Eurasianet

An unusual constellation of outside players taking shape.

Internet blockages not about censorship but money, regional trade dialogue, and more in this week's Akhal-Teke Bulletin.

Iran is increasing pipeline capacity to boost swaps further as Azerbaijan warns it won't help fund any pipelines to transit Turkmen gas to Europe.

The Azerbaijani government has once again urged its citizens not to travel to Iran and is trying to secure contact with the student.

Ahmad Obali, a prominent proponent of Azerbaijani nationalism in Iran and virulent critic of the Islamic Republic, refused to speak about who might have attacked him.

Ashgabat wants Americans to fix the leaks, Iranians to buy fuel, and China to pay for pipelines. This and more in the latest edition of the Akhal-Teke Bulletin.

The route has gained new importance as Russia seeks to replace its former trade routes that have been cut off by Western sanctions.

The emerging format connects Armenia with two of the countries that have risen in importance for Yerevan as it seeks new sources of security.

Local rights activists say hundreds of religious Shias have been arrested in recent weeks as pro-government media report on the arrests of "spies" and "traitors" working for neighboring Iran.

Six people, allegedly with ties to Iran, were detained as suspects in the shooting of MP Fazil Mustafa.

His outspoken criticism of Iran, and the timing coinciding with the opening of Azerbaijan's embassy in Israel led some fellow MPs to point the finger at Tehran.

Azerbaijan sent two notes of protest in the past week to its southern neighbor, with whom relations have been steadily deteriorating.

It is the first direct accusation from Azerbaijan following strong suggestions to the same effect.

Turkmenistan is looking to Gazprom to deliver new customers, at the risk of further eroding its independence. Our weekly briefing.

There is a widespread belief in Baku that the attack may have been connected to Azerbaijan’s growing relationship with Israel.

The embassy's chief of security was shot dead, and two other staff were wounded. The attack comes amid Azerbaijan's increasingly strained relations with Iran and blossoming friendship with Iran's archrival Israel.

It is so cold that Turkmenistan has suspended gas exports to Uzbekistan, Iran and even its most important customer, China. Our weekly briefing.

The drills included a crossing of the river that forms the Azerbaijan-Iran border, mirroring the threat that Iran’s armed forces had made weeks earlier.

Turkmenistan is risking a reputation as a sanctions-buster. Our weekly briefing.

Questioning the territorial integrity of the neighboring country, once a taboo topic, is increasingly entering official discourse both in Baku and Tehran.

Armenia gets the bulk of its natural gas from Russia. But ties with Moscow are fraying and Yerevan will soon have more alternatives.

The arrests come as tension between Baku and Tehran has been reaching a peak.

Dushanbe apparently began producing Iranian drones under license earlier this year.

Tehran appears alarmed both by Azerbaijan’s saber-rattling against Armenia and by a new EU monitoring mission to Armenia’s border with Iran.

Baku is venturing ever closer to openly promoting secession for Iran’s large ethnic Azerbaijani minority.