Foreign relations of Azerbaijan
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Azerbaijan is a member of the United Nations; the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; NATO's Partnership for Peace; Euro-Atlantic Partnership; World Health Organization; CFE Treaty member state; the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; the Council of Europe; the Community of Democracies; the International Monetary Fund; and the World Bank.
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International organization participation
AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Disputes
Disputes - international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the longstanding, separatist conflict against the Azerbaijani Government; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a predominantly ethnic Armenian region within Azerbaijan. The current conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) began in 1988 when Armenian demonstrations against Azerbaijani rule broke out in both N-K and Armenia and the N-K Supreme Soviet voted to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia. Soon, violence broke out against ethnic Azeris in Armenia and ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan. In 1990, after violent episodes in N-K, Baku and Sumgait, Moscow declared a state of emergency in N-K, sent troops to the region, and forcibly occupied Baku, killing over a hundred civilians. In April 1991, Azerbaijani militia and Soviet forces targeted Armenian paramilitaries operating in N-K; Moscow also deployed troops to Yerevan. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union conflict escalted into a full-scale war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Military action was heavily influenced by the Russian military, who inspired and manipulated the rivalry between the two neighbouring nations in order to keep both under control.
More than 30,000 people were killed in the fighting from 1992 to 1994. In May 1992, Armenian forces seized Shusha and Lachin (thereby linking N-K to Armenia). By October 1993, Armenian forces had succeeded in occupying almost all of N-K, Lachin and large areas in southwestern Azerbaijan. In 1993, the UN Security Council adopted resolutions calling for the cessation of hostilities, unimpeded access for international humanitarian relief efforts, and the eventual deployment of a peacekeeping force in the region. Fighting continued, however, until May 1994 when Russia brokered a cease-fire.
Negotiations to resolve the conflict peacefully have been ongoing since 1992 under the aegis of the Minsk Group of the OSCE. The Minsk Group is currently co-chaired by Russia, France, and the United States and has representation from Turkey, the U.S., several European nations, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Despite the 1994 cease-fire, sporadic violations, sniper-fire, and landmine incidents continue to claim over 100 lives each year.
Since 1997, the Minsk Group Co-Chairs have presented three proposals to serve as a framework for resolving the conflict. One side or the other rejected each of those proposals. Beginning in 1999, the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia initiated a direct dialogue through a series of face-to-face meetings, often facilitated by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Most recently the OSCE sponsored a round of negotiations between the Presidents in Key West, Florida. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell launched the talks on April 3, 2001, and the negotiations continued with mediation by the U.S., Russia, and France until April 6, 2001. The Co-Chairs are continuing to work with the two Presidents in the hope of finding a lasting peace.
Cyprus
Azerbaijan, like most other nations, formally recognizes the government of the Republic of Cyprus (Greek Cypriot South), but interestingly enough, the parliament of Azerbaijan's Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi issued a resolution recognizing the Turkish Cypriot North (The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) as a sovereign state. While this recognition is not regarded internationally as 'official state-to-state', Azerbaijan itself maintains cordial unofficial relations with the TRNC. In 2004, Azerbaijan threatened to formally recognize the TRNC if the Annan Plan was voted down by the Greek Cypriots (which it was), but Azerbaijan backed off the threat when it was pointed out that doing so would probably result in negative impact on its ongoing dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Illicit drugs
There is limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption, and a limited government eradication program. Azerbaijan is a transshipment point for opiates via Iran, Central Asia, and Russia to Western Europe.
Reference
- CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website
External links
- U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan in Baku (http://www.usembassybaku.org)
- Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Washington (http://www.azembassy.com/)zh:阿塞拜疆对外关系