Azerbaijan is an economy that has completed its post-Soviet transition into a major oil based economy ( with the completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline ), from one where the state played the major role.

Azerbaijan currently has diplomatic relations with 160 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the People's Republic of China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Libya, Luxembourg, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Republic of India, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT ; energy blockade, the result of conflict with Azerbaijan, has led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood ; pollution of Hrazdan ( Razdan ) and Araks Rivers ; the draining of Sevana Lich ( Lake Sevan ), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies ; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant without adequate ( IAEA-recommended ) safety and backup systems

Although a cease-fire has held since 1994, the conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved.

An economic blockade with Turkey and Azerbaijan has cut Armenia's rail link between Gyumri and Kars to Turkey ; the rail link with Iran through the Azeri exclave of Nakhichevan ; and a natural gas and oil pipeline line with Azerbaijan.

The Minsk Group is currently co-chaired by Russia, France, and the United States and has representation from Turkey, the U. S., several European nations, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Ever since, football reporters and commentators on England games have called in jest for a " Russian linesman " ( although actually Bakhramov was from Azerbaijan ) whenever there has been a contentious decision to make, especially when that decision has not gone England's way.

Azerbaijan has an embassy in Astana.

The small Garmon accordion played in the Music of Azerbaijan sometimes has keys that can play microtones when a " shift " key is pressed.

Along the 20, 139-kilometer land frontier, Russia has boundaries with 14 countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland ( via the Kaliningrad Oblast ), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the People's Republic of China and North Korea.

Since 1991 the more than boundary with the former Soviet Union, which was defined in the 1921 Treaty of Moscow ( 1921 ) and Treaty of Kars, has formed Turkey's borders with the independent countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The UNCCD has 194 country Parties: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, the People's Republic of China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d ' Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, European Union, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

The Azerbaijan economy has been markedly stronger in recent years and, not surprisingly, the country has been making progress in developing its telecoms sector.

Construction is budgeted at $ 200 million, of which $ 50 million has been allocated from the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan ( SOFAZ ).

Azerbaijan has direct maritime connections only with other Caspian littoral states ( Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan ).

There are regular flights between Azerbaijan and former Soviet countries, UK, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Israel, Iran, Turkey, UAE, China, Georgia and has a cargo flights in UAE, Turkey, Luxembourg, Germany, China, Kyrgystan Afghanistan and Iraq.

In the Caucasian region of the former Soviet Union the phenomenon of population transfer along ethnic lines has affected many thousands of individuals in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan proper ; from Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Georgia proper ; as well as from Chechnya and adjacent areas within Russia.

* The destruction by Azerbaijan of thousands of medieval Armenian gravestones at a cemetery in Julfa, and Azerbaijan's subsequent denial that the site had ever existed, has been widely written about as being an example of cultural genocide.

Iran has astonishingly even supported Christian Armenia against Shi ' ite Azerbaijan and has been careful not to lend too much support to Islamic Tajiks in Tajikistan, where the language is basically a dialect of Persian .</ BLOCKQUOTE > In this regard the Islamic Republic resembles another revolutionary state, the old Soviet Union.

Baker has formal involvement with the country of Azerbaijan as he serves on the Honorary Council of Advisers for the U. S .- Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce.

According to the formal figures of this referendum, held at the beginning of 1921, 90 % of Nakhchivan's population wanted to be included in the Azerbaijan SSR " with the rights of an autonomous republic.

So, for that matter, are the newer dances -- the `` Kalmuk Dance '' with its animal movements, that genial juggling act by Sergei Tsvetkov called `` The Platter '', the rousing and beautiful betrothal celebration called `` Summer '', `` The Three Shepherds '' of Azerbaijan hopping up on their staffs, and, of course, the trenchant `` Rock 'n' Roll ''.

The following is a chart of trend of gross domestic product of Azerbaijan at market prices with figures in millions of Manats.

Azerbaijan is one of the few countries with predominantly Muslim populations that shares a strategic alliance with Israel.

Azerbaijan also maintains good relations with the European Union, in the framework of its Eastern European Neighbourhood Policy ( See Azerbaijan and the European Union ).

Thus, by the end of 1992, Azerbaijan received arms and military hardware sufficient for approximately four motor rifle divisions with prescribed army units.

Environmental conditions in Armenia have been worsened as a result of war with Azerbaijan over Armenia's claim of historic rights to Azerbaijan's province.

The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh ( which was part of Soviet Azerbaijan ) and the breakup of the centrally directed economic system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s.

Also non-functioning are roads with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

However, the dispute over the Armenian Genocide and the recent war over Nagorno-Karabakh have created tense relations with two of its immediate neighbors, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and genocide claims for 1915 – 1918 events made impossible relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, thus increased an isolation of the country.

The stadium hosted its first senior international match on 5 September 2009, between Azerbaijan and Finland.

He made his senior debut in a friendly against Slovenia on 19 August 1998, and scored his first international goal on 10 October, in an UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier against Azerbaijan, in the 58th minute of a 4 – 0 triumph.

Today, olympic wrestling is the national sport of several of Russia's Republics, Iran, Turkey, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Gambia, USA and several ex-U. S. S. R nations.

Azerbaijan: A Political History ( I. B.

* " The Nobels in Baku " in Azerbaijan International, Vol 10. 2 ( Summer 2002 ), 56 – 59.

* 2009 – Terror act in Azerbaijan state oil academy: 13 students died.

Since 2001, the economic activity in the country is regulated by the Ministry of Economic Development of Azerbaijan Republic.

Azerbaijan is a member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO's Partnership for Peace, Euro-Atlantic Partnership ; World Health Organization, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ; the Council of Europe, CFE Treaty, the Community of Democracies ; the International Monetary Fund ; and the World Bank.

Diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan.

At the time of the parliamentary decision, Lieutenant-General Valeh Barshadli became the first Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, from September 5 to December 11, 1991.

In July 1992, Azerbaijan ratified the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe ( CFE ), which establishes comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment.

Azerbaijan approved the CFE flank agreement in May 1997.

The Azeri armed forces took a series of devastating defeats by Armenian forces during the 1992 – 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War, which resulted in the loss of control of Nagorno-Karabakh proper and seven surrounding rayons, comprising roughly 16 % of the territory of Azerbaijan.

Armenia is a landlocked country in the Transcaucasia region, between the Black and Caspian Seas, bordered on the north and east by Georgia and Azerbaijan and on the south and west by Iran and Turkey.