This article seeks to study the consequences of the Nagorno–Karabakh war for Azerbaijan: thus analyzes findings on occupied territories, casualties, and damages of the war from economic, political, and social perspectives. The utmost brutality and atrocity of the overall conflict is memorized with Khojaly Massacre committed against Azerbaijani civilians on 26 February 1992. Hence, the article unveils evidences through the scrutiny of secondary data from academic sources, publications, and news materials published by international media. The particular focus of the study is concentrated on to what extend special plan was prepared deliberately for ethnic cleansing in Khojaly during the Nagorno–Karabakh war. 

The opinion report considers relations between international norms, Azerbaijan’s national legal system and political understandings of the Nagorno–Karabakh conflict. It discusses classification of Armenian actions in a context of the international law’s development and an impact of international regulations on national criminal codes. Therefore, it presents the Azerbaijani perspective on major political aspects of the Nagorno–Karabakh War and international response to Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories. Moreover, it evaluates Armenian actions in the region with reference to the definition of genocide and international policy of its prevention. In general, the opinion report shows how the Azerbaijani society understands the conflict and how it may be classified on the basis of the Soviet law (as acts of terror has started in the late 1980s), the international law and the contemporary Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. As a result, it is not only a report that introduces the Azerbaijan’s perspective on the issue, but it can also be recognised as an interesting source to understand how the Azerbaijani people label actions of their neighbouring nation. 

The article is dedicated the role of the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev in the formation religious tolerance. The author considers the main principles of tolerance in the country, the role and relevance of religious values in a sovereign democratic country.

The Azerbaijani version of Islam

Azerbaijan is the only republic of the South Caucasus, the majority of its are Muslims. It is a religion deeply rooted in the culture and history of the Azeris, which is also a significant element of the identity of this nation. Although 70 years of Soviet rule in the territory of today’s Azerbaijan destroyed the role of religion among the local community (at least certainly in the public sphere), the collapse of the USSR brought a certain revival both national and religious, which was also related to the escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Islam to some extent consolidated society in the face of increasing tensions, becoming the base of the survival of tradition and rebuilding an independent state. At present, it should be stated that Islam plays a small role in the political life of Azerbaijan. The state is secular in its character as well as the local nationalist movement. However, the public debate constantly raises the question of whether Azerbaijani Islam is in the sphere of fundamentalist influence, which could lead to a religious revolution. The paper attempts to analyze the role and significance of Islam in today’s Azerbaijan, with particular emphasis on its importance to the Azerbaijani identity, financing Muslim communities, the activities of radical groups and the popularity of religion among youth.

Niniejszy artykuł zawiera szeroką analizę problemu kryteriów zgłaszania kandydatów w wyborach w systemie ochrony praw Rady Europy ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem wyroku Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka w sprawie Tahirov przeciwko Azerbejdżanowi. Podstawowe badania obejmą przede wszystkim orzecznictwo organów międzynarodowych chroniących prawa jednostki, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem Europejskiego Trybunału i Komisji Praw Człowieka Rady Europy, oraz raporty misji obserwujących wybory OBWE.

Azerbaijani Support for the Chechen People on the Example of the First and Second Chechen War

In this article, the autor shows the level of Azerbaijan’s support for Chechnya and Chechens during the first and second Chechen wars. The author analyzed the body of literature and the body of literature sources, which provided the answer that Azerbaijan’s support for Chechnya and Chechens in the 1990’s was very varied and did not last for long.

The course of economic cooperation between Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries after 1992

The article presents the current state of conditions for the development of economic ties between Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries after 1992. Over the next few years, relations between Poland and the former USSR states gradually evolved as a result of the introduced economic reforms, the opening of economies and changes in the international environment. From the formal and legal point of view, the development of trade and the broader economic ties between Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries began in 1991, and we have had adequate, relatively comparable statistical data since 1995. The most important changes took place when Poland joined the European Union. An important platform for intensifying cooperation with the former USSR states was created by the launch of the EU Eastern Partnership initiative, which covers Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Therefore, the study covered the state of economic ties between Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries. The study attempts to show the place of Poland in the foreign trade of the EaP countries and vice versa, outlining the trend of the dynamics of trade between the above-mentioned partners and determining the degree of complementarity of the trade structure.

Celem opracowania jest analiza specyfiki konfliktu w Górskim Karabachu oraz jego implikacji dla bezpieczeństwa Azerbejdżanu. Określono tym samym genezę konfliktu, jego przedmiot oraz proces pokojowy. Azerbejdżan postrzegał konflikt karabaski jako zagrażający jego integralności terytorialnej i niepodległości oraz roli międzynarodowej. Porozumienie z listopada 2020 roku można traktować jako sukces polityki Azerbejdżanu, gdyż sankcjonuje prawnie przyłączenie większości terytorium Górskiego Karabachu.

Israel and Azerbaijan in the 21st century – sincere cooperation or a marriage of convenience? Outline of the issues

Relations between Israel and Azerbaijan were established in 1991. Israel is now one of Azerbaijan’s key partners. Despite the difficult geopolitical situation of both countries, they are developing cooperation in the field of trade, military, technical and political matters. In view of the developing relations between Azerbaijan and Israel, both countries benefit from mutual economic benefits and have also become strategic partners. The alliance with Azerbaijan gives Israel the opportunity to improve relations with Turkey and counterbalance Iran’s influence in the region. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, is developing rapidly as a result of cooperation with Israel and is becoming a key player in the South Caucasus region.

Georgia, deprived of its own hydrocarbon resources, relies exclusively on the import. It has abstained from purchasing those from the Russian Federation for political reasons, which, combined with the lack of LNG terminal infrastructure, has led to the factual monopolization of crude oil and natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan. For geopolitical reasons, Georgia remains the only export route for Azerbaijan for these resources. Easy access to those resources due to its position as a transit state has an impact on the tempo of energy transformation in Georgia. On the one hand, the significantly lower than expected dynamics of the development of renewable energy sources, and on the other hand, the growing role of Azerbaijani national companies in the market of liquid fuels and natural gas in Georgia, are visible consequences of the emergent status quo.

Azerbaijan as European and Asian state

The aim of the paper is to present today aspirations of Azerbaijan, a state situated in the South Caucasus, to be the part of European culture. The basic materials taken under analysis are current press texts, sites of the official political and economical institutions published in Azerbaijani language and also paper-printed sources related to the politics and culture of Azerbaijan. The cultural, historical and political bounds allow to Azerbaijani government to establish relationships both with European and Asian partners. The membership of cultural and sport organisations entitles to locate Azerbaijan between European states. But the Islam religion – a part of Azerbaijani culture, in spite of presence of many centuries in Europe, is traditionally associated with Asia.

Islam in the Post-Soviet area – Caucasus

Islam is seen as a homogeneous religion. It is a common belief that the synonymous of Muslim is Arab. Meanwhile, according to statistics of 2013, Muslims constitute over a 28% of the world population. The followers are spread all over the globe and can be found in every country. Thus, speaking about homogeneity and identification of all believers with the Arab world is a serious mistake. Islam in the post-Soviet area, has a characteristic dimension. Caucasian republics, initially conquered by Muslim Empires in the majority submitted to Islamisation. The Soviet reign and atheistic propaganda weakened religion, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caucasus and Central Asia experienced the revival of Islam. Today Georgia is a Christian country with a Muslim minority, Dagestan is the most Islamized Caucasian republic with Sunni majority while in Azerbaijan Sunnis are a minority compared with Shiites. Therefore, how much similar and how much different is Islam in Azerbaijan, Dagestan and Georgia?

German contacts with the Caucasus in the 18th and 19th centuries

The paper presents the initial period of German-Caucasian contacts, which includes the activity of German travelers, scientists and settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries. These activities were carried out during the period of Russian rule over Caucasus. The influence of the unification of Germany in 1871 on the intensification of German-Caucasian relations and a change in their character was noted. From then on, they were an element of the foreign policy of the Second Reich, which increased German-Caucasian economic exchange and led to political cooperation in the 20th century.

The growing geopolitical dynamics in the South Caucasus and the Caspian Black Sea basin region and the role of Azerbaijan as an undisputed regional leader in this space appear to be an urgent trend in international relations. Azerbaijan is not a member of either NATO or the CSTO, fighting for leadership in this region. But at the same time, Azerbaijan is successfully developing bilateral and multilateral relations with the participating states of these military-political alliances. Armenia, as a member of the CSTO, and Georgia, which has officially included the goal of joining NATO in the Basic Laws of their country, to a certain extent, can produce a degree of inter-bloc competition to solve their own problems. Azerbaijan can objectively reduce the risks of geopolitical tension in the region by promoting a peaceful cooperation agenda through inter-block communication. Under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan was the first in the post-Soviet space to resolve an interstate conflict within the framework of international law. Systemic and structural-functional methods are used in the geopolitical, geostrategic and geo-economic analysis of the role of Azerbaijan in the studied region, the development and implementation of the Grand Strategy of President Ilham Aliyev and the main directions of national geoengineering at the present stage of development of Azerbaijan. The comparative method is used to analyse the main trends in international relations based on the study of international, international legal, and foreign documents and materials.

The Gazakh region, located in the basin of Agstafa and Kura rivers in the northwest of Azerbaijan, was inhabited by the Gazakh tribe, which was part of the Hun tribal union from the first centuries of our era. The greater influx of the Gazakh tribe, which gave its name to the north-western region of Azerbaijan, took place in the XI–XII centuries at the invitation of the Georgian tsars who tried to free themselves from Seljuk dependence. During this period, the Gazakh tribe, which was part of the large Kipchak tribal union, lived in a part of the Kuban steppes. That area was called ‘Gazakhia’ after the name of the Gazakh tribe. Tens of thousands of Gazakhs who came to the South Caucasus at the invitation of the Georgian tsars settled in Georgia and converted to Christianity, while the other part began to live in the present-day Gazakh and Borchali regions. The Gazakhs living in the latter areas have preserved their national identity by mixing with their compatriots since the early Middle Ages. The Gazakh region, a part of the Safavid province with the status of a county, came under the influence of the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom in the second half of the XVIII century. During this period, a large part of the Gazakh tribe, who did not want to live under the rule of the Georgian tsars, moved to Ganja, Karabakh, Iravan khanates and the eastern provinces of Turkey.