Azerbaijan Foreign Policy

The Conference on Confidence Building Measures in Asia, or CICA, founded in 1992, has not gained a great reputation during the last 18 years, remaining largely in the shadow of alternatives such as The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, and the Collective Security Organization, or CSO. Parallel to the growth of Turkey in the sphere of international relations, the name of CICA began to be heard. It seems that, Turkey will give more importance to Asia and CICA will be the essential part of Turkey’s foreign and Asia policy. Experts who participated at a Turkish-Asian congress in June referred to CICA as “The OSCE of Asia.”

A joint military exercise between the US and Azerbaijan was cancelled on April 21 amid growing tensions between the two countries. Several days ago, Azerbaijani Presidential Public Policy Administration head Ali Hasanov said Azerbaijan needs to reconsider its relations with the US.The US and Azerbaijan have long been close partners on a wide range of issues, particularly energy. Considering Armenias strong connection to Russia, some even argue the US sides with Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Understanding that peaceful coexistence in the region is the only way to go, Israel has started to seek alternative routes to that goal by establishing good relations with friendly countries such as Azerbaijan in the wake of strained relations with Turkey.

Israeli President Shimon Peres’s visit to Azerbaijan last year and Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s visit to the country in early February have carried fast-growing relations between Israel and Azerbaijan far beyond their original place of departure, perhaps leading to Israel taking over the role Turkey has traditionally played in Azerbaijan.