Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will place their units in the Caspian Sea, which suggests that Iran has begun to attach greater importance to security in the Caspian region. As reported by the 'Fars' news agency, the Caspian Sea will be a training center, "whose task will be to prepare naval units of the Revolutionary Guards to conduct the necessary operations on the sea."
According to the same source, security in the Caspian Sea was previously provided by regular Navy and Corps detachment responsible for the Persian Gulf. However, the situation seems to have changed.
This step was taken against the background of a recent announcement of the intention of Russia and Iran to hold joint military exercises in the Caspian Sea, as well as Iran's own exercises "in order to show Iran's ability to protect the country's territorial waters."
"Soldiers of the Corps, by nature, are more daring than the usual military fleet, which could lead to tensions with other Caspian littoral states. This, of course, is particularly true of Azerbaijan and this move is aimed against this state. Iran has recently announced the discovery of new hydrocarbon deposits in the Caspian Sea, and I suspect it will explain strengthening the Navy with a need to protect its economic interests. This is a tactical move by Tehran to exert pressure on Baku and, in general, to get more leverage in the Caspian Sea for the future," said Eurasianet expert, Alex Vatanka. -02D-
Politics
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Armenia is not against the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, but does not consider it appropriate to discuss this issue now. "In the context of peace, we consider it possible to make a decision on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. When peace is an established fact, the existence of such a format may raise questions," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference today. "The whole question is about the timing, we need to understand how effectively and correctly to turn such topics into a subject of discussion right now," the Armenian Prime Minister added.
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He expressed his willingness to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the border between the two countries. "A meeting with Ilham Aliyev could take place at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I am open to such a format," Pashinyan said at a press conference today. According to Pashinyan, Armenia recently presented another proposal for a peace treaty to Azerbaijan.
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On August 31, Azerbaijan observes a "day of silence" before the Sunday’s early parliamentary elections for the unicameral Milli Majlis. All electoral campaigning is prohibited 24 hours before the voting. The early elections were initiated by the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party. This decision was motivated by the overlap of the scheduled elections in November with the global UN forum - the COP20 climate conference taking place in Baku.
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On August 30, at approximately 22:55, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant in Metsamor was disconnected from the country's power grid, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. The shutdown was caused by a lightning strike, which triggered the plant's safety systems to switch the station to a safe shutdown mode. Currently, the plant's staff is working on restarting the facility.
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