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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday that Poland is negotiating to join the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition.

“Today we will talk about Poland’s participation in the anti-ballistic coalition,” Tusk told reporters, adding that he would discuss the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Tusk is in Ukraine for the inaugural Carpathian Eight summit.

Established in July by Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, the coalition aims to combine members’ technology and military experience to develop an integrated defense against ballistic missiles. Membership remains open to other countries.

Amid fluctuating interest rates in global financial markets and rising geoeconomic risks, sovereign wealth funds are taking more aggressive and strategic diversification steps to preserve the profitability of their portfolios. Israfil Mammadov, Executive Director of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), visited Toronto in September as part of the ‘Canada Investment Summit 2026.’ The visit signals a new stage in the management of the Fund’s more than $72 billion in assets, with a particular focus on joint investments with global companies in real assets, alternative energy and digital infrastructure.

The most notable aspect of the visit was the meeting with the management of ‘Brookfield Asset Management,’ which has more than $1 trillion in assets under management. Partnering with such institutional players, which have more than 100 years of experience in global private markets, provides SOFAZ with an opportunity for proper risk allocation. Looking at existing statistics, more than 55% of SOFAZ’s investment portfolio consists of fixed-income securities, more than 20% of equities, around 10% of real estate, and 10%-12% of gold assets. However, the fact that global inflation has remained in the 3%-5% range over the past three years and uncertainties in the monetary policies of central banks show that traditional directions may not fully ensure the expected real returns. In this regard, directing SOFAZ capital toward real infrastructure projects protected against inflation and with a target annual return of around 8%-12% is a strategic move.

It is true that the traditional understanding of infrastructure from the last century has now changed fundamentally. Today, when we talk about ‘infrastructure,’ digital centers and green energy generators are primarily meant. As a result of the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the energy consumption of data centers has increased sharply. According to estimates, global data centers’ demand for electricity will at least double by 2030, reaching 1,000 terawatt-hours (TWh). This requires hundreds of billions of dollars in investment in the digitalization and renewable energy sectors over the next 5-10 years. This trend is also at the center of the discussions with ‘Brookfield’: becoming a partner in infrastructure capable of meeting the enormous energy demand created by digitalization.

The growing demand for electricity from data centers also creates a direct link between two investment themes that were previously considered separate: digital infrastructure and energy infrastructure. As computing capacity expands, investors increasingly need to consider the availability, reliability and long-term cost of electricity alongside the physical infrastructure required for data storage and processing. This makes renewable energy generation, power transmission networks and other supporting infrastructure increasingly relevant to long-term institutional investment strategies.

On the other hand, Canada’s pension and investment fund management model is considered the gold standard in the global market. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) alone manages more than $600 billion in assets. The meetings held by SOFAZ management with institutions such as CPPIB, PSP Investments and the Canada Development Fund, as well as with Japan’s GPIF fund, whose assets exceed $1.5 trillion, are critical in terms of institutional exchange of experience. Establishing co-investment mechanisms on such platforms creates an opportunity for SOFAZ to enter large projects with a 5%-15% stake, where entering alone would be risky, and to minimize risks.

For a sovereign wealth fund, such cooperation also provides access to investment structures, management expertise and international networks that would be more difficult to develop independently. Co-investment allows large institutional investors to share the capital requirements and risks associated with major infrastructure projects while retaining exposure to long-term assets. This model can therefore complement SOFAZ’s existing portfolio structure without requiring a fundamental shift away from its established investment principles.

In conclusion, SOFAZ’s contacts in Toronto show that the Fund is rapidly transforming from a passive capital accumulator during the oil boom era into an active investor model that anticipates global trends. Diversifying even 5%-8% of the $58 billion portfolio into the high-return energy transition and digital infrastructure projects of the future will guarantee that the value of the massive capital accumulated for future generations will continue to grow at a rate exceeding inflation over the coming decades.

Azerbaijan’s Internal Affairs (MIA) has released a video highlighting its participation in the counterterrorism operation.

According to the ministry’s post, the 44-day Patriotic War and the localized counterterrorism measures conducted in September 2023 were important stages in the historic process that resulted in the full restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The ministry noted that during the fighting, MIA military personnel and police officers carried out their assigned duties with a high level of professionalism, courage and dedication.

‘The heroism of the martyrs, the bravery of the veterans and the perseverance of the military personnel will forever hold a place in Azerbaijan’s chronicle of victory,’ the ministry said.

In line with instructions from President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s AzerEnerji is implementing major energy projects in the Aghdara district, further strengthening the region’s electricity infrastructure.

Two hydropower plants, the 8.2 MW Chardagli-1 and 6.8 MW Chardagli-2, are being constructed along the section of the Tartarchay River passing through Aghdara. As part of the projects, water intake facilities and powerhouse buildings are being constructed for both plants, while a total of 11.4 kilometers of diversion pipelines, each with a diameter of 2,400 millimeters, are being laid across challenging mountainous terrain.

According to AzerEnerji, the 10.4 MW Hasanriz Hydropower Plant in Aghdara is also being reconstructed in line with modern standards. At the same time, the existing 110/35/10 kV Hasanriz substation is being dismantled and fully rebuilt using the latest digital technologies.

The upgraded substation is expected to improve the reliability of electricity supplies to consumers, including industrial facilities, while ensuring the secure and uninterrupted transmission of electricity generated by the Sarsang and other hydropower plants in the region to Azerbaijan’s national power grid.

Earlier, as part of efforts to strengthen the region’s energy infrastructure, a 42-kilometer, 110 kV double-circuit Kalbajar-Hasanriz transmission line was constructed between Kalbajar and Aghdara. Its connection to the 110 kV transmission line coming from the direction of Shusha has created a reliable, stable and flexible circular power supply system for the Karabakh region.

In addition, a new 14.7 MW Gozlukorpu Hydropower Plant has been built in Aghdara. The facility was inaugurated in January this year in the presence of President Ilham Aliyev.

The ongoing projects are positioning Aghdara alongside Kalbajar and Lachin, which are emerging as green energy hubs in the East Zangazur economic region. The development of renewable energy capacity is strengthening the region’s energy security while supporting the reconstruction and economic development of Karabakh.