Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev has said that the decades-long conflict between Baku and Yerevan has finally given way to an unprecedented opportunity for peace that the sides have never had before.

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Georgia and Azerbaijan will come together at a trilateral meeting on March 15 in Baku to discuss regional issues and cooperation in various areas, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman has announced.

Bulgaria's potential to boost transit supplies of Azerbaijan's gas, catering to both Western Balkan countries and European regions along the south-north axis, was highlighted by the Speaker of the National Assembly during his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

Armenia should think with a long-term and strategic vision for peace through a lasting agreement with Azerbaijan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, urging that the current window of opportunity for a regional stability should not be missed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on Wednesday for securing a fifth consecutive term in elections.

More than 6.5 million Azerbaijani voters on Feb. 7 are set to head to the ballot boxes to elect their next president a year ahead of the previously scheduled elections.

President İlham Aliyev, nominated by the New Azerbaijan Party, will compete against six other candidates.

An Azerbaijan parliamentary commission called Thursday for the expulsion of French companies from the oil-rich country, including energy giant TotalEnergies, in the latest deterioration of relations between Baku and Paris.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly hit out at France for criticising Baku's Karabakh offensive last year, and for plans by Paris officials to help arm neighbouring Armenia.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Wednesday that conditions for a peace treaty with arch-foe Armenia had been "created," adding that he did not want another war.

The two Caucasus neighbors and historical foes have fought two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh region during the past three decades, with Baku retaking control of the territory in a one-day offensive last fall.

Azerbaijan told France Wednesday not to "intervene" in its internal affairs after Baku arrested a Frenchman on espionage charges with tensions running high between the two countries.

Baku has accused France of supporting Azerbaijan's arch-enemy Armenia, both diplomatically and militarily, and of seeking to fuel tensions in the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan authorities arrested a Frenchman on espionage charges in December, the Azerbaijani ambassador to France told AFP on Tuesday.

The annoucement comes amid rising tensions between Baku and Paris.

Baku has accused France of supporting Azerbaijan's arch-enemy Armenia, both diplomatically and militarily, and of seeking to fuel tensions in the South Caucasus.