Latest news with #IlhamAliyev
Al Mayadeen
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Syrian, Israeli officials to meet in Baku: Damascus source
A Syrian official and an Israeli representative are expected to meet in Baku on Saturday evening during President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Azerbaijan, with the talks taking place on the sidelines of his trip, AFP reported, citing a diplomatic source in Damascus familiar with the matter. "There will be a meeting between a Syrian official and an Israeli official on the sidelines of the visit being conducted by Sharaa in Baku," the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said. The source emphasized that al-Sharaa would not participate in the meeting, clarifying that the discussions would center on the recent Israeli military presence in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December. Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa is visiting Azerbaijan on Saturday to hold talks with Baku's President Ilham Aliyev. This comes amid the recent unrest the country has seen, particularly in light of Israeli violations and bombardments of Syria. "Israel" had been striking Syria since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, but the raids intensified in December 2024, when long-term President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by the current regime, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. Alongside airstrikes, Israeli occupation forces have occupied Mount Hermon and built at least 10 military outposts in southern Syria. This is accompanied by frequent incursions into the Quneitra countryside and other regions. Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has repeatedly stated that Syria does not seek conflict with its neighbors while emphasizing that the country has instead urged the international community to apply pressure on "Israel" to stop its attacks. The Syrian government recently acknowledged engaging in indirect communications with "Israel" to restore adherence to the 1974 disengagement agreement that originally established the buffer zone. In late last month, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed "Israel's" interest in reaching a "peace" and normalization agreement with Syria; however, he emphasized that any normalization talks with Syria would not include returning the occupied Golan Heights to Syria, despite being occupied by "Israel" more than 40 years ago. A Syrian government source cited by state media dismissed the proposal as "premature"; however, during his visit to Lebanon this week, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack revealed that "the dialogue has started between Syria and Israel." Following his meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh in May, US President Donald Trump informed reporters that he had shared his desire for Syria to follow in the footsteps of other Arab states in normalizing relations with "Israel", to which al-Sharaa reportedly responded affirmatively. "[Al-Sharaa] said yes, but the have a lot to do," Trump stated. In a related context, Azerbaijan announced on Saturday that it would supply gas to Syria to help alleviate the country's energy crisis, as President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Baku. "The importance of cooperation between our countries, particularly in the energy sector, was highlighted at the meeting, and it was reported that Syria is currently facing a serious energy problem," the Azerbaijani presidency said in a statement. The statement further noted that plans were underway to soon begin shipping Azerbaijani gas to Syria through Turkish pipelines, a move that would help strengthen Syria's energy stability. After overthrowing Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria's new government is now focused on reconstructing the nation's infrastructure and economy following nearly 14 years of a devastating war imposed on the country, which severely crippled the power grid and caused daily electricity shortages lasting over 20 hours.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Two sworn enemies unite against Putin
The collapse of relations between Russia and Azerbaijan came in a series of quick-fire blows. It began with the arrest of seven nationals from the former Soviet republic last month in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. They were held as part of an investigation by Moscow into mafia-style killings dating back 25 years. Within days, two suspects – both ethnic Azerbaijanis – died in custody. Others appeared in court visibly bruised and beaten. Azerbaijan responded with fury. Russian cultural events were cancelled, the Baku bureau of the Kremlin-owned Sputnik news agency was raided, and a group of Russian IT workers was arrested and accused of drug-trafficking and cybercrime. Then came the threat, on Russian state TV, that Baku could be 'taken in three days', echoing rhetoric used before the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. War is unlikely. But the rift is real – and dangerous for Moscow because Armenia, after fighting a series of brutal wars with Azerbaijan over 30 years, is aligning with its old enemy to push Putin out of the South Caucasus. On July 10, Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan's president, met Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia. Their direct talks focused on the Zangezur Corridor, a proposed route linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave via southern Armenia. The corridor would fulfil a pan-Turkic dream of physically connecting Azerbaijan with Turkey and would form part of the 'Middle Corridor' trade route from China and Central Asia to Europe. Under the 2020 ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the route was to be monitored by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). But that arrangement is now under threat, with Mr Aliyev wanting to cut Moscow out of the deal and have it fully under Azerbaijani control. 'This is Russia's last big card in the region,' said Neil Melvin, director of international security at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi). 'It allows them to control trade routes and leverage relationships with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Losing it would be a major blow.' Although the talks on July 10 were inconclusive, momentum is shifting. Mr Pashinyan visited Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, in Istanbul last month, a significant meeting given Armenia and Turkey have no formal diplomatic ties. Afterwards, Mr Erdoğan said Armenia was showing a 'more flexible approach' to the Zangezur Corridor, despite having previously opposed it. The West, meanwhile, has floated the idea of putting the route under neutral international control, such as a Swiss or American firm, effectively excluding Russia altogether. Like Azerbaijan's, Armenia's ties with Moscow have frayed – especially since 2023, when Russian peacekeepers largely stood aside during Baku's lightning offensive to retake the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Nearly the entire Armenian population fled, and Azerbaijan was accused of ethnic cleansing. Since then Mr Pashinyan has leaned towards the West and sought reconciliation with Baku, believing that Armenia's long-term future is threatened if it maintains hostile relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey. This is far from popular in Armenia. Mr Pashinyan has one of the lowest approval ratings of any leader in the world and a recent spat with the Armenian Apostolic Church saw two archbishops arrested on charges of plotting against the government. However, Nurlan Aliyev, a senior researcher at the College of Europe, said Mr Pashinyan's geopolitical reshuffling has pushed Baku and Yerevan together regarding their position on Russia. Mr Aliyev said: 'Both countries understand that they need to create a South Caucasus security architecture without Russian participation, one that regional states will support themselves. 'We have not yet seen a final peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, but there are positive signs. A final peace agreement would be a major blow to Russia's position in the South Caucasus.' For the president of Azerbaijan, the days of taking orders from Moscow appear to be over. Analysts say he is using the Yekaterinburg incident to not just demand justice, but to assert independence. 'The problem in relations with Baku is serious,' a former high-ranking Russian diplomat told The Telegraph. 'President Aliyev bared his teeth, as any authoritarian leader would. He now sees himself as a triumphant figure. Moscow no longer dictates terms.' Bashir Kitachayev of the Carnegie Centre in Berlin said Baku is taking advantage of the incident to push back against Moscow. 'The deaths of two Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg served merely as a convenient pretext,' he said. 'They [the Azerbaijani authorities] are using the situation to bolster their position at home and abroad by escalating tensions with Moscow.' The shift was underlined by a publicised call between Mr Aliyev and Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, in which they discussed forming closer ties. It was a pointed signal from Azerbaijan, a country long seen as aligned with Moscow. The Kremlin, meanwhile, is trying to reframe the standoff as a Western plot. 'The scriptwriter and conductor of disagreements with Azerbaijan is located outside the post-Soviet space,' said Grigory Karasin, chairman of Russia's international affairs committee. Vladimir Dzhabarov, a Russian senator and former KGB officer, went further by accusing MI6 and Turkey of stirring unrest. In truth, the cracks began long before Yekaterinburg. Last Christmas, Russia mistakenly shot down an Azerbaijan Airlines jet. Baku refused move past the incident, ultimately forcing Putin to apologise and offer compensation, in a rare diplomatic climbdown. Now fully aware of the power of public confrontation, Baku did not hesitate to retaliate in the wake of the arrests in Yekaterinburg. The fallout also threatens Russia's prized North-South Corridor – a trade route linking Moscow to Iran and India that runs through Azerbaijan. Losing access to the corridor could deliver a real economic blow, especially as Russia seeks ways to get around Western sanctions. Arkady Dubnov, a post-Soviet affairs expert, wrote on Telegram that Moscow's main concern was preserving that corridor. It knows, he said, that alienating Baku completely could threaten those plans. For now, Russia will continue blaming the West while working behind the scenes to try to salvage its relationships. But for Azerbaijan and Armenia – nations once treated like Soviet satellites – they are setting their own course and increasingly, it does not involve Russia.
Arab Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab Times
Leaders of Azerbaijan and Syria discuss energy cooperation as they rebuild ties
SYRIA, July 13, (AP): The leaders of Azerbaijan and Syria on Saturday pledged to deepen their cooperation particularly in the energy sector, as they moved to revitalize the ties that had been strained under former Syrian President Bashar Assad. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that the visit to Baku by Syria's interim Ahmad Al-Sharaa, whose rebel forces toppled Assad in December, would "significantly contribute to the development of bilateral relations.' Al-Sharaa thanked Aliyev for Azerbaijan's "brotherly support to Syria' and said that Assad's government had harmed relations with many countries, including Azerbaijan, according to the Azerbaijan president's press service. The leaders also highlighted plans to to export Azerbaijani gas to Syria via Turkey and Azerbaijan's potential role in rebuilding Syria's energy infrastructure, it said. The new authorities in Damascus have strong relations with Turkey, Azerbaijan's close ally. Baku - which also has close relations with Israel - has in recent months served as an intermediary to diffuse growing tensions between Turkey and Israel in the Syrian arena. In April, Turkey and Israel held "technical talks' in Azerbaijan to establish a "de-escalation mechanism to prevent undesirable incidents in Syria.'
Libyan Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Libyan Express
Syrian and Israeli officials hold quiet meeting in Baku
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, right, and Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, second left, stand on the balcony during their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, July 12, 2025. (Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP) Syrian and Israeli officials have held a rare face-to-face meeting in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, according to diplomatic sources — the latest sign of quiet efforts to manage tensions in the region following major shifts in Syria's political landscape. The meeting took place on the sidelines of a visit by Syria's transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was in Baku for official talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. While President al-Sharaa did not attend the meeting, sources confirmed that the discussion focused on the recent expansion of Israel's military presence in southern Syria — a region where Israeli forces have become more active since the fall of the Assad government late last year. A cautious step in a complex relationship While Syria and Israel remain technically at war — and have no diplomatic relations — both sides have, in recent months, shown signs of engaging through indirect channels. Saturday's meeting is the most direct contact between the two since the political transition in Damascus, and it reflects a cautious but notable shift in tone. Previous reports in the Israeli and Arab media have suggested that several rounds of unofficial talks have taken place over the past year, facilitated by regional actors including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Azerbaijan. Some of these discussions were reportedly attended by senior Israeli military officials and figures close to Syria's transitional leadership. Azerbaijan's growing diplomatic role The meeting in Baku highlights Azerbaijan's emerging role as a quiet but effective diplomatic broker in the region. With strong working ties to both Israel and Turkey — and the trust of several Arab governments — Baku has become a preferred venue for backchannel talks on sensitive issues. In April, Azerbaijan reportedly helped defuse tensions between Israel and Turkey after an Israeli airstrike landed near Turkish forces in northern Syria. Since then, its profile as a regional facilitator has only grown. A new gas deal for Syria Alongside the political developments, Syria and Azerbaijan signed a new energy agreement during President al-Sharaa's visit. Under the deal, Azerbaijan will begin exporting natural gas to Syria via Turkey. The announcement, confirmed by the Azerbaijani presidency, marks a significant step in Syria's efforts to rebuild its economy and re-establish international partnerships. It is Syria's first major energy agreement since the formation of the transitional government, and one that could lay the foundation for broader economic cooperation in the months ahead. Looking to the past to avoid future conflict The Syrian government has linked its engagement with Israel to the possibility of reviving the 1974 Disengagement Agreement — a deal that created a buffer zone monitored by the United Nations along the Syrian–Israeli frontier after the Yom Kippur War. Officials in Damascus have said they are open to working with the United States to bring that framework back into effect, as a way to reduce the risk of further escalation and promote stability in southern Syria. Since assuming office, President al-Sharaa has repeatedly called for calm, stating that Syria does not seek conflict with its neighbours. He has urged the international community to support efforts aimed at de-escalation, and to press Israel to halt its military operations on Syrian territory. A quiet moment in a long conflict The meeting in Baku is unlikely to lead to any immediate breakthrough. But for two countries with a long and bitter history — and whose relations have been defined more by silence than dialogue — even quiet contact is significant. As the region continues to shift and realign after years of war, moments like these may offer a glimpse of what a more pragmatic approach to diplomacy could look like — slow, cautious, and shaped by necessity rather than grand declarations.
See - Sada Elbalad
3 days ago
- Business
- See - Sada Elbalad
Azerbaijan to Begin Natural Gas Exports to Syria
Taarek Refaat Azerbaijan announced Saturday that it will begin exporting natural gas to Syria via Turkey, in a move aimed at easing Syria's deepening energy crisis. The announcement came during Syria's Ahmad Al-Sharaa's official visit to Baku — his first since assuming office in December 2024. During talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the two sides underscored the urgent need to address Syria's energy shortage and confirmed plans for a pipeline-based gas export project to be launched in the near future. 'It was noted that Syria is currently facing a severe energy crisis,' read an official statement from the Azerbaijani presidency. 'In this context, a project to export Azerbaijani gas to Syria via Turkish territory was confirmed, which will contribute to enhancing the country's energy security.' After more than 14 years of civil war, much of Syria's electricity infrastructure has been decimated. Nationwide blackouts lasting more than 20 hours per day have become routine, complicating reconstruction efforts and daily life. Al-Sharaa's administration, which has pledged to stabilize and rebuild the war-torn nation, has prioritized restoring power to major cities and industrial zones as part of a broader economic recovery plan. In May 2025, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad Al-Bashir revealed that Damascus and Ankara had reached an agreement under which Turkey would supply natural gas to northern Syria through an existing pipeline infrastructure. The new Azerbaijan-Syria-Turkey deal builds upon that framework and represents the first significant tripartite energy cooperation involving Syria since the end of the civil war. read more CBE: Deposits in Local Currency Hit EGP 5.25 Trillion Morocco Plans to Spend $1 Billion to Mitigate Drought Effect Gov't Approves Final Version of State Ownership Policy Document Egypt's Economy Expected to Grow 5% by the end of 2022/23- Minister Qatar Agrees to Supply Germany with LNG for 15 Years Business Oil Prices Descend amid Anticipation of Additional US Strategic Petroleum Reserves Business Suez Canal Records $704 Million, Historically Highest Monthly Revenue Business Egypt's Stock Exchange Earns EGP 4.9 Billion on Tuesday Business Wheat delivery season commences on April 15 News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Arts & Culture Hawass Foundation Launches 1st Course to Teach Ancient Egyptian Language Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream
