Meet The New Public Face Of Beleaguered Nabucco 

It's been an up-and-down year for the Nabucco natural gas pipeline. Just as work on the long-stalled project seems set to finally begin, some shift -- usually at the hand of Russian energy giant Gazprom -- alters the commercial landscape and Nabucco's chances appear to recede. But the pipeline's supporters have just selected a big name in European politics to help push the project toward realization -- former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. More

Concerns Still Linger In Baku, Despite Favorable NGO Vote 

Following a wave of domestic and international protest, the Azerbaijani parliament on June 30 passed a watered-down version of legislation that restricts the activity of NGOs. Activists had worried the original legislation would effectively shut down the roughly 2,500 NGOs operating in Azerbaijan. But even as the removal of the bill's most stringent policies is being hailed as a success, concerns still linger about efforts by the Azerbaijani government to clamp down on civil society. More

Azerbaijani Tempers Flare Over Iranian TV's Criticism 

Iran has lashed out at the international media in recent weeks for its coverage of the controversial June 12 elections and the massive street protests that followed. But Iran's own media is now coming under criticism in Azerbaijan, where a recent visit by the Israeli president prompted Iran's Sahar TV to launch a stinging attack on the Azerbaijani government -- in Azeri. More

Russia, Azerbaijan Make Energy Breakthrough 

A deal to restart the flow of Azerbaijani gas to Russia, beginning in January 2010, represents a breakthrough as both Moscow and the European Union court Baku in hopes of tapping its vast gas deposits to fuel favored pipeline projects to Europe. More

Israeli President's Azerbaijan Trip Breaks New Ground 

As part of a strategy by Israel to improve relations with moderate, secular countries of the Islamic world, President Shimon Peres is visiting Azerbaijan on June 28. More