Eurasianet

It was the latest in a string of arrests of people accused of smuggling in the territories Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenia in the 2020 war.

Turkmenistan is difficult to access, but it is a strategic location. In this week’s briefing we examine the assorted flavors of “north-south” corridor, trade with neighbors, and much more.

Political movements based on Shia Islam have faced an uphill battle, as both the government and mainstream opposition are devoted to a secular, pro-Turkic national narrative.

Turkmenistan wants to export gas to Europe without angering Russia. This and more in our weekly briefing.

Expanding Ashgabat’s dependence on China, visiting Iran, and talking north-south transportation links. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Dushanbe regularly used to accuse Tehran of supporting militant activity, but no longer.

Is Azerbaijan promoting Iranian separatism? Is Iran harboring Azerbaijani Islamists?

The route is an alternative to a corridor crossing Armenia, one of Azerbaijan’s key demands since the 2020 ceasefire.

Turkmenistan’s president dreams big. Reliance on China remains strong. And Russia drops a bombshell. This and more in our weekly briefing.

Fresh succession talk, energy breakthroughs with Iran, eyeing Kazakhstan. Our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Amid pressures from climate change, hydropower dams are further disrupting cross-border water supplies. Part two in a series.

Turkmenistan is busily engaging with neighbors. Plus: Dancing diplomats and the president’s nephew liquidates a dodgy scheme after journalists exposed him. Our weekly briefing.

As hopes for an Afghanistan gas pipeline fade again, there is more upbeat news to the west.

The deal was presented by both Baku and Tehran as proof that their recent political crisis had been overcome.

The announced deals could be significant, and come shortly after the two sides patched up a period of serious political tensions. But many details remain unclear.

The short-term crisis between the two neighbors has dissipated. But in the longer term, relations have gotten a lot more complicated.

Officials in Karabakh are remaining tight-lipped about Iranian fuel imports, and say that Baku is using the issue as a pretext to drive out the region’s Armenian population.

Arbitrary collective punishment, breadlines before dawn, and a resurgence of diplomacy. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan released two truck drivers whose arrest sparked the tensions, while Iran agreed to forbid trucks from entering Karabakh from now on.

The two foreign ministers also discussed how to resolve transportation issues that have become complicated by the new post-war order in southern Armenia.

The most explosive claim of Tehran’s “treachery”: that Iranian forces briefly invaded Azerbaijan during last year’s war.

The two adversaries have been choosing not to use one another’s air space. Now Armenians are asking why their government is allowing Azerbaijani overflights.

Both sides are engaging in tit-for-tat retaliations, and Azerbaijanis are fighting back in the face of Iranian rhetorical aggression.

There is still no clear explanation for the unprecedented chest-thumping.

Iran has criticized Azerbaijan’s detentions of Iranian drivers supplying Armenia. Baku has been quieter.