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WORLD FACTBOOK (US)
Introduction: Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized as part of Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the status of the territory. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when...
COUNTRY BRIEF (AU)
Economic Overview: Once one of the fastest growing economies in the world due to its vast reserves of Caspian Sea oil, Azerbaijan's real GDP growth is projected to slow to 2.7 per cent in 2010.
Oil exports to Europe through the newly constructed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline (a project worth around A$5 billion) began in June 2006. The pipeline extends over 1,770 kilometres from Baku via Georgia and into the Mediterranean Turkish port of Ceyhan where the oil is loaded onto super tankers for European markets. However, despite the opening of the BTC pipeline, Russia remains the primary route for Azerbaijan's oil exports to ...
BACKGROUND NOTES (US)
Government and Political Conditions: Although the Government of Azerbaijan consists of three branches, Azerbaijan has a strong presidential system in which the president dominates the legislative and judicial branches. The executive branch is made up of a president, his administration, a prime minister, and the cabinet of ministers. The legislative branch consists of the 125-member parliament (Milli Majlis). Members, all of whom are
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COUNTRY PROFILE (UK)
International Relations: The majority of Azerbaijan's population is Shia Muslim. There are ethnic and cultural links with the large ethnic Azeri population of Iran. Azerbaijan's system of government is secular, and the country has a westward-looking foreign policy.
Turkey
Azerbaijan sees Turkey, whose people and language are closely related, as its natural bridge to the west. Azerbaijan shares a number of affinities with its large regional neighbour from which it draws considerable support. Turkey’s stance on Azerbaijan’s dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh is to maintain a closed border policy with Armenia until it ...
COUNTRY STUDIES (US)
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