The state has set up three “voluntary” funds for Azerbaijanis to cover post-war needs. But widespread reports suggest that people are being forced to contribute.
Widely seen as one of the losers of the recent conflict, the EU could contribute to making the emerging regional order more viable – and rebuilding trust with the parties.
The issue became hotter following the January 11 summit in Moscow between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, when the Armenian side walked away having failed to secure the prisoners’ return.
Ashgabat may hope expending energy to attain international respectability will improve its chances of tapping global financial institutions for investment.
Together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev signed an agreement to create new transportation infrastructure aimed at “unblocking” the region’s many closed borders.
Azerbaijan said that its shooting down of a Russian helicopter was an accident. But now Russia reportedly wants the case to be investigated as a murder.
The handover of territory has brought Azerbaijani forces into close contact with several Armenian towns and a critical road, leading some locals to blame the central government for failing to protect them.
The new fighting was an early test for the Russian peacekeeping mission as it tries to manage a new, ambiguous de facto border that passes through populated areas.
