A breakthrough in Iran-Azerbaijan relations?
By Fariz Ismailzade
February 19th, 2016, The CACI Analyst
After a decade of cold relations, Azerbaijan and Iran are eager to warm up to each other, as both nations are hungry for foreign investments and boosted regional trade. As world oil prices hit low levels, Azerbaijan and Iran are looking for ways to develop their non-oil economy, integrate regional transport networks and boost mutually advantageous business projects. In that respect, thorny political issues that have dominated the bilateral relations appear to have been put on the backburner. President Ilham Aliyev’s upcoming visit to Iran will aim at lifting Azerbaijani-Iranian relations to a new high.
- Azerbaijan
- Iran
- Azerbaijan Iran relations
- Aliyev state visit Tehran
- Hassan Rouhani
- Ilham Aliyev
- Caspian Sea
- Summit of Heads of States of Caspian littoral states
- Alive oil field
- NATO
- United States military
- Normalisation Iranian Azerbaijani relations
- Azerbaijan Georgia Turkey alignment
- Russia
- Russia Armenia Iran axis
- Baku International Port
- Central Asia
- Caucasus
- TANAP gas pipeline
- Georgia gas shortages
- EU Iran business links
- European Union
How the Russian-Turkish crisis affects Central Asia and the Caucasus
By Ipek Velioglu
February 8th, 2016, The CACI Analyst
Turkish-Russian relations have not recovered after the downing of a Russian jet last November. On the contrary, the tension is spreading into neighboring areas. Russia is pressuring the Central Asian countries, politically and economically, to constrain Turkey’s activities in the region. Although Ankara’s influence in the Central Asian Republics is limited, it developed good ties with almost all them after the collapse of the USSR. Turkey was the first country to recognize the new-born states; it has supported their independence and contributed to their integration into the international system. Under the AKP’s rule, Turkey has also become a major donor for some of them. Central Asian countries now seek risk being dragged into the Turkish-Russian standoff.
TAPI and India's energy diplomacy
By Sreemati Ganguli
February 5th, 2016, The CACI Analyst
The recent ground-breaking ceremony of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, was followed by several Indo-Russian Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on energy during the 16th annual Indo-Russian Summit in Moscow in December 2015. These events add to Rosneft’s decisions in 2014 to buy a 49 percent share in Essar Oil in mid-2015 and to cooperate with OVL, both Indians companies, on exploration and hydrocarbon production in Russia’s offshore Arctic. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Central Asia in July 2015, particularly Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, to declare India’s growing importance as an alternative energy market in Eurasia, aside from the EU, China and Japan, and as a potential power in the energy-rich Eurasian space.
- TAPI Pipeline
- India
- Rosneft
- Essar Oil
- OVL
- Kazakhstan
- Turkmenistan
- Eurasian energy markets
- China
- Japan
- European Union
- Afghanistan
- Russia China India RCI pipeline
- Xinjiang
- Ladakh province
- Satpayev offshore field
- SASAREM energy cooperation mechanism
- Russia sanctions Ukraine crisis
- SCO Energy Club
- Kashagan field
The impact of Russia's Turkey sanctions on the North Caucasus
By Emil Aslan Souleimanov
February 3rd, 2016, The CACI Analyst
The abrupt deterioration of relations between Russia and Turkey, caused by the downing of a Russian warplane by a Turkish F-16 on the Turkish-Syrian border in late November, has had serious implications for the North Caucasian communities in both Russia and Turkey. While Russia’s imposition of extensive sanctions on Turkey has met displeasure among some of Russia’s Turkic-speaking populations, it has also led to a polarization among Russia’s North Caucasians, some of whom have favored Turkey, an emerging Sunni power, over the state in which they hold citizenship.
Visit also
