The statement came from the head of the cultural center of the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan Ibrahim Ibrahimi speaking at the press conference in Baku. According to Ibrahimi, they put forward a proposal for joint action of national orchestras of Iran and Azerbaijan in both countries as well as in other countries. "I hope that in this connection the contract will be signed by the end of the year", he said. 

Whether through economic incentives, political pressure or international collaboration, there is no question that Moscow has the influence needed to maintain peace in the South Caucasus. With the myriad reasons for avoiding war on its southern periphery, Russia also has tangible motivations for keeping Armenia and Azerbaijan from returning to the battlefield.  

Oil and natural gas often drive world politics, for better and for worse. Such is the case today with natural gas in a little-watched nation, Azerbaijan. This former Soviet Republic is still in a transition to democracy – and what happens there matters very much to US interests, particularly when it comes to Russia. The United States must take a stronger role in addressing three key challenges in Azerbaijan: energy development, democracy, and peace.

A little caviar and a lot of oil goes a long way. In recent years, Baku has spent millions of dollars to persuade politicians in Europe and the United States that the oil-rich Caucasus country is a reliable partner -- and to distract them from criticism that the country is authoritarian and fails to respect fundamental human rights.

Iran and the United States should establish public and non-official diplomacy, first deputy Speaker of Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Reza Bahonar said, Iranian Bahar newspaper reported. He went on to note that, official diplomacy has limitations while public diplomacy does not have.

Stand on a bustling street corner in Azerbaijan's prosperous capital, and the world can seem to move very fast. Ask a local resident who he thinks will lead the country for the next five years, however, and time suddenly seems to screech to a halt: "There's no doubt that Ilham will be chosen for the post," he says. "He will be president. There's no other way."

The Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has invited Azerbaijan to join the leadership of the organization. At a conference marking the 20th anniversary of the use of national top-level domain name. Az, Vice President of ICANN Veni Markovski called on Azerbaijan to increase its participation in the work of the organization, 1news.az reports.