Opinion96- Page

Azerbaijan’s decade-long balanced foreign policy between Russia and the West took a decisive turn after last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh, highlighted by a greater emphasis on military alignment with an increasingly assertive Turkey.

Israel has warned its missions around the world of a possible Iranian terror threat, a television report claimed on Wednesday, following the arrest of an Azeri national over an alleged plot to assassinate one or more Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus.

Relations between Iran and its neighbor Azerbaijan have steadily deteriorated over recent weeks, fueled by military drills on both sides of the border, allegations of an Israeli military presence and the imposition of border controls on a road straddling the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says his country does not accept "geopolitical changes" in the Caucasus. Tensions between Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan have been on the rise of late.

If the situation deteriorates and Baku opts not to address Tehran's concerns and warnings, a direct confrontation could be on the cards.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly declared its commitment to normalizing relations based on the principles of international law, but the revanchist statements and actions of the Armenian side show that Armenia is not yet ready for this.

Closure attributed to ‘a surge in COVID-19 cases’ comes days after Tehran launched war games near Azeri border in a move denounced by Baku.

Tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan are high right now but both sides will very likely soon step down. Neither Tehran nor Baku can afford to let recent events lead to a full-fledged crisis or a military showdown between the two Shi’a Muslim-majority countries.

Iran’s media has begun to up the rhetoric against Azerbaijan, with a headline claiming that Baku has “denied the presence of the Zionist regime near the border with Iran,” a claim that appears to contrast with its insinuation that Israel’s close relationship with Azerbaijan is a threat to Tehran.

Turkey’s foray into the South Caucasus seems to be paying off, as the country nibbles away at Russia’s long-held hegemony in the region.

Tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran are running high over allegations of Israeli military presence, with more military drills planned.

The Iranian army recently held massive military exercises near its border with Azerbaijan. These drills come against the backdrop of escalating disputes between the two neighbors after Baku imposed tariffs on Iranian trucks crossing the border and heading to Karabakh.

Events are moving quite quickly in the South Caucasus, although they have not yet reached a breakthrough. Nevertheless, the first anniversary of the outbreak Second Karabakh War provides an opportunity to evaluate at least some of the new phenomena.

A year ago today, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan intensified into war. There were many reasons for that, but among the most important were Yerevan’s unexpectedly hard line, the expanding role of Turkey, and the failure of the Minsk Co-Chair countries to focus on the South Caucasus, Sergey Markedonov says.

Tensions spiked between Azerbaijan and Iran recently surrounding trade with Armenia and military exercises in the region.

Tehran is not happy about Azerbaijan’s victory in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh against Armenia. And Baku’s restrictions on Iranian trucks entering the region escalated tensions between the neighbours.

Tensions have increased between Iran and Azerbaijan in the past few weeks. However, relations between the two neighbours were unstable even earlier, especially following the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia last autumn.

The 44-Day War and therein the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan have brought about various opportunities for regional co-operation, peace and development in the South Caucasus.

Although steps have been taken to find lasting peace in the South Caucasus region, more can be done by the EU to support its eastern partners, argues Parviz Yarmammad.

Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran, its large neighbor to the south, have been in flux since the end of last year’s war with Armenia. The most recent rocky period began when Azerbaijan began charging fees to Iranian trucks on a road through southern Armenia that passes through slices of Azerbaijani territory in some places.

The Second Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia that occurred on September 27 and ended on November 10, 2020 changed the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus. The long-lasting Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict was a major challenge to regional economic integration and security.

2021 is a lousy year for proponents of multilateralism. NATO’s mission in Afghanistan collapsed into uncontrolled chaos. Despite renewed efforts to resolve the conflict under UN auspices, Yemen remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The ceasefire Russian president Vladimir Putin brokered between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in November 2020 may have stopped full-blown fighting between the two European states, but it has not stopped their militaries from crossing the border into each other’s territory.