Caucasus in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
The Caucasus in January 2026 was dominated by the peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the involvement of the United States in it. On 14 January Armenia granted the US part of the corridor linking it to Azerbaijan, and on 15 January Azerbaijan handed four individuals over to Armenia. Azerbaijan sent fuel shipments to Armenia, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed them in a call with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on 19 January. At Davos the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders hailed the peace, and on 24 January US President Donald Trump dispatched Vice President JD Vance to the South Caucasus. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called peace with Azerbaijan the most reliable security guarantee. On 16 January Vladimir Putin offered mediation in calls with Pashinyan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In Armenia, a court returned Karapetyan to house arrest.
Azerbaijan's ties with Iran came to the fore at month end. On 30 January Azerbaijan said it would not allow its territory to be used for operations against Iran. The Iranian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers vowed to deepen cooperation, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev phoned Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on 31 January. Unease was rising in Azerbaijan as Trump threatened Iran.
Azerbaijan also kept up contacts with China. Aliyev praised the comprehensive strategic partnership with China on 7 January, and on 28 and 30 January Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Azerbaijani counterpart held talks. In Georgia, a legislator said on 28 January that the West is trying to destabilize the country and create tensions on the Russian border.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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