Effects of ethnic groups to foreign policy in Azerbaijan

Ethnic minorities are one of the prominent issues analyzed by such disciplines as law, political science, international relation, and sociology.Nowadays, in parallel with the increase in globalization trends, the ethnic minorities issue is frequently brought forward on several platforms. The ethnic minorities issue is a problem which should be solved in accordance with the human and civil rights and freedoms, and the universal principles and norms of the law. One of the factors that make this issue important is that international and regional actors use it as a foreign policy instrument in many cases. In this regard, the ethnic minorities issue is, at the same time, a problem related with the unity and integrity of nation states. In this PhD dissertation, the ethnic minorities issue in Azerbaijan has been analyzed with its impact on foreign policy.In the first chapter, ethnicity and minorities have been addressed conceptually and historically. In the second chapter, the changes which took place in the ethnic structure of Azerbaijan throughout the history have been analyzed.In the third chapter, the foreign policy and debates on national identity in Azerbaijan particularly in the post-Cold War era have been examined.Key WordsAzerbaijanForeign Polic Ethnic MinoritiesNational IdentityNation-State