Caucasus in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
In March 2026, politics in the Caucasus centred on Azerbaijan's relations with Iran during the war. Azerbaijan's president offered condolences over the death of Iran's supreme leader on March 1 and later sent humanitarian aid to Iran. Around March 5 a drone strike hit Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave. President Ilham Aliyev called it a "terrorist act" and Azerbaijan accused Iran of carrying it out. Iran denied it and accused Israel of staging the attack to damage relations between Tehran and Baku, and Iran's president told Vladimir Putin that Tehran had not attacked Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan summoned Iran's ambassador, and on March 6 it began evacuating its diplomats from Iran, citing safety concerns. Turkish President Erdoğan condemned the attack in a call with Aliyev, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan voiced concern, and the United Nations expressed concern over the strike. Iran's military warned Azerbaijan to expel any Israeli presence, while Iran's foreign ministry said on March 9 that Iran does not strike the territory of Azerbaijan, Cyprus or Turkey. Austria announced it was moving its embassy from Tehran to Baku.
Elsewhere, the European Union restricted visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats in early March. A French national was jailed for 10 years in Azerbaijan for spying on March 16.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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