Global

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The United States has expressed support for the Georgian people saying that it has been a partner to Georgia and the Georgian people for more than 32 years.  In a statement on Wednesday, Secretary of State Anthony J.Blinken said that the partnership has been rooted in a shared love of freedom and democracy and a desire to see Georgia in the Euro-Atlantic family. 

China is a relatively new player in the South Caucasus but has growing interests, particularly in the economic domain. While Beijing established diplomatic ties with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in the early 1990s, it largely stayed out of the region’s geopolitics. Armenia acquired Chinese-made WM-80 multiple-launch systems in 1999, but they had little impact on the military balance with Azerbaijan. Chinese economic ties with the South Caucasus began to grow in the early 2000s, driven by the rapid expansion of its economy. Interest in the region deepened after President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, with the South Caucasus envisioned as a potential land route connecting China to Europe.

As the sun sets over the Caspian Sea, the world turns its gaze to the Azerbaijani capital for the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29). This year, Baku isn't just a geographical meeting point; it's a symbolic crossroads where nations must decide our planet's future. At the same time, Azerbaijan finds itself at the intersection of traditional energy systems and climate imperatives. While slow progress in the transition away from fossil fuels is due to increased energy demand from a growing economy and population, the importance of COP29 cannot be overstated - it is a destiny date for climate action.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met in Berlin today to discuss their vision for the future of Europe in light of the recent US presidential election, which Donald Trump claimed victory in. The meeting underlined their commitment to steer Europe towards greater unity, resilience and sovereignty amid evolving global dynamics.

On Monday (28 October), Azerbaijan held a meeting in Baku with NATO's Climate and Energy Security Sector representatives from the Innovation, Hybrid Issues and Cybersecurity Division and representatives from NATO member and partner countries to discuss energy security and climate change. 

US President Joe Biden has written a letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, stressing that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is crucial to stabilising the region and increasing economic connectivity between Europe and Central Asia. Biden stressed that the US is strongly committed to supporting a peace treaty and that Aliyev should focus on reaching an agreement by the end of the year. 

As the US presidential election approaches, many are assessing the implications of a Donald Trump or Kamala Harris administration in different parts of the world. Commentators on the South Caucasus are no exception. The Biden administration established a Washington format to facilitate Armenia–Azerbaijan negotiations and took steps to further US–Armenia relations, making a decision to upgrade the status of a strategic dialogue launched in 2019 to a strategic partnership commission. The Biden administration also invested efforts in thawing relations between Armenia and Turkey, viewing this as essential for regional stability. US officials view normalising Armenia–Turkey relations as crucial for reducing Russian influence and decreasing Armenia’s dependency on Russia.