Conflicts over the informal ban flare up occasionally, but this one is unusual in that it is taking place against the backdrop of warming Baku-Moscow ties.
Several political prisoners and activists have declared hunger strikes in solidarity, and both the government and opposition have slammed the Western response.
A number of recent personnel moves, softened rhetoric and positive statements suggest a new willingness in Baku to reach out to Armenia’s new authorities.
A new generation of Azerbaijanis is growing up with no firsthand memory of the land from which their parents were displaced, and which the government vows to take back.
While official Baku and its friendly media sharply criticized the elections and Armenia’s new leadership, some in the country expressed optimism that the door to a peace deal may have opened, if only a crack.
The formerly ruling Republican Party is on life support, but it has provided a useful foil for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and sparring between the two has dominated the parliamentary election campaign.
The leaders of the organization's member states met in Astana, and they -- led by Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbayev -- appeared to be leaning toward letting Belarus take over ahead of schedule.
The church said it is taking its time in formulating a response to the schism, while senior ecclesiastical officials have come out on both sides of the conflict.
Some have expressed concern that the UK's first use of the “unexplained wealth order” targeted someone already out of favor with the Azerbaijani government.
