Monthly Political Review: May, 2026

April became a month of gradual transition for Azerbaijan from a phase of acute regional turbulence to a more complex model of strategic balancing, in which active foreign policy is combined with growing pressure from international actors and the strengthening of internal control.

Azerbaijan and Russia intend to accelerate the preparation of a concrete “road map” to address the consequences of the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft in December 2024 following talks between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexei Overchuk in Baku on March 2.

Azerbaijan’s political agenda in February 2026 focused on expanding foreign policy engagement—from the Persian Gulf and the United States to the Balkans and Africa—while simultaneously reinforcing the post-conflict political order at home, including a high-profile court verdict against former Karabakh leaders and symbolic steps in the Karabakh region.