Azerbaijan is a nation.
Azerbaijan ( [ æzərbaɪˈʒɑːn ] ; Azərbaycan ) , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan ( Azərbaycan Respublikası ) , is a country in the South Caucasus region , situated at the crossroads of Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe . It is one of six independent Turkic states , an active member of the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community . It is one of the founding members of GUAM , the Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS ) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons .