Given the ongoing "witch hunt" in Azerbaijan, the latter was represented by Russian analyst Sergey Markedonov at the annual Caucasus-2013 international conference in Yerevan.
This conference is annually organized by the Caucasus Institute with the support of the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN). This year the conference covered the reports of representatives of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Switzerland. The reports included a short analysis of the most important developments of 2013 in the South Caucasus countries.
Over the previous years, Azerbaijan was represented at the Caucasus Institute's annual conferences by the well-known conflictology expert Arif Yunusov, political observer of the Baku-based "Mirror" newspaper Rauf Mikradyrov, and representative of the Baku-based Institute for Peace and Democracy Azad Isazade.
Rauf Mirkadyrov has been in custody since April 19 on charge of espionage in Armenia's favor. The active participant in numerous online and international conferences in Armenia is accused of taking part in "public diplomacy" events. On April 22, a group of investigators was set up by Ilham Aliyev's decision to "disclose a large network of Armenia's spies in Azerbaijan". For instance Arif Yunusov and his wife Leyla Yunus are not allowed to leave Azerbaijan.