Azerbaijan's defense minister, Safir Abiyev, has told a French diplomat that Baku's patience is wearing thin with the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, and that the resumption of armed conflict is growing increasingly likely.
With the second anniversary of Armenia's deadly March 1, 2008 presidential election clashes approaching, former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, who has not come to terms with his defeat at the polls two years ago, is reportedly preparing for demonstrations and early elections.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have sent letters to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, both of which blame the other side for the 1992 Khojaly massacre in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh.
Italy, Indonesia and France now rank as Azerbaijan's leading trade partners, dislodging the United States and Russia from their perch as the energy-rich Caucasus country's main export markets, the Azerbaijan Business Center (ABC) reported on February 22.
The Armenian parliament ratified the creation of a rapid reaction force under the auspices of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. But the legislative debate in Yerevan proved contentious, with opposition leaders expressing concern about the possibility of Armenian involvement in a potential regional conflict.
The exchange, known as Prince's Market, operates in a courtyard that is accessed through a tiny dark alley, situated in Kabul's busy downtown commercial district. On a typical day it is packed with entrepreneurs who are long accustomed to operating under adverse conditions.
