Category: Azer News

The United Nations and Google have launched the UN System Data Commons, an open-source platform designed to bring together global statistics from across the UN system in one place. Available through the UN’s data portal, the project aims to replace the outdated UNData platform and make verified statistical information easier to find, analyze and use.

One of the main reasons behind the initiative is the growing difficulty of obtaining reliable statistics from artificial intelligence systems. A UNICEF study that analyzed more than 133,000 responses from six AI models found that their average accuracy when answering statistical questions was only 21.2%.

The new platform brings indicators, time series and geographic data into a unified system. Users can search for information using natural language and receive interactive charts and visualizations. The datasets are reviewed by technical experts and UN statisticians, providing an additional layer of quality control.

Google has provided the UN Foundation with a $2 million grant, along with technical assistance and infrastructure support. The platform also supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing AI agents to connect directly to external data sources and use official statistics when generating analyses, reports and visual materials.

At launch, 26 UN agencies had joined the initiative, with around 20 already contributing data. The UN plans to integrate approximately 80% of its statistical datasets into the platform by 2027.

Interestingly, the project could become particularly important as AI-generated content becomes more common. Instead of relying solely on information learned during training, AI systems will increasingly be able to retrieve statistics directly from authoritative sources. This could help reduce one of the most common problems with AI-generated reports: confident-looking answers based on incorrect or outdated numbers.

At the same time, the developers stress that AI is not a substitute for human verification. For important publications, users are still encouraged to check the original datasets and sources before relying on or publishing the information.

The 18th Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival, dedicated to great composer and founder of Azerbaijan’s professional music tradition Uzeyir Hajibayli, will begin in Azerbaijan on September 18.

The festival, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, will run until September 30.

The annual music festival brings together renowned performers and ensembles from several countries.

Alongside Baku, concerts, performances, exhibitions, presentations and other cultural events will be held in Agjabadi, Ganja, Shusha, Lachin, Aghdam and Lankaran.

Various events will also take place in Uzbekistan, Germany and Turkiye as part of the festival.

This year’s festival will also feature the 1st Congress of Composers of the Turkic World, which will be held in Baku.

An international scientific-practical conference titled “The Unbreakable Thread of Time: The Connection Between Centuries and the Legacy of Museums” was held in the village of Ceadir-Lunga, Gagauzia Autonomous Territorial Unit of Moldova.

The conference was dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Dmitri Kara Choban National Gagauz Historical and Ethnographic Museum.

The official opening ceremony featured speeches by Marina Semyonova, head of the Main Directorate of Culture of Gagauzia; academician, writer, researcher and translator Todur Zanet; Petru Vikol, director general of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History of Moldova; and Lyudmila Marin, director of the National Gagauz Historical and Ethnographic Museum.

The event was held with the support of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), with Azerbaijan represented by Amina Malikova, director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum and PhD in Art Studies. She spoke at the first panel, titled “Cultural Heritage of the Turkic World: Research, Preservation and Development,” delivering a presentation entitled “10 Reasons Why Carpets Make You Happy.”

The second panel was devoted to the theme “Museum Collections: Preserving the Past, Paving the Way to the Future.”

Representatives and specialists from the fields of science and culture from Moldova, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan and other countries attended the scientific-practical conference.

The event featured an exchange of views and experience on the study, preservation and transmission of the cultural heritage of the Turkic world to future generations, the protection of museum collections, and the role of museums in preserving society’s cultural memory.

The relationship between Baku and London moved beyond the familiar oil-and-gas script a long time ago, and the latest meeting at the Energy Ministry is a good case in point. Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov received Duncan Norman, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Azerbaijan. The conversation was a substantive one because the two sides, as the saying goes, compared notes across the whole span of their cooperation, from the traditional hydrocarbon sector to clean energy, decarbonization and electrical interconnections.

These days the spotlight has shifted to clean energy, decarbonization, electrification and the build-out of international energy corridors. One of the clearest markers of this new chapter is the solar power plant being developed together with bp in Jabrayil. The talks also singled out the electrification of oil and gas infrastructure that viewed as an important part of the energy transition. Pride of place on the agenda, however, went to the development of green energy corridors and interconnectors. In particular, the two sides discussed the “Caspian – Black Sea – Europe Green Energy Corridor.” The Azerbaijani side laid out where the initiative stands, the findings of its feasibility study and the growing international appetite for the project.

It is worth recalling that Shahbazov has already set out some concrete milestones. In his words, Azerbaijan is counting on the launch of the “Central Asia – Azerbaijan” green energy corridor and the first phase of the Black Sea Energy corridor by 2032.

There is real groundwork behind those plans. In May 2024, the energy operators of Azerbaijan, Romania, Georgia and Hungary – Azerenerji, Transelectrica, the Georgian State Electrosystem and MVM – signed a memorandum on setting up a joint venture. That September the process went a step further, with a shareholders’ agreement establishing Green Energy Corridor Power Company, the outfit tasked with laying the Black Sea Energy submarine power cable.

In effect, these are links in a single chain. The cable running along the bed of the Caspian and the Black Sea Energy cable are meant to become component parts of a sweeping energy bridge stretching from Central Asia, across the Caspian and Black seas, and straight into Europe. Black Sea Energy itself is seen as part of a broader infrastructure push aimed at knitting together the power grids of the Caspian region and Europe. Subsea interconnectors of this kind have already proven their worth. They are used to move electricity over long distances and to fold renewable sources into the wider grid.

Baku’s strategy here is clear. A country whose economy has long benefited from hydrocarbon revenues recognizes that it cannot rely on oil wealth indefinitely. Diversifying its energy portfolio is therefore not so much an environmental gesture as a matter of long-term economic resilience. For London, which has embarked on a path toward decarbonization, Azerbaijan is in turn an important partner in a region where European and Asian interests intersect.

The goal is to physically connect the power grids of the Caspian region and Europe. Projects of this scale, as history has shown, shape not only energy markets but also geopolitics. Every kilometer of subsea cable is more than an engineering achievement. Thus, it becomes a thread tying the region more closely to the European market and, more broadly, to the Western economic space. Baku’s readiness to involve British companies further suggests that it is seeking not one-off deals, but long-term cooperation with established and trusted partners.

In the modern world, geopolitical influence is no longer defined solely by military power or natural resources. Increasingly, it depends on a country’s ability to provide stable connectivity, facilitate economic integration, and ensure secure flows of energy, goods, and information.

At the heart of this strategy is the recognition that, in today’s geopolitical and geoeconomic environment, connectivity itself is strategic infrastructure. Pipelines, power interconnectors, fibre-optic routes, and multimodal transport corridors. For Azerbaijan, this translates into reinforcing the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) with parallel “green energy corridors”.

One of the most significant aspects of this strategy is the development of “green energy corridors” alongside the Middle Corridor transport route. The Middle Corridor, connecting China and Central Asia to Europe via the Caspian region and the South Caucasus, is rapidly gaining prominence as an alternative to traditional trade routes. Geopolitical instability in other regions has increased international interest in diversified logistics networks, giving Azerbaijan a unique opportunity to become a strategic transit hub for Eurasian commerce.

Through the “green” energy corridors Caspian-Black Sea-Europe, Azerbaijan-Trkiye-Europe, as well as through the Trans-Caspian and East-West, the renewable energy potential of Azerbaijan and Central Asia is integrated into a single system. Combined with fiber-optic components, these projects will create a long-term, diversified electrical and information bridge with Europe.

Earlier, President Ilham Aliyev stated that the goal of a clean environment and a “green growth” country has been identified as one of the five key national priorities for Azerbaijan’s socio-economic development through 2030.

Azerbaijan’s technical potential for renewable energy sources onshore is estimated at 135 GW. In Azerbaijan’s sector of the Caspian Sea, the technical potential for wind energy stands at 157 GW. Currently, renewable energy power plants with a total capacity of 2,070 MW are operating in the country. Of this, 1,443.5 MW comes from hydropower plants, 306.5 MW from wind power plants, 278.2 MW from solar power plants, 37 MW from bioenergy facilities, and 7.3 MW from hybrid power plants. The country’s targets for the coming years are even more ambitious. Based on signed projects, Azerbaijan plans to develop 6 GW of solar and wind power capacity by 2030 and 8 GW by 2032. By 2035, the country has also set a target of developing 8 GW of renewable energy capacity, which is expected to be used both to meet domestic demand and for export.

If Baku maintains its current pace, it could further expand and modernize its renewable energy sector, potentially enabling Azerbaijan in the future not only to meet a larger share of domestic electricity demand but also to export surplus green power to other countries.

Eni’s sale of a 10% stake in the Baleine project in Côte d’Ivoire to the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) aligns with the Italian company’s strategy to optimize its upstream portfolio.

In a statement, Eni indicated that it aims to accelerate the monetization of exploration results by selling participating interests in its projects.

“Once the deal is finalized, the participating interests in the Baleine project will be distributed as follows: Eni – 37.25%, Vitol – 30%, SOCAR – 10%, and Petroci – 22.75%,” the company stated.

Eni has been operating in Côte d’Ivoire since 2015. Baleine is the company’s first field development project in the country, as well as its first net-zero emissions project in Africa.

The Baleine field was discovered in 2021, two decades after the last commercial discovery in Côte d’Ivoire. Production at the field began in 2023.

Currently, under the first and second phases of the project, production exceeds 57,000 barrels of oil and 78 million cubic feet of gas per day. Following the launch of the third phase, production is expected to reach 150,000 barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of gas per day.

‘In addition to Baleine, the basin’s high potential is confirmed by the discovery of the ‘Calao’ and ‘Calao South’ fields, where Eni holds a 90 percent stake and acts as the operator. These represent the largest discoveries in the country since Baleine and strengthen Eni’s presence in Côte d’Ivoire,’ Eni stated.

It should be noted that SOCAR previously announced that acquiring a stake in the project marked the company’s entry into the African oil and gas production sector and aligned with its long-term strategy to expand its global presence in hydrocarbon exploration and production.

General Carsten Breuer, the Chief of Defense of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of Germany, said the latter must prepare not only the army, but also its industry and civil society for a possible military conflict, Bild reports, citing his speech at the Prague Defense Summit.

‘Without you, we soldiers, are doomed to failure. But failure is not an option, because that would mean a mortal threat to our societies as we know them. We are all in the same boat,’ Breuer said.

Also, the German general called for taking into account the experience of the war in Ukraine and the development of military technology.

‘Russia is learning. They are copying and adapting. They are introducing innovations that are aimed at our strengths and to circumvent them,’ he said.

Russian authorities, however, deny plans to attack NATO countries.

Every September 18, music takes on a special meaning in Azerbaijan. Concert halls fill, orchestras take the stage, opera houses return to familiar works and musicians across the country mark a date that has become inseparable from the history of Azerbaijani music.

September 18 is celebrated as National Music Day in Azerbaijan in honour of Uzeyir Hajibayli, whose work laid the foundations of the country’s professional musical tradition.

Uzeyir Hajibayli was born on September 18, 1885, in Shusha. This year marks the 141st anniversary of his birth. Since 1995, September 18 has been celebrated as National Music Day in Azerbaijan on the initiative of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

The choice of date says much about Hajibayli’s place in the country’s cultural history. His name is tied to Azerbaijan’s first opera, its early musical comedy tradition, the development of national composition and the study of folk music. The composer’s work brought together two musical worlds that had long existed side by side: the oral traditions of mugham and folk song, and the formal language of European classical music.

The story of Azerbaijani professional musical theatre is closely connected with one evening in Baku in 1908.

On January 12 (25), 1908, Hajibayli’s “Leyli and Majnun” was staged at Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev’s theatre. Based on the famous poem by Muhammad Fuzuli, the opera became the first opera not only in Azerbaijan but in the Muslim East. It also laid the foundation for the mugham-opera genre.

After “Leyli and Majnun”, Hajibeyli continued to write operas including “Sheikh Sanan”, “Rustam and Sohrab”, “Shah Abbas and Khurshidbanu”, “Asli and Karam” and “Harun and Leyla”.

His musical comedies reached an even wider audience. “Husband and Wife”, “If Not That One, Then This One” and “The Cloth Peddler” became enduring works of Azerbaijani theatre. “The Cloth Peddler”, first staged in 1913, later travelled far beyond Azerbaijan and was translated into numerous languages.

Then came “Koroghlu”, widely regarded as the peak of Uzeyir Hajibayli’s compositional career. The opera combined the traditions he had spent years developing with the scale and dramatic force of classical opera.

The composer’s contribution did not stop at the theatre. He collected and notated more than 300 Azerbaijani folk songs and wrote works in a wide range of forms, including songs, romances, cantatas, fantasies, chamber and choral compositions.

Uzeyir Hajibayli was also a music scholar, writer, journalist, teacher and public figure. His 1945 study “The Foundations of Azerbaijani Folk Music” remains an important part of the country’s musicological heritage.

His influence can also be heard in one of the most recognisable pieces of music in Azerbaijan: the national anthem. The music of the Azerbaijani anthem was written by Uzeyir Hajibayli, with lyrics by poet Ahmad Javad.

This is one reason September 18 feels different from an ordinary anniversary. The composer being remembered is present in the country’s public life not only through concert programmes and archives, but through music heard at official ceremonies and national occasions.

Hajibayli’s story is also inseparable from Shusha, a city whose musical traditions produced generations of singers, instrumentalists and composers. Today, National Music Day events extend well beyond Baku, reaching cities and regions across the country.

The 18th Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, will run from September 18 to 30 this year. Its 2026 programme includes concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions and other cultural events in Baku, Agjabadi, Ganja, Shusha, Lachin, Aghdam and Lankaran.

In Shusha, a concert will be held in front of Hajibayli’s house museum. Musicians from Karabakh University, the Cadenza Orchestra, a student choir and soloists will perform works including excerpts from “Koroghlu”, “Leyli and Majnun” and “Arshin Mal Alan”, alongside works by other Azerbaijani composers.

The festival will open at the Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall with a performance by the Uzeyir Hajibayli Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra under conductor Fuad Ibrahimov. Violinist Sandor Laszlo from Hungary, as well as Azerbaijani musicians Nijat Salmanov and Alim Sadikhov, will appear as soloists.

The programme will also extend beyond Azerbaijan. Concerts and other events are scheduled in Turkiye, Uzbekistan and Germany, while Ankara will host a concert dedicated to Hajibayli’s memory featuring Azerbaijani and Turkish opera performers.

The 2026 festival will also mark the first Congress of Composers of the Turkic World. The September 19 programme will include the founding meeting of the Turkic Union of Composers, a chamber music concert and other events.

Other festival highlights include the “Royals’ Presentation” concert in Lachin, a performance of “Koroghlu” at the Heydar Aliyev Palace, “The Cloth Peddler” at the Lankaran State Drama Theatre and an “Orient Express – From Vienna to Baku” concert featuring the Estrada-Symphony Orchestra under Austrian conductor Markus Geiselhart.

The festival will close on September 30 at the Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall with a concert by the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra conducted by People’s Artist Yalchin Adigozalov. Georgian violinist Elisso Gogibedaschwill will perform as soloist.

Footage of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Shamakhi with First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva has been published on the head of state’s social media pages.

Footage reads:

“President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the Shamakhi district”

The 2026 European Boxing Elite Championships have kicked off in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Both members of the Azerbaijani national team who entered the ring on the opening day secured victories.

Nabi Iskandarov (70kg) faced Milos Poganovic of Montenegro in his opening bout. Winning all three rounds, the Azerbaijani boxer secured a 4-1 victory on points (29:28, 30:27, 28:29, 30:27, 30:27). He will face Fabian Tomkic of Croatia in the round of 16 on September 19.

Seyid Seyidov (85kg) also won his round-of-32 bout, defeating Idris Leganesi of Belgium 4-1 (29:28, 27:30, 29:28, 30:27, 29:28). He will meet Adrian Ricardo of Spain, who received a bye in the opening round, in the round of 16 on September 18.

A total of 406 athletes from 43 countries are taking part in the championships.

The winners of the 2026 European Boxing Elite Championships will be determined on September 25.

Boxing is known as one of the oldest sports in the history of humankind.

The earliest evidence of boxing dates back to Egypt around 3,000 BC.

This sport was introduced to the ancient Olympic Games by the Greeks in the late 7th century BC.

In 1924, the International Amateur Boxing Federation (FIBA) was established.

Since 1946, it has been referred to as the International Boxing Association (AIBA). Boxing made its Olympic debut at the 1904 Games in St. Louis.

In 1926, the boxing championship was held for the first time in Azerbaijan, where national boxers took first place.

Since 1992, the Azerbaijani Boxing Federation has been a full member of the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

Azerbaijani boxers have won many prestigious awards at many international championships.

Aghasi Mammadov has entered Azerbaijan’s history of boxing as the first national boxer to win a gold medal at the world championship.

Another Azerbaijani boxer, Fuad Asadov, was among the medallists at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

Many times, Azerbaijan has been chosen as the host country for major boxing championships.

The AIBA Youth World Championships were held in Baku in 2019. This world championship was the first licensed youth tournament to qualify for the 2010 Olympic Games held in Singapore.

The country also hosted the 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships, which was the first major qualifying event for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Hungarian Minister of Economy and Energy Istvan Kapitany said that Budapest expects to ensure its gas supplies without Russian gas by October 2027.

In an interview with Telex, Kapitany noted that the government was holding active talks with neighboring countries, including Romania, as well as companies supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG), as Budapest looks for alternatives to pipeline gas from Russia.

Asked whether Hungary would be able to halt Russian pipeline gas imports by October 2027, in line with the European Union’s requirements, Kapitany pointed to existing cross-border infrastructure and alternative supply routes.

“Thanks to the infrastructure of the import routes and the availability of different sources, Hungary’s gas supply will be secured next October,” Kapitany emphasized. The minister also added that if developments proceed as currently expected, Hungary’s gas demand could be met through alternative sources, although he cautioned that the situation remains difficult to predict.

Kapitany is serving as Hungary’s economy and energy minister in Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s government, which was formed in May 2026. Earlier Magyar insisted that the country would seek compensation from Brussels for abandoning Russian energy resources.

The comments come as Hungary examines ways to diversify its energy supplies and reduce dependence on Russian energy.