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🇮🇱 Israel /Conflict & Security

Azerbaijan navigates complex ties with Iran, Russia, Israel, and Turkey

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Azerbaijan maintains a delicate foreign policy, balancing relationships with neighboring powers like Russia and Iran alongside strategic partnerships with Israel and Turkey.
  • The country's security calculations are directly influenced by instability in its bordering nations, necessitating a strategy of keeping multiple diplomatic doors open.
  • This balancing act extends to regional conflicts, with Azerbaijan seeking peace with Armenia while navigating complex regional dynamics.

Azerbaijan finds itself in a complex geopolitical position, bordered by Russia and Iran, yet actively cultivating relationships with Israel and Turkey. This high-stakes balancing act is driven by the need for security in a volatile region where decisions made in Moscow or Tehran cannot be ignored.

We cannot close our eyes and say there is no Iran, there is no Russia. There are.

— Nargiz MammadovaDescribing Azerbaijan's geopolitical reality and the need to acknowledge neighboring powers.

Nargiz Mammadova, a research fellow at the CASPIA Center, explained that Azerbaijan cannot afford to base its foreign policy on a single dominant relationship. The country's strategy involves maintaining open communication channels with competing powers, a necessity given its neighbors' proximity and potential for instability. This approach is crucial for Azerbaijan's security calculations, as decisions made in neighboring countries directly impact Baku's strategic considerations.

If you look to the map in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan has five neighbors, and two of them are into war situation, or kind of war situation.

— Nargiz MammadovaHighlighting the volatile regional environment surrounding Azerbaijan.

The nation's diplomatic landscape is further complicated by ongoing regional conflicts. Azerbaijan is pursuing peace with Armenia after decades of animosity, a process that Mammadova believes requires not only government-level agreements but also efforts to build trust between the two societies. This commitment to diplomacy extends to managing relationships with Iran, with researcher Farid Shukurlu clarifying that criticism is directed at the Iranian regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), not the Iranian people.

building bridges between people

— Nargiz MammadovaEmphasizing the need for societal trust alongside government agreements in peace processes.

Despite maintaining formal neutrality, Azerbaijan has experienced direct targeting from the IRGC. In March, drones originating from Iran struck the Nakhchivan exclave, injuring individuals and damaging infrastructure. While Iran denied responsibility, the incident underscores the risks inherent in Azerbaijan's complex regional positioning. This constant navigation of competing interests highlights Azerbaijan's unique approach to foreign policy, where maintaining multiple partnerships is key to ensuring its security and stability.

Even though Azerbaijan’s position was formally neutrality, the country was still targeted by the IRGC in the Nakhchivan enclave.

— Farid ShukurluDetailing an incident where Azerbaijan was targeted by Iran's IRGC.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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