How were the Municipal Elections?

What should Azerbaijan expect from the new US administration?

In recent developments that highlight the fraught nature of American politics, the Trump administration’s scrutinizing gaze has fallen upon the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a key player in the global outreach efforts of the U.S. government. This move has stirred a discourse that spans beyond U.S. borders, roping in responses from Azerbaijani pro-government media and eliciting comments from local political figures like Natig Jafarli, chairman of the REAL Party in Azerbaijan.

The absence of Azerbaijan's delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) winter session has sparked questions about the country’s participation in the European institution. According to sources in Azerbaijan's parliament, PACE did not send an official invitation to Azerbaijan, as participation requires such an invitation to be issued.

Azerbaijani pro-government media have unleashed an unexpected wave of anti-Russian rhetoric, including claims of espionage at the "Russian House" and accusations that the opposition National Council has ties with Moscow. Chairman of the National Council of Democratic Forces Jamil Hasanli dismissed the allegations as baseless, describing them as part of a smear campaign by the government to shift attention from its own close ties with the Kremlin.