Friday, December 5, 2025

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey boost rail links to connect Asia and Europe

by

TBILISI, October 6 – A new push to link major rail corridors across the South Caucasus and Turkey could soon give the region a powerful boost as a trade bridge between Asia and Europe. Azerbaijan Railways chairman Rovshan Rustamov said that the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway and the planned Zangezur Corridor will together form a “unified … Read more

Aktau-Baku-Ceyhan link set to pump record Kazakh oil

by

TBILISI, October 3 – Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have agreed to boost oil shipments along the Aktau–Baku–Ceyhan route, raising export volumes to 1.7 million tons in 2025. The move will strengthen ties between Baku and Astana and forms part of a bigger geopolitical picture of Caspian energy bypassing Russia, finding its way to a Europe hungry … Read more

Black Sea to Baku: New block train tightens the Middle Corridor

by

TBILISI, October 2 – Georgia and Azerbaijan will launch a new block-train linking the Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi with Azerbaijan’s biggest cargo hubs around Baku, after the two railways signed an agreement in Almaty. The fixed-timetable service will run Batumi–Poti–Tbilisi–Absheron–Sumgait–Alat and offer shippers a simplified “terminal-to-door” product with predictable delivery times and … Read more

Borders stay shut as Azerbaijan prolongs Covid-era regime

by

TBILISI, September 22 – Azerbaijan has extended its special quarantine regime, keeping land borders closed until January 1, 2026, despite the World Health Organization declaring the global COVID emergency over last year. Prime Minister Ali Asadov signed the latest decision, which prolongs measures that were due to expire on October 1, 2025. According to government … Read more

“Clear disinformation”: Georgia denies allowing Turkish weapons shipments to Azerbaijan

by

TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia categorically denies rumors spread on various social networks that weapons are being brought to Azerbaijan through its territory and calls on the Armenian side not to rely on such misinformation and fake news. “We observe that various types of misinformation and fakes are spread in the social space, as if weapons are being … Read more

Azerbaijan unexpectedly frees journalist who was secretly abducted in Tbilisi three years ago

by

Azerbaijan’s authorities released on Tuesday Afgan Mukhtarli, an investigative journalist convicted on falsified charges. The released was ordered by the court, his lawyer Neymat Karimli said. He immediately left the country and flew to Germany, his wife Leyla Mustafayeva said. The release might be connected to Nowruz celebrations, Azerbaijan’s news agency Turan reports. Afgan Mukhtarli, … Read more

A critic of Azerbaijan government detained in Georgia, face extradition

by

The police in Georgia detained Azerbaijan’s opposition activist Avtandil Mammadov on the request of Baku on Monday and he may face extradition to his home country. Mammadov was arrested in Marneuli, a town inhabited largely by ethnic Azerbaijanis, 35 km east from Tbilisi, radio Marneuli reports based on the information provided by Mammadov’s family and … Read more

Paul Stronski: Georgia has carved out as much independence as possible against very large and aggressive neighbor

by
Paul Stronski is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program, where his research focuses on the relationship between Russia and neighboring countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Voice of America’s Ani Chkhikvadze sat down with Paul Stronski, Carnegie Endowment fellow in Washington DC to discuss Georgia’s domestic and foreign affairs.

Read more

Selective abortions still rife in Georgia’s ethnic Azerbaijani community

by

People still actively request to determine the gender of the future child in advance during first trimester of the pregnancy in the municipalities inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijani people. 31-years-old Sakina Alieva from Marneuli has 5-years-old boy. Before having the boy she got two abortions because she was expecting girls.

Read more