Azerbaijan
Middle Corridor in play
Squeezed by a sanctioned Russia to the north and a war prone Middle East to the south, the Middle Corridor that runs through Central Asia and the Caucasus is back in play as the main route connecting Europe to Asia by land.
Thousands of Central Asia-bound trucks stuck in Azerbaijan due to war-hit Iran’s border closure
Unable to use northern Iranian roads, truckers are forced to wait their turn for a ferry crossing.
BP leading effort to develop energy deposits in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
British energy giant reportedly interested in building new trans-Caspian energy corridor.
Erdogan lobbies Fico in campaign to lift EU sanctions on Uzbek tycoon Usmanov
Media outlet publishes full text of letter written to Slovak PM by Turkish president.
$2bn World Bank loan to eliminate Bosporus bottleneck in China-Europe trade corridor breakthrough
INRAIL project also a boost for commerce aross Central Asia, Caucasus and Middle East.
ING sees Azerbaijan as safe haven amid Middle East risks
Every $10 increase in oil prices adds approximately $3bn to Azerbaijan's annual export revenues, equivalent to 4% of GDP, ING analysts point out.
TCHAKAROV: Shockwaves from Tehran in the Caucasus and Central Asia
The spillover effects of recent developments in Iran have already begun to manifest themselves in ways that demand investor attention.
Middle East conflict fallout to slow growth, push up inflation in Emerging Europe and Mediterranean region, EBRD says
Development bank says economic fallout is already spreading, through higher energy and fertiliser costs, damage to tourism and higher debt-servicing costs.
Appetite for Turkmen gas could rise in China, Turkey and Europe amid Hormuz crisis
Disruption to Middle East supplies may have concentrated minds. Is Central Asia gas a better bet?
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Israeli strike kills three in rural village in Iran's East Azerbaijan province
Three killed and three wounded in a strike on a village in Iran's East Azerbaijan province, far from military targets, as attacks on civilian areas across Iran continue into the conflict's third week.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Bedtime reading for Trump. Condemnation and denunciation from Arab and Islamic countries affirmed
US Commander-in-Chief, meanwhile, says he told Netanyahu “don’t do that”. But he did do that.
COMMENT: War in Iran sends shockwaves across Armenia and Azerbaijan
Armenia and Azerbaijan facing growing economic, political and security risks, according to a report published by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Azerbaijan says it foiled IRGC-linked terror plots but critics question official narrative
Authorities said the targets included the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Israeli embassy in Baku, a leader of the Mountain Jewish religious community and the Ashkenazi synagogue.
Azerbaijani airspace becomes critical transit route as Gulf conflict disrupts flights
Corridor narrows further when drone attack on Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan airport forced partial airspace closure.