Azerbaijan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is a country in the South Caucasus. Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic borders Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey to the northwest. Azerbaijan is a secular state, and has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001, EU's European Neighborhood Policy partner since 2006, NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) member since 1994 and NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) since 2004.