... trade turnover between the two countries
dropped
in January-June 2016. Russia’s and Azerbaijan’s trade relations with Iran are, on the contrary, on the upswing after the lifting of sanctions: it is predicted that the trade turnover between Iran and Azerbaijan will grow by 80% in 2016, and the Russian-Iranian trade turnover
will grow by 60-70%
.
orientalreview.org
Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway under construction
connecting Iran and Azerbaijan is marked in red.
The possibility of constructing the North-South ...
... Russia and Azerbaijan divided “their” part of the shelf, and the three countries agreed between themselves. Iran, however, refuses to recognise these agreements.
The question of how to divide the southern sector and resolve the issues between Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkmenia remains extremely important in efforts to determine the status of the Caspian. This is the area where it has proved impossible to reach agreement.
All five countries in the region, however, have undertaken not to allow other states ...
... mechanism for imposing a moratorium on catching sturgeon.
According to official statements, the negotiations only made headway on environmental issues (such as conserving the sturgeon population). In addition, the “Caspian Five” (Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan) reaffirmed the principle of Caspian states’ non-interference in regional affairs.
As far as I can gather, no progress has been achieved on the main problem, i.e. agreeing spheres of influence. And without that, signing the Convention ...
One Region – Many Problems and Objectives
In 2013, the Caspian Region should be eventful, with the Fourth Caspian Summit to take place by the end of the year, and presidential elections in Iran in June and in Azerbaijan in October. In the first half of the year, Barack Obama is going to unveil his second-term regional foreign policy priorities, which will to a great extent define the situation around Iran's nuclear program and the solution of Afghan problems....
... the country has implemented mammoth hydrocarbon projects: the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, as well as the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli and Shah-Deniz production fields.
Second, there is an underlying ethnic issue. Iran and Azerbaijan are hostage to their geopolitical, historical and ethnic environment, as the Azeri form a sizable minority in Iran and the core ethnos of Azerbaijan. With pressure on Iran growing, the West is likely to apply any tool, including this
split ...
