Republic of Azerbaijan
Background
The Republic of Azerbaijan is a sovereign state in the South Caucasus at the boundary of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, with its capital in Baku. It exercises jurisdiction over a territory bordered by the Caspian Sea, Russia’s Dagestan republic, Georgia, Turkey through the Nakhchivan exclave, Armenia, and Iran. As a unitary semi-presidential republic, it is responsible for domestic governance, foreign relations, defense, and the administration of a strategically located transit and energy corridor linking the Caspian region with neighboring markets.
State authority is centered on the presidency and the national government, with Ilham Aliyev serving as president. Azerbaijan’s political system operates through a central executive structure, national ministries, and other state institutions under the constitution. The ruling New Azerbaijan Party has held power since 1993, and the country participates in a wide range of international organizations and diplomatic forums, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the Commonwealth of Independent States, GUAM, and the Organization of Turkic States. These memberships place Azerbaijan within both post-Soviet and broader Eurasian political and security frameworks.
The modern republic was proclaimed on 30 August 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but its territory has a longer history shaped by Caucasian Albania, Persian rule, and incorporation into the Russian Empire after the Russo-Persian wars and the treaties of Gulistan and Turkmenchay. A short-lived independent Azerbaijani state existed in 1918 before Soviet incorporation in 1920, and the contemporary state emerged after independence in 1991. Since then, the country has been shaped by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the 2020 war, and the 2023 offensive that ended the Republic of Artsakh. These developments remain central to Azerbaijan’s territorial consolidation, regional policy, and relations with neighboring states.
Timeline
The Republic of Azerbaijan facilitated the evacuation of Russian nationals from Iran.
Telephone Conversation with President of Azerbaijan Ilham AliyevThe Republic of Azerbaijan enabled the transit of humanitarian aid through its territory.
Telephone Conversation with President of Azerbaijan Ilham AliyevThe Republic of Azerbaijan called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.
Telephone Conversation with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
Documents
Telephone Conversation with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
Putin thanked Azerbaijani President Aliyev for facilitating the evacuation of Russian nationals from Iran and transit of humanitarian aid, and both leaders called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.