NEWTIMES

Some experts are alleging that Azerbaijan-European Union relations experience tough times and that Brussels even hesitates to recognize Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity. But Donald Tusk`s visit to the region clarified the situation. His remarks refuted the provocative allegations. Donald Tusk described the EU`s relations with Azerbaijan as strategic and very important. Brussels recognizes Azerbaijan as a powerful state and the leader of the South Caucasus. This shows that the relationship with Baku influences greatly the geopolitical picture of the region. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev confirmed this following his meeting with Donald Tusk. This article will highlight the geopolitical importance of Donald Tusk`s visit to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Turkey maintain a special relationship defined by a long history of events and cultural and ethnic connections. Azerbaijanis and Turks belong to the same Turkic identity and share a common ancestor - the Seljuk Empire made up of Oghuz Turks, which represents the foundation to the present-day Turkey and Azerbaijan. Both nations are geographically close, and Azerbaijan is the only Turkic state sharing a small border with Turkey through Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region. All this has contributed to the build-up of special ties between modern-day Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The confusion that existed in the aftermath of WWI at the global and regional level made a new world order necessary. Tsarist Russia having come to an end led to the statism of Azerbaijan, which had been covered up by the Russian Empire to blossom once more. Azerbaijani étatism surfaced once more on May 28th 1918 under the name Azer­baijan People's Republic. Although the history of Azerbaijani diplo­macy, in keeping with that of the states mentioned above, stretches back centuries, in the modern sense considered as a nation state, its history begins with the founding of the Azerbaijan People's Republic. At the time, Azerbaijani diplomacy faced many tough tasks and numerous problems it had to solve.

July 4 marked the 243rd anniversary of independence of the United States of America. Donald Trump became the first U.S. President in 70 years to address the nation on this occasion and hold a military parade. Heads of state of many countries sent congratulatory messages to the U.S. leader. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev`s letter to his American counterpart grabbed much interest. The U.S. leader earlier sent a letter to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the Republic Day. Experts were anticipating the Azerbaijani President`s message. Against a backdrop of President Ilham Aliyev`s letter, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan`s message of congratulation to Donald Trump looks very unnatural. The Armenian leader, in fact, failed to highlight any specific fact. He used general and empty words. This article will therefore provide a deep analysis of President Ilham Aliyev`s views that he expressed in the letter to his American counterpart.

Information warfare refers to attempts to influence public opinion for certain purposes. It may also involve absurd allegations against superpowers. But under current volatile geopolitical conditions, manipulation of public opinion may trigger very unpleasant processes. In this context, allegations made by Armenian experts contain dangerous nuances. In order to make their information warfare persuasive, Armenians make allegations against other countries` officials. But sooner or later the truth comes out. However, in many cases public opinion may be misled. This article will analyze primitive aspects of Armenians` information warfare.

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenian held another meeting in Washington, mediated by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. The meeting grabbed the media spotlight. But the Armenian side distorted some details of the meeting. Yerevan appears to be losing the sense of logic behind its position. It ether distorts the Azerbaijani side`s views, or invents different lies. Armenia is trying to perpetuate the status quo rather than withdrawing from Azerbaijan`s occupied lands. All these efforts, of course, are doomed to failure. Sooner or later the occupying forces will be expelled from the Azerbaijani lands. This article will highlight the Washington meeting from this perspective.

Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe hosted the fifth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). The heads of state and government discussed the ways of making the region safer and more developed and also focused on the existing dangers, risks and threats. Azerbaijan was represented by Prime Minister Novruz Mammadov. In his speech at the Summit, the Prime Minister highlighted a number of issues and reiterated the necessity of finding a solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Summit heard interesting views and forecasts. This article will analyze them from a single geopolitical perspective.

Experts point out the deepening geopolitical struggle in the Middle East. In particular, dangerous scenarios are set in relation to Turkey. Ankara is sieged from several directions, and plans are in place to draw Turkey into chaos. Even fake maps are being drawn. The main goal is to split Muslim states into small entities and take complete domination of the region. But some of these forces seem to begin to understand that their plans are wrong. We hear statements at several levels that intervention in the Middle East was completely wrong. But what is interesting is that no one steps back. The struggle continues with new methods, and an emphasis is placed on the political and diplomatic activity. Against this background, geopolitical moves are also made. There are plans to create a large terrorist corridor. This article will give an insight into some of the aspects of Turkey`s geopolitical struggle under these circumstances.

The conflict between two South Caucasus countries – Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh became as one of the bloodiest and long-lasting conflicts contributing to instability in the region. After a ceasefire agreement signed in 1994 halting the armed skirmishes in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, Armenia and Azerbaijan pursued, albeit a fragile, diplomatic negotiations to reach a peaceful end to this bloody conflict.

American nonprofit global policy think tank the RAND Corporation has published a new research, analyzing what the United States should do to unbalance Russia. Authors of the research boast a diverse range of professional and educational experiences. The research therefore caused great interest. Russian experts are analyzing the proposals featured in the research. The geopolitical matters involving four components draw particular attention. The research mentions the South Caucasus among other issues. The American side seems to be trying to involve the South Caucasus countries in the U.S-Russia standoff. With this in mind, the geopolitical aspects of the RAND Corporation`s research need to be analyzed.