Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a country located on the border between Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is part of the South Caucasus region, surrounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the largest city in the capital.

The Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan declared independence from the Democratic Federal Republic of the South Caucasus in 1918 and became the first secular Muslim majority nation named after the neighboring region of northwestern Iran for political reasons. I did. In 1922, the country was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan SSR.

The modern Republic of Azerbaijan declared independence on August 30, 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the same year. In September 1991, the majority of Armenians in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region withdrew, forming the Republic of Artsakh. The region and seven surrounding districts were internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan while awaiting the resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh's status through negotiations promoted by the OSCE, ending the first Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994. With virtually independent. During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, seven districts and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh were returned to Azerbaijan's control.

Azerbaijan is a single semi-presidential republic. It is one of six independent Turkic provinces and is an active member of the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 182 countries and is a member of 38 international organizations including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OSCE and the NATOPfP program. He is one of the founding members of Guam, CIS and OPCW. Azerbaijan is also a WTO observer country.

Although the majority (97%) of the country's population is Muslim, the Constitution does not declare a state religion, and all major political forces in the country are secularists. Azerbaijan is a developing country and is ranked 88th in the Human Development Index. The economic development rate and literacy rate are high, and the unemployment rate is low. The ruling New Azerbaijan Party, which has been in power since 1993, has been accused of deteriorating national human rights records, including prestigious leadership and increased restrictions on civil liberties, especially against press freedom and political repression. rice field.