The neighboring nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan have had formal governmental relations between 1918 and 1921, when both countries were briefly independent. The two nations have fought three wars in the 1918–20 (Armenian–Azerbaijani War), the 1988–94 (Nagorno-Karabakh War), and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, with the last two ending in ceasefire agreements - the Bishkek Protocol and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement respectively. There are no formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, because of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and dispute. In 2008, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev declared, "Nagorno Karabakh will never be independent; the position is backed by international mediators as well; Armenia has to accept the reality," and "in 1918, Yerevan was granted to the Armenians. It was a great mistake. The khanate of Iravan was the Azerbaijani territory, the Armenians were guests here."[62]
During the Soviet period, many Armenians and Azerbaijanis lived side by side in peace. However, when Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the policies of Glasnost and Perestroika, the majority of Armenians from the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) of the Azerbaijan SSR began a movement to unify with the Armenian SSR. In 1988, the Armenians of Karabakh voted to secede and join Armenia. This, along with mutual massacres in Azerbaijan and Armenia resulted in the conflict that became known as the Nagorno-Karabakh War. The violence resulted in de facto Armenian control of former NKAO and seven surrounding Azerbaijani regions, which was effectively halted when both sides agrees to observe a cease-fire, which has since been in effect since May 1994, and in late 1995 both also agreed to mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group. The Minsk Group is currently co-chaired by the U.S., France, and Russia and comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and several Western European nations. Despite the cease fire, up to 40 clashes are reported along the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict lines of control each year.[citation needed]
The two countries are still technically at war. Citizens of the Republic of Armenia, as well as citizens of any other country who are of Armenian descent, are forbidden entry to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
If a person's passport shows any evidence of travel to Nagorno-Karabakh, they are forbidden entry to the Republic of Azerbaijan.[63]
In 2008, in what became known as the 2008 Mardakert Skirmishes, Armenia and Azerbaijan clashed over Nagorno-Karabakh. The fighting between the two sides was brief, with few casualties on either side.[64]
As of July 2020, the new round of military escalation along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan continued, thus making it one of the most explosive regions in Eurasia.[65]
On 27 September 2020, a new military conflict emerged between Azerbaijan and Armenia.[66] The following day, on 28 September 2020, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree declaring a partial military mobilisation following clashes with Armenian forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.[67] An armistice agreement between the two countries was signed on 10 November 2020, returning control of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan.
On 28 December 1991, Jordan recognized the independence of Azerbaijan.
On 13 February 1993, a protocol on establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was signed.
Trade volume between the two countries was US$4.18 billion in 2019 (Azerbaijani exports/imports: 2.55/1.63 billion USD.[95]
Azerbaijan-Turkey relations have been described as "one nation with two states" due to a common culture and the mutual intelligibility of Turkish and Azerbaijani.
Turkey became the first state to recognize the Republic of Azerbaijan in November 1991.[94]
The Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan inter-parliamentary friendship group functions in the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary friendship group works in the Majlis of Turkmenistan.[97]
Bosnia and Herzegovina recognized the independence of Azerbaijan on 9 February 1995. Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries on the same day.[108]
Azerbaijan has an embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is accredited to Azerbaijan from its embassy in Ankara.
Azerbaijan formally recognizes the government of the Republic of Cyprus as the sole representative of the island, but has not yet established diplomatic relations with Cyprus. The parliament of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic issued a resolution recognizing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a sovereign state. While this recognition is not regarded by Azerbaijan and internationally as 'official state-to-state', Azerbaijan itself maintained cordial unofficial relations with the TRNC. In 2004, Azerbaijan threatened to formally recognize the TRNC if the Annan Plan was voted down by the Greek Cypriots (who rejected the plan in one of twin referendums held 24 April 2004 in both the Greek and Turkish zones simultaneously), but backed off the threat when it was pointed out by Cyprus that doing so would be hypocritical, as a portion of its territory just like that of Cyprus itself is under occupation and would probably result in negative impact on its ongoing dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.[112]
Azerbaijan recognized the independence of Montenegro on 24 July 2006. On 24 April 2008, diplomatic relations between these two countries were established.
The frozen conflict over currently largely Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh within the Republic of Azerbaijan began when in 1988 the Armenian majority of Nagorno-Karabakh demanded autonomy with demonstrations and persecutions against ethnic Azeris following in Armenia. This led to anti-Armenian rioting in Azerbaijan, with Azerbaijani militias beginning their effort to expel Armenians from the enclave. In 1992, a war broke out and pogroms of Armenians and Azeris forced both groups to flee their homes. In 1994, a Russian-brokered ceasefire ended the war but more than 1 million ethnic Armenians and Azeris are still not able to return. In 2023, an Azerbaijani offensive into Nagorno-Karabakh ended the conflict, with the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh conceding sovereignty to the government of Azerbaijan on January 1, 2024.
The European Stability Initiative (ESI) has revealed in a report from 2012 with the title "Caviar diplomacy: How Azerbaijan silenced the Council of Europe", that since Azerbaijan's entry into the Council of Europe, each year 30 to 40 deputies are invited to Azerbaijan and generously paid with expensive gifts, including caviar (worth up to 1,400 euro), silk carpets, gold, silver and large amounts of money.[153][154] In return they become lobbyists for Azerbaijan. This practice has been widely referred to as "Caviar diplomacy".[155]
ESI also published a report on 2013 Presidential elections in Azerbaijan titled "Disgraced: Azerbaijan and the end of election monitoring as we know it". The report revealed the ties between Azerbaijani government and the members of certain observation missions who praised the elections.[156] Azerbaijan's "Caviar diplomacy" at 2013 presidential elections sparked a major international scandal, as the reports of two authoritative organizations Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe/European Parliament and OSCE/ODIHR completely contradicted one another in their assessments of elections.[157][158][159][160]
Non-governmental anti-corruption organization Transparency International has regularly judged Azerbaijan to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world[160][161] and has also criticized Azerbaijan for the "Caviar diplomacy".[155][162]
At June 2016 the public prosecutor of Milan has accused the former leader of the (Christian) Union of the center and of the European People's Party of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Luca Volonte of accepting large bribes from representatives of the Azerbaijani government.[163] Two people with high-level experience of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly (Pace) have told the Guardian they believe its members have been offered bribes for votes by Azerbaijan. Former Azerbaijani diplomat, Arif Mammadov, alleged that a member of Azerbaijan's delegation at the Council of Europe had €30m (£25m) to spend on lobbying its institutions, including the Council of Europe assembly.[164] PACE ratified the terms of reference of an independent external investigation body to carry out a detailed independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption at the council involving Azerbaijan.[165]
On 6 March 2017, ESISC (European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center) published a scandalous report called "The Armenian Connection" where it veraciously attacked human rights NGOs and research organisations criticising human rights violations and corruption in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Russia.[166]
ESISC in that report asserted that "Caviar diplomacy" report elaborated by ESI aimed to create climate of suspicion based on slander to form a network of MPs that would engage in a political war against Azerbaijan.[167] In the Second Chapter of the report called "The Armenian Connection: «Mr X», Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights" that was published on 18 April 2017 ESISC asserted that the network composed of European PMs, Armenian officials and some NGOs: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, "Human Rights House Foundation", "Open Dialog", European Stability Initiative, and Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, was financed by the Soros Foundation. According to ESISC the key figure of the network since 2012 has been Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe and the network has served to the interests of George Soros and the Republic of Armenia.[168] "The report is written in the worst traditions of authoritarian propaganda, makes absurd claims, and is clearly aimed at deflecting the wave of criticism against cover-up of unethical lobbying and corruption in PACE and demands for change in the Assembly", said Freedom Files Analytical Centre.[166]
According Robert Coalson (Radio Free Europe), ESISC is a part of Baku's lobbying efforts to extend to the use of front think tanks to shift public opinion.[169]
European Stability Initiative said that "ESISC report is full of lies (such as claiming that German PACE member Strasser holds pro-Armenian views and citing as evidence that he went to Yerevan in 2015 to commemorate the Armenian genocide, when Strasser has never in his life been to independent Armenia)".[170]
Since its independence, Armenia has maintained a policy of trying to have positive and friendly relations with Iran, Russia, and the West, including the United States and the European Union. It has full membership status in a number of international organizations, such as the Council of Europe and the Eurasian Economic Union, and observer status, etc. in some others. However, the dispute over the Armenian genocide of 1915 and the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have created tense relations with two of its immediate neighbors, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Hungary wields considerable influence in Central and Eastern Europe and is a middle power in international affairs. The foreign policy of Hungary includes commitments to international development, international law, European integration, Atlantic co-operation and increased co-operation within the Global East. The Hungarian economy is fairly open and relies strongly on international trade.
Kyrgyzstan has close relations with other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, particularly Kazakhstan and Russia, given the historical legacy of the Soviet Union. It also has close relations with Turkey as well, given their shared heritage as Turkic languages.
Foreign relations of Latvia are the primary responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today's Republic of Latvia regards itself as a continuation of the 1918–1940 republic. After the declaration on the restoration of its full independence on August 21, 1991, Latvia became a member of the United Nations on September 17, 1991, and is a signatory to a number of UN organizations and other international agreements. Latvia welcomes further cooperation and integration with NATO, European Union, OECD and other Western organizations. It also seeks more active participation in UN peacekeeping efforts worldwide.
Physically bridging Europe and Asia and being above Africa, Turkey is a secular country that has historically pursued a Western-oriented foreign policy. To this end, Turkey uses its global diplomatic network—the third most extensive—of 252 diplomatic and consular missions.
Ukraine has formal relations with many nations and in recent decades has been establishing diplomatic relations with an expanding circle of nations. The foreign relations of Ukraine are guided by a number of key priorities outlined in the foreign policy of Ukraine.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan is a Cabinet-level governmental agency of Azerbaijan Republic in charge of conducting and designing the country's foreign policy.
In 1991, Azerbaijan recovered its independence from the Soviet Union, which was recognized by Greece on December 31, 1991. Diplomatic relations were established in 1992. The Greek embassy in Baku was opened in the spring of 1993. The embassy of Azerbaijan in Athens was opened in August 2004.
Strong foreign relations exist between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom. The Embassy of United Kingdom in Baku opened in 1992. The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in London opened in 1994. Both countries are members of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The diplomatic relations between Austria and Azerbaijan established in 1992 after Austria recognized the independence of Azerbaijan. Austria have an embassy in Baku. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Vienna. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan and Ukraine gained their independence from the Soviet Union and started a close friendship with establishing diplomatic relations in 1992. The relations of strategic cooperation, political, economical and cultural relations between two countries are at a very high level. Azerbaijan currently plays an important role in both organization and the foreign policy of Ukraine due to its strategic role in the region.
Bilateral relations exist between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Bulgaria in political, socio-economic, cultural and other spheres. Cooperation is carried out in such areas as transport and transit of goods, tourism, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, science and high technologies, education, military equipment, etc.
Kingdom of Belgium (Belgium) recognized the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan) on December 31, 1991. Azerbaijan has been the first Post-Soviet State to establish diplomatic ties with Belgium on February 20, 1992.
Diplomatic relations exist between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands. Azerbaijan have an embassy in The Hague. the Netherlands has an embassy in Baku. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe. Azerbaijan celebrated its 30th anniversary with the Netherlands on April 1, 2022.
The diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Germany established in 1992 after Germany recognized the independence of Azerbaijan.
The diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Portugal were established in 1992 after Portugal recognized the independence of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan–Kenya relations refer to bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Kenya. Kenya has a non resident ambassador in Tehran. The first and current resident Azerbaijani ambassador to Kenya is Sultan Hajiyev.
Bilateral relations exist between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of North Macedonia in the political, socio-economic, cultural and other spheres.
Azerbaijan–Ethiopia relations refer to bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Ethiopia. Cooperation is carried out in such areas as economy, trade, education, culture, media, engineering, energy, and medicine. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia has a non resident ambassador in Ankara.
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