Belgium and the Netherlands adopted parliamentary resolutions on 16 April urging the release of Armenians held in Azerbaijan and calling for conditions to enable the return of displaced Armenians from Garabagh, prompting a sharp diplomatic response from Baku.
On 20 April, Julien de Fraipont, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Marianne de Jong, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Azerbaijan, were separately summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry stated that the parliamentary resolutions were based on utterly false and unfounded assessments, reflecting a deeply rooted anti-Azerbaijani bias within the institutions.
The diplomatic fallout comes at a sensitive moment in the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process, with negotiations advancing and parliamentary elections approaching in Armenia.
Speaking to Katie Wilson on the Daybreak programme on AnewZ, Elmira Talybzadeh, a political analyst at the Caucasus Policy Analysis Centre, said the region was experiencing a “rare but fragile moment”, with Azerbaijan and Armenia closer to peace than at any stage in recent years.
“At this time, in many years, we are closest than ever. But however, there is some pressure coming outside to this process,” she said.
Talybzadeh said external pressure risked complicating the process.
“We are the only people who are able to solve the problems here in the Caucasus,” she said.
“The negotiation process should not be shaped by pressure from outside.”
Talybzadeh said many in the region see growing opportunities for communication, integration and economic development between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, while warning that diaspora activism abroad may not always reflect the priorities of people living in the South Caucasus.
“Armenians living next to Azerbaijan know what it is like to live in war conditions. They do not want to start another war. They understand the cost of these actions,” she said.
According to Talybzadeh, direct dialogue between Baku and Yerevan remains the most effective route to a lasting settlement, rather than initiatives driven from Brussels, Washington or other capitals.
She also pointed to improving contact between President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, saying ties between the two leaders appeared to be strengthening.
With parliamentary elections due in Armenia in July 2026, Talybzadeh said the outcome could have a significant impact on future diplomacy.
She said Azerbaijan would favour any leadership in Yerevan willing to continue peace talks and dialogue.
“For us, we see the personality and candidacy of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as the most optimal variant today for the whole South Caucasus region,” she said.
She added that any return of revanchist politics or confrontational rhetoric could negatively affect the peace process.
Talybzadeh said opening borders, transport routes and trade links could accelerate reconciliation.
“There should be some stimulus in the process,” she said. “And as a stimulus, I see opening borders in economic and transport-logistics ways.”
She noted that Azerbaijan has already facilitated transit trade flows, including cargo moving between Russia and Armenia through Azerbaijani territory.
Despite criticism of the resolutions, Talybzadeh said Azerbaijan’s broader ties with the European Union were unlikely to suffer significant damage due to strong cooperation in energy, trade and other sectors.
However, she suggested such developments could lead Baku to adopt a firmer stance in some areas of engagement with European institutions..
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One hundred years after the First World War and more than eighty years after the devastation of the Second World War gave rise to the United Nations, humanity once again finds itself living in an age of permanent crisis.
Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended after volcanic ash from a new eruption of Mount Etna drifted into the airspace around the airport, disrupting operations at one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.
For months, efforts to secure the Red Sea have focused on what is happening in the water. Naval deployments have increased, governments have expanded maritime cooperation and shipping companies have adapted to persistent security threats.
Greenland has issued a “strong warning” to a U.S. oil company linked to President Donald Trump after drilling equipment was brought ashore without the required government approvals, according to British media.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
Kazakhstan has begun building the Beineu-Saksaulsk highway, a new Middle Corridor link expected to shorten freight journeys between China and Europe by around 1,000 kilometres and reduce delivery times by up to three days.
Russia has welcomed what it describes as a shift in Georgia’s approach to the August 2008 war, praising statements that place responsibility for the conflict on former President Mikheil Saakashvili and his government.
Uzbekistan has secured preferential tariffs for fertiliser and petroleum product shipments through Kazakhstan’s Kuryk port to Georgian ports, as Uzbek cargo volumes across the Caspian continue to rise.
Police in eastern India used tear gas, batons and water cannon on Monday to disperse thousands of young protesters marching on the Jharkhand state legislature over alleged irregularities in civil service examinations.
Rising temperatures are threatening Georgia’s farms, energy supply and banking sector, with experts warning that the country has a narrow window to prepare before the economic costs grow significantly.
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