On 31 December, the Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar conducted an official visit to Baku to meet with the Turkish servicemen who will be involved in the Joint Turkish-Russian Monitoring Centre for Nagorno-Karabakh. Akar called on the military to be ready to carry out a mission to monitor the ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia. “After the launch of the Joint Centre on Karabakh, the Turkish military will stand guard over the rights of the brothers in Azerbaijan,” Akar stressed. The head of the Turkish Defence Ministry earlier said that as soon as the construction of the Center for Monitoring the Ceasefire Regime in the Aghdam region of Azerbaijan is completed and starts functioning, one general and 35 officers of the Turkish Armed Forces would take up their duties.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev stressed the importance of the start of the operation of the joint monitoring centre as soon as possible. “As far as I know, the Turkish side is ready to start operations. You are probably in contact with Russia. The sooner the monitoring centre goes live, the better, because about two months after the war, threats still exist. The uncontrolled armed forces of Armenia operate on our territory, and some of them do not want to leave. Hence this threat. There should be a monitoring centre to eliminate and ensure peace and stability in the region as a whole, because, unfortunately, some political forces in Armenia adhere to revanchist views, openly declare that one day they will start a war against Azerbaijan and occupy Azerbaijani lands. It would be suicide for them,” he stated.

Other technical aspects regarding Nagorno-Karabakh were also on the agenda by the end of 2020. One of the topics of discussion between Aliyev and Akar was cargo transportation between Azerbaijan and Turkey through the Nakhichevan corridor. “In a short period, the road from Horadiz to Zangilan was temporarily built. I went that way myself. It is possible to go comfortably and at high speed. I believe that railway construction will take a maximum of 2 years. However, our opinion is that we should not wait for this date and transport it by rail to Horadiz and then by trucks. It is already an important issue on our agenda. We can already send and receive the first cargo from Azerbaijan to Turkey through Armenia and Nakhichevan,” Aliyev stated.

The country’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with the Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation in Azerbaijan Ariane Bauer to discuss the humanitarian issues in Nagorno-Karabakh. The sides discussed the current situation in the region after the joint statement on ceasefire and cessation of all hostilities, the opening of all communications, ensuring the peaceful coexistence of both communities and other issues arising from the statement. Following the meeting of Azerbaijan’s and Armenia’s Security Service Chiefs, Ali Nagiyev and Armen Abazyan in Moscow (Caucasus Watch reported), additional topics of discussion were also revealed. The issues of border security, the fight against terrorism in the territories liberated from occupation, clarification of the fate of prisoners and the missing, the establishment of burial places and security issues of mutual interest were also considered. The importance of creating a communication channel for the exchange of information, if necessary, was also noted during the meeting. 

The 31 December marked also the day where the first gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Europe were transported through the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP). The SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev expressed his satisfaction with the start of the gas supplies going to Europe. “We made the final investment decision with our partners seven years ago and set off by signing 25-year gas purchase agreements with European gas distribution companies. The construction of three 3,500-kilometer interconnected gas pipelines, which some considered impossible at the time, has already been completed. Azerbaijani gas is in Europe today. Europe will strengthen its energy security by purchasing natural gas from a new source via an alternative route. The decline in production within Europe creates a need for additional gas volumes in the market, and Azerbaijani gas will help meet this demand, thereby increasing Azerbaijan's importance for the old continent,” he stated.

However, as the Open Caucasus Media pointed out, the socioeconomic uncertainties in the Azerbaijani society, following the Covid-19 pandemic and the Nagorno-Karabakh war, would pose an issue for the country’s government in 2021. The OC Media article named the unemployed people during the special quarantine regime, the return of IDPs to Nagorno-Karabakh, the aid to the families of war veterans and conditions for currently deployed soldiers