brussels on June 23, when the European side launched its Connectivity Platform dedicated to the Middle Corridor.
When Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, many observers believed the outcome was almost predetermined. Moscow expected a rapid campaign, the fall of Kyiv and the collapse of Ukrainian resistance.
The Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank Group in Baku became more than a major financial event. They also highlighted Azerbaijan’s changing role in the wider economic geography of the Islamic world.
After heavy rains in Armenia, unusual orange streams of water flowed through the streets of Gafan. The footage quickly spread on social media and caused serious concern among both local residents and environmentalists.
Images from the Armenian city of Kapan, where heavy rains sent unnatural orange-coloured streams through the streets, have once again drawn attention to a problem Yerevan has long preferred to keep in the background.
Lobbying is a normal part of American political life. In the United States, community organisations and interest groups routinely try to influence lawmakers, shape public debate and defend the priorities of their constituencies. There is nothing unusual in that.
On June 10, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on state support for the export of non-oil and gas products.
The outcome of Armenia’s parliamentary elections has created a new political reality, but it has not cancelled the logic of the peace process with Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan’s logistics transformation continues to gain momentum as the Middle Corridor becomes an increasingly important part of the wider Eurasian transport architecture.
The Middle East has once again entered a dangerous phase. Iran and Israel have exchanged strikes, while the political and military rhetoric on both sides has sharply intensified. Although the latest round of attacks may formally appear to have ended, the risk of a wider escalation remains high.
The parliamentary elections in Armenia were not merely an internal matter for that country, but an important indicator of regional change.
An election campaign can be compared to a kind of “political supermarket”. Or, more precisely, a bazaar. Each party offers the “product” it believes to be most in demand, while also being convinced that its competitors could not offer anything similar even if they wanted to.
![A zoomed in view of the waterfront promenade running along the shores of the Caspian Sea, Baku, Azerbaijan. [Photo via Getty Images]](https://aze.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-1178395339-e1723534011484.webp)
Against the backdrop of the current ceasefire and ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington, Iran appears to be trying to make maximum use of this pause to form a kind of “coalition of the dissatisfied” — states that are not ready to unconditionally accept the American vision for the future of the Middle East.
A week before Armenia’s parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 7, two American outlets at once reminded Western audiences of the case of former International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo and his role in the campaign against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Following the EAEU summit held in Astana on May 29, a joint statement was issued by the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin; Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko; Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; and Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, regarding the situation surrounding Armenia’s aspiration to integrate with the European Union.
The Russian media cesspit Tsargrad, which is blocked in Azerbaijan, has produced yet another Telegram piece in its death throes, titled: “‘We Were Deceived’: Where Did Russia Miscalculate with Armenia?”
In history, as in biology, alliances between peoples and states rarely arise by chance. They are born out of a deep convergence of strategic interests, cultural affinity and historical memory.
During his official visit to Georgia in early April this year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Tbilisi and Baku support each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of borders in all international organizations.
Today, May 15, an informal summit of the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States is taking place in the ancient city of Turkestan, Kazakhstan.
Another anti-Azerbaijani provocation has been launched in Germany.
On May 9, at the Russian Embassy in Yerevan, amid the clinking of glasses, the smell of brandy and routine toasts to the “eternal friendship of peoples,” a rather curious figure appeared: the “speaker of the parliament of Artsakh,” acting “president” of an illusory entity, Ashot Danielyan.
"We had no intention of destroying Armenia or depriving it of its independence," said President Ilham Aliyev during a meeting with residents in the city of Zangilan.
The situation around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz continues to develop according to an increasingly unpredictable scenario.
Official Paris has once again started talking about “Nagorno-Karabakh,” as if nothing had happened in recent years.
