Five years ago, around these very days, a remarkable event took place. On December 1, 2020, the withdrawal of Armenian occupation forces from Azerbaijani territory was completed on the basis of the Trilateral Statement signed in the night of November 10 that same year.

The peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia is unfolding steadily, systematically, and consistently — and most importantly, almost entirely without outside mediation.

Among recent developments, one important event went largely unnoticed by the media: the fourth meeting of the Azerbaijan–Israel Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

The situation surrounding the American peace plan for Ukraine is becoming increasingly uncertain — and increasingly scandalous. The plan, which originally had 28 points, has already been reduced to 22 and continues to be “refined” during negotiations in Abu Dhabi.

Russia, which only on rare occasions manages to pretend it has tucked away its imperial ego for the sake of some short-term whim, is hardly capable of abandoning its expansionist reflexes. And certain talking heads make sure Russia’s neighbors never forget this defining trait of the Kremlin’s political class.

Despite its strategic location, Iran’s sanctions exposure and regulatory unreliability have made it difficult to insert itself within the region’s burgeoning trade networks.

Turkmenistan, with the fifth-largest natural gas reserves in the world, will be able to expand natural gas shipments to Europe and Türkiye, reducing its reliance on sales to China.

The role of NGOs in shaping the humanitarian dimension of Turkic cooperation is steadily growing.

Baku is one of the first candidates to form a decisive link in this new chain. US interest in the post-Soviet region has increased since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.