Category: Azer News

The Azerbaijani passport ranks 110th globally, according to data published by the independent US-based Passport Reports platform, which tracks passport mobility and visa requirements for 199 countries, AzerNEWS reports.

The Azerbaijani passport has a mobility index of 82, meaning its holders can access 82 destinations without obtaining a traditional visa in advance, including visa-free destinations, countries offering visas on arrival and those using electronic travel authorizations. The report puts Azerbaijan’s overall global access index at 41.4%, while citizens require a visa in advance for 116 destinations.

Visa-free access to 35 countries

Azerbaijani citizens can currently travel to 35 countries without a visa, equivalent to 17.7% of the destinations covered by the report.

The visa-free list includes several countries with close regional ties to Azerbaijan, including Trkiye, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Serbia.

The permitted length of stay varies by destination. Azerbaijani citizens can stay in Georgia for up to 360 days, Armenia for up to 180 days, and Trkiye and the UAE for up to 90 days. China also provides visa-free access for Azerbaijani passport holders for stays of up to 30 days.

Visa-free access extends beyond Azerbaijan’s immediate neighborhood. In the Caribbean, destinations include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Micronesia and Vanuatu are included in Oceania, while Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname are among the visa-free destinations in South America.

43 countries offer visas on arrival

Another significant component of Azerbaijan’s passport mobility is access to countries offering visas on arrival.

According to the report, Azerbaijani passport holders can obtain visas on arrival in 43 destinations, accounting for 21.7% of those covered.

These include Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Madagascar, Nepal, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Several countries combine visa-on-arrival arrangements with electronic visa systems. Saudi Arabia, for example, allows stays of up to 90 days, while Qatar and Indonesia permit stays of up to 30 days. Nepal allows stays of up to 150 days.

The category also includes a number of African destinations, such as Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Electronic travel authorization available for four destinations

Azerbaijani passport holders can enter four destinations using electronic travel authorization, representing 2% of the destinations included in the ranking.

The list includes Kenya, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Côte d’Ivoire.

When visa-free destinations, visas on arrival and electronic travel authorizations are combined, Azerbaijan’s mobility score reaches 82.

At the same time, 116 destinations, or 58.6% of the total, require Azerbaijani citizens to obtain a visa before travelling.

Azerbaijan ranks 24th in Asia

Within Asia, the Azerbaijani passport ranks 24th out of 50 countries assessed by the report.

Azerbaijani citizens enjoy particularly favorable travel conditions in Central Asia, with visa-free access to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A visa is required in advance to travel to Turkmenistan.

Europe remains one of the most restrictive regions for Azerbaijani passport holders.

Of 47 European destinations included in the report, only eight are visa-free for Azerbaijani citizens: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Trkiye and Ukraine.

A prior visa remains necessary for most other European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland, as well as the Scandinavian countries and the United Kingdom. The extensive visa requirements in Europe are therefore one of the main constraints on Azerbaijan’s overall passport mobility.

Easier access to parts of the Gulf

Travel conditions for Azerbaijani citizens also vary across the Gulf.

The United Arab Emirates offers visa-free entry for up to 90 days, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia provide relatively simplified entry arrangements.

Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, meanwhile, are listed among destinations where Azerbaijani citizens must obtain a visa in advance.

Overall, Azerbaijanis have greater mobility across the Middle East than across Europe, reflecting regional ties and the adoption of electronic and simplified visa procedures by several countries.

Azerbaijan’s ranking within international groupings

The report also compares Azerbaijan’s passport position within various international organizations and political groupings.

Azerbaijan ranks:

17th out of 57 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries;

11th out of 21 OPEC+ countries;

4th out of 9 D-8 countries;

60th out of 132 G77 countries;

51st among 57 OSCE participating states;

25th out of 57 presidential republics.

Azerbaijan ranks 79th for openness to foreign passports

The report separately measures how easily foreign citizens can enter Azerbaijan.

On this measure, Azerbaijan ranks 79th out of 199 countries.

This is distinct from the passport strength ranking. The latter measures where Azerbaijani citizens can travel, while the openness ranking measures how easily foreign passport holders can enter Azerbaijan.

Visa reciprocity remains uneven

The report also highlights a significant gap in visa reciprocity.

Citizens of 68 countries can enter Azerbaijan visa-free, with an electronic authorization or through a visa-on-arrival arrangement, while Azerbaijani citizens must obtain a visa in advance to travel to those same countries.

The group includes major economies such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Conversely, the situation favors Azerbaijani passport holders in 44 countries: citizens of those states require a visa to enter Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijanis can travel to them without a prior visa, with an electronic travel authorization or with a visa on arrival.

Overall, the data shows that the Azerbaijani passport provides its strongest mobility advantages across Azerbaijan’s immediate neighborhood, Central Asia, parts of the Middle East and selected destinations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Oceania. Its main limitation remains the requirement for advance visas across much of Europe, North America and other high-income destinations.

The Azerbaijan Ministry of Finance released its seven-month budget execution data on Monday in the kind of quiet, matter-of-fact format that fiscal ministries favour when the numbers are good. The budget revenues of the State for January through July 2026 amounted to 23.594 billion manats, which is roughly $13.88 billion, showing an excess over the projection by 855.9 million manats ($503.5 million), or 3.8%. The budget expenditures amounting to 20.174 billion manats ($11.87 billion) exceeded the same period last year by 1.2%, resulting in a budget surplus of 3.42 billion manats ($2.01 billion). The budget surplus of the consolidated budget, consisting of state enterprises and extrabudgetary funds, amounted to 5.1 billion manats ($3 billion), or approximately 4.45% of GDP. This means that Azerbaijan belongs to the category of countries that have become extremely rare today in the world, countries that earn more than they spend.

To appreciate what the Azerbaijani figures represent, it helps to place them alongside the fiscal performance of countries facing comparable global pressures. The IMF trimmed its 2026 global growth forecast by 0.3 percentage points in April, citing tariff wars, trade fragmentation, and the energy shock triggered by the Hormuz blockade. The effects are visible in public finances across most major economies.

Revenue breakdown and oil windfall

Contributions from the State Tax Service made up the biggest chunk of January-July revenue, at 11.474 billion manats ($6.75 billion), which were 8% higher than projected. The State Customs Committee collected 3.752 billion manats ($2.21 billion), or 99.9% of its target, which represents an annual rise of 4.5%, in contrast to last year’s fall. Transfers from SOFAZ, the State Oil Fund, came precisely equal to forecast at 7.490 billion manats ($4.41 billion), representing about 32% of the entire state budget revenue. ‘Other income’ – income from other sources not falling under taxes and customs – came in 54.4% higher than projected at 427.8 million manats ($251.6 million), which is not a rounding error and indicates above-average state revenue from asset sales and services.

It is, therefore, worth analyzing the tax performance of the non-oil sector. Between January and July, the taxes collected from the non-oil sectors were 8.488 billion manats ($4.99 billion) – 11.8% higher than the same period the previous year and 3.1% ahead of projections. Against the background of a budget that had been put together based on an oil price benchmark of $65 per barrel, growth of 11.8% in non-oil tax revenues is a structural indication that the economic diversification strategy is paying dividends.

In regard to the oil windfall headline, the honest reading of the surplus requires acknowledging that elevated global energy prices are doing significant work. The country’s budget for 2026 was predicated on oil prices at $65 per barrel, much lower than the price of Brent after the Hormuz blockade started back in February. Under today’s spot prices, every dollar above the budget estimate creates extra income that goes partially through SOFAZ transfers and partially through tax receipts from the upstream sector. According to Fitch Ratings, Azerbaijan will keep its current account surplus at 4.5% of GDP for the entire year.

The structural counterpoint is what Finance Minister Sahil Babayev said in May: “While the share of oil in the state budget stood at 48% in 2025, we expect this figure to drop to 42-43% this year. By 2030, we plan for this metric to reach just 30%.”

The projection given by him – 48% to 30% oil dependence in five years – is getting confirmed in part by the January-July figures. A year-over-year increase in tax revenue from non-oil sources by 11.8%, in an environment in which the overall economic activity has been buoyed up by the oil price rally, indicates that the non-oil base is growing more quickly than the oil rally itself could have generated. This is the very criterion needed for diversification: not just a simple growth in non-oil taxes, but a faster growth than the growth of the oil windfall in percentage terms.

A 4.45% consolidated budget surplus is a genuinely strong fiscal position by any comparative standard. It is worth noting the conditions that have produced it. The Hormuz blockage, the Red Sea turmoil, and the pipeline constraints in Russia have made the energy market tight and provided great profits for Azerbaijan as an energy exporter in direct proportion to the losses of energy importers in Europe and Asia. Azerbaijan’s fiscal strength in 2026 is partially explained by a worldwide disaster that hits other countries harder than Baku. This cannot be taken as criticism – it is a structural feature of being an oil and gas exporter in the supply-constrained environment, and over a decade Azerbaijan created the necessary infrastructure (Southern Gas Corridor, Middle Corridor, renewable energy corridor) to capitalize on this structural advantage. But one should keep in mind that the sustainability of this surplus depends on the development trajectory of the non-oil economy and the duration of the present energy market situation.

The 748,000 payment orders executed by treasury bodies “on time and in full”, the Ministry of Finance’s lead headline in its release, is the mundane administrative detail that serious fiscal analysts track most closely. Payment execution discipline is the difference between a surplus that improves public services and a surplus that sits on a spreadsheet while government contractors wait for their money. That Azerbaijan’s treasury is processing at that volume without arrears, in a year when expenditures are 1.2% above the prior period, is the operational quality indicator behind the headline fiscal performance. It is the number that makes everything else work.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it has shot down more than 200 “enemy aircraft” since the start of the war.

According to AzerNEWS, it was stated by Major General Mostafa Izadi, Deputy Commander of the IRGC, in a statement.

Izadi described the conflict as a “hybrid war” and said that Iran’s enemies had sought to destabilize the country both internally and through military operations.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran not only did not disintegrate, and the Islamic system was not weakened; on the contrary, the Islamic Republic demonstrated that it is stronger and more determined in Iran than ever before,” he added.

It should be recalled that the latest escalation in US-Iran relations began on July 8. On that day, US forces launched several waves of strikes against Iranian territory, reportedly in response to an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first such strikes following a memorandum signed between Washington and Tehran. On the same day, US President Donald Trump announced the termination of the ceasefire with Iran.

In response, Tehran began striking US facilities located in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Oman. Iran currently says that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed.

The rapid growth of OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI companies has created a new wave of millionaires and billionaires who are spending their fortunes on homes, private jets, supercars, and yachts, AzerNEWS reports, citing the Financial Times.

According to UBS, the number of billionaires worldwide increased by 13% over the past year to 3,302. In San Francisco, the median price of a private home reached $2.1 million, rising by nearly 25% year-on-year.

However, the new tech elite differs from traditional wealthy individuals. Young millionaires value speed, privacy, personalization, and a healthy lifestyle more than ostentatious luxury. They want to book private jets through apps and WhatsApp, pay in cryptocurrency, and receive healthy meals instead of champagne.

Lamborghini Urus models, Ferrari and Porsche cars are proving popular, as are functional yachts equipped with gyms, Starlink, and gear for outdoor activities. Among the buyers are Nvidia employees and investors who have benefited from the AI boom.

A private jet is one of the clearest symbols of immense wealth, according to the FT. Flexjet, a company that offers fractional aircraft ownership, has seen an increase in customers who made their fortunes through AI or other technology-company stock offerings. Flexjet CEO Andrew Collins said this trend has reduced the average age of the company’s clients by 10 years.

People working in industries related to AI are also becoming wealthy. One client of charter group FlyVicto, a data-center builder, booked flights across the US and Europe while waiting for the purchase of a new long-range Bombardier aircraft to be completed.

Charles Robinson, founder of charter marketplace EnterJet, said these “digital-native” clients not only want to pay in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies but also generally prefer booking through the company’s app or WhatsApp, bypassing brokers and the “theater of traditional private aviation.”

Multimillionaires and billionaires who have made their fortunes in AI favor exclusive features and are willing to replace their cars after just six months to get the latest models.

Lamborghini has been particularly successful in attracting the younger generation of AI entrepreneurs with its Urus performance SUV, which brokers told the publication can be extensively personalized, with more than 150 colors to choose from. In addition to customization options, young buyers can add aerodynamic and carbon-fiber body kits to their Lamborghinis, changing the appearance of the vehicle.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said 43 people were detained between June 1 and August 15 on suspicion of starting forest fires, while 11 were subsequently remanded in custody, AzerNEWS reports.

The minister noted that 64 major forest fires have been recorded across 22 provinces since the beginning of the summer.

“We will not allow investigations into forest fires suspected of being caused by illegal acts to remain inconclusive,” Gurlek said.

He stressed that both those who deliberately set forests on fire and those who cause fires through negligence or failure to take necessary precautions are being held accountable before the law.

Describing the country’s forests as one of the most valuable assets for future generations, the minister stressed that Trkiye is prepared to take strict measures to protect its natural resources and the country’s “lungs.”

August 17 marks the 84th anniversary of Muslim Magomayev, one of Azerbaijan’s most beloved and celebrated singers.

His voice filled the greatest concert halls of his time, his songs became part of everyday life, and his name became known far beyond his homeland. Years after his death, his music still carries the same warmth and power, keeping the memory of the great singer alive.

Born in Baku on August 17, 1942, Muslim Magomayev grew up in an artistic family. His grandfather, composer Muslim Magomayev Sr., was one of the important figures in the development of Azerbaijani classical music. The young Muslim inherited both the family’s musical tradition and an extraordinary natural gift. He began performing publicly as a teenager, appearing on stage at the age of 14 at Baku’s Sailors’ Club.

His first great international breakthrough came in the early 1960s. At the recommendation of the celebrated Azerbaijani conductor Niyazi, the young singer took part in the World Festival of Youth and Students in Helsinki and returned with an award. His performance attracted attention well beyond Finland. The Soviet magazine “Ogonyok” subsequently published his portrait under the striking headline, “A Young Man from Baku Conquers the World.”The headline proved remarkably prophetic.

By the middle of the 1960s, Magomayev had become one of the most recognizable voices of the Soviet Union. He was a soloist of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, where his performances in works such as Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Puccini’s Tosca, and Azerbaijani operas demonstrated the power and range of his baritone. He also spent time at Milan’s legendary La Scala, an experience that deepened his connection with the Italian vocal tradition.

But Magomayev was never destined to remain solely within the opera house.

He possessed the rare ability to move effortlessly between opera, romance, popular song and patriotic music. In an era when millions listened to the same radio stations and bought the same records, his voice became one of the defining sounds of Soviet popular culture. He performed to enormous audiences, often in venues far larger than conventional concert halls, while his records circulated in extraordinary numbers.

His success was not limited to the Soviet Union. He performed in Paris at the Olympia in 1966 and again in 1969, and in 1969 he won first prize at the International Song Competition in Sopot, Poland. That same year, he received a Golden Disc in Cannes.

At just 31, he was named a People’s Artist of the USSR, an exceptionally early recognition for a popular singer.

His repertoire eventually approached 600 works, encompassing opera arias, romances, popular songs, classical pieces and Neapolitan melodies. He was also a composer, writing more than 20 songs as well as music for films.

Among his most cherished performances are the romances “S?nsiz” and “Sevgili canan,” composed by Uzeyir Hajibayli to poems by Nizami Ganjavi. In Magomayev’s interpretation, the work of three towering figures-poet, composer and singer seems to converge. He did not merely sing these pieces; he gave them a deeply personal emotional character.

His relationship with Azerbaijani music was equally profound. Perhaps no song illustrates it better than “Az?rbaycan,” written by Magomayev to words by People’s Poet Nabi Khazri. Over the years, it has become one of the most beloved musical tributes to the country. Official Azerbaijani sources continue to describe the song as one of the finest works dedicated to Azerbaijan.

Magomayev’s connection with his homeland remained strong throughout his life. Although much of his career unfolded in Moscow and on stages across the Soviet Union, he returned to Baku regularly and remained closely attached to the city where his story had begun.

Magomayev’s artistry extended beyond the microphone. He appeared in films including “Muslim Magomayev Sings” and “Nizami”, and he played an important role in the development of Azerbaijan’s estrada tradition. As artistic director of the Azerbaijan State Estrada-Symphonic Orchestra, he helped bring together the traditions of Azerbaijani musical culture and contemporary popular performance.

On stage, he had the presence of an actor as much as a singer. His performances carried drama, elegance and physical confidence. A song could become a small theatrical world in his hands.

This quality helps explain why recordings of Magomayev remain so compelling. His voice could be tender one moment and overwhelming the next. He could sing a romantic melody with intimacy and then turn to a patriotic song with almost orchestral force. There was refinement in his technique, but never coldness.

When Muslim Magomayev passed away in Moscow on October 25, 2008, at the age of 66, tributes came from Azerbaijan, Russia and the wider musical world. He was buried in Baku, the city of his birth.

For an artist of Magomayev’s stature, death did not bring an end to his public presence. In some respects, it made his place in cultural memory even clearer.

In 2017, President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree marking the singer’s 75th anniversary, recognizing his contribution to Azerbaijani culture and his important place in the history of Soviet estrada.

Five years later, on what would have been his 80th birthday, a memorial evening was held in Baku. The occasion brought together Azerbaijani and international performers, who sang works from Magomayev’s repertoire alongside pieces by Azerbaijani and foreign composers.

That same day, a bronze monument to Magomayev was unveiled in Baku’s Seaside National Park. Created by People’s Artist and sculptor Omar Eldarov, the two-metre statue stands on the city’s boulevard, a place Magomayev loved.

There is something fitting about that location. The boulevard opens onto the Caspian, the sea that shaped Baku and so often appeared in the cultural imagination of the city. Magomayev’s music, too, seems inseparable from Baku: its broad horizons, its mixture of cultures, its melancholy and its confidence.

Muslim Magomayev left the stage in 2008. But he never really left the music. And every August 17, when Azerbaijan remembers the day he was born, the country is reminded once more that some voices do not belong to a single generation. They belong to memory itself.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would take joint action if any one of the three countries came under attack, AzerNEWS reports.

Erdogan said the agreement establishes a mutual defense mechanism comparable in certain respects to Article 5 of the NATO treaty.

‘As is known, the provisions of NATO’s Article 5 are, to a certain extent, similar to the concept of mutual defense established here. Therefore, if any problem arises or an attack takes place, these three countries will be able to take the necessary steps together,’ Erdogan said.

Under the mutual defense pact, an attack against any one of the three countries would trigger a joint response, regardless of which country is targeted. The agreement provides for the three states to support and defend one another against attacks.

Erdogan also stressed that the agreement is not limited to Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan and could eventually be expanded to include additional countries.

‘Other countries can also join us. Egypt can join the agreement together with these three countries if it wishes. The door is also open to Egypt,’ the Turkish president said.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed that discussions are underway with Johnny Depp about a possible return for the sixth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, AzerNEWS reports.

‘We are talking with Johnny, we are working on a script, and hopefully we will get to it,’ Bruckheimer said, according to the publication.

However, sources familiar with the project suggest that Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow may not return as the central character. Instead, the iconic pirate could have a smaller supporting role while the franchise introduces a new lead.

The latest film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, was released in 2017 and earned approximately $794 million worldwide.

The possibility of Depp’s return has already sparked huge excitement among fans, especially since Jack Sparrow has become one of the most recognizable characters in modern cinema. Depp’s performance even earned him an Academy Award nomination for the original Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

For now, no official details about the plot or cast have been announced. But if Depp does return, even for a smaller role, his appearance could be enough to bring some of the franchise’s original magic back to the big screen.

A partial lunar eclipse will take place on August 28, 2026, marking the second lunar eclipse of the year, AzerNEWS reports.

However, observers in Azerbaijan will be able to see only a brief portion of the eclipse before the Moon sets.

According to the Astrophysics Department of the Faculty of Physics at Baku State University (BSU), the Moon will pass through only part of Earth’s shadow during the event. As a result, only part of the Moon’s surface will darken, while the remainder will stay illuminated.

The penumbral phase of the eclipse will begin at 05:23:55, followed by the partial phase at 06:33:48. The eclipse will reach its maximum at 08:12:53. The partial phase will end at 09:51:55, while the penumbral phase will conclude at 11:01:41.

The eclipse will be visible from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

In Azerbaijan, however, only the beginning of the penumbral phase will be visible, from approximately 05:23 to 05:55, when the Moon sets.

The event will therefore have limited visibility from Azerbaijan, with observers needing to look toward the western horizon during the early morning hours to catch the brief observable phase.

Azerbaijan will host the 43rd Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Baku from September 15 to 19, 2027, AzerNEWS reports, citing the Azerbaijan Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The symbolic handover of the World Championship flag to the Azerbaijani delegation took place during the closing ceremony of the 42nd Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Frankfurt.

The Baku championship will also be part of the qualification process for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The 2028 Olympics will be held from July 14 to 30, with rhythmic gymnastics featuring two events: the individual all-around and group all-around. A total of 94 athletes are expected to compete.

Under the current qualification system, Olympic quota places will be awarded at the 2026 World Championships, the 2026-27 World Cup series, the 2027 World Championships in Baku, and the 2028 continental championships.

Baku has become a regular host of major international gymnastics competitions.

The Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF) has played an important role in developing the sport and organizing international events in the country. Azerbaijan has hosted a number of European and World Championships, while gymnastics clubs and sections operate in several regions.

Baku’s 2026 calendar included the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in April, as well as national and international competitions in rhythmic, artistic, acrobatic, aerobic and trampoline gymnastics.

The National Gymnastics Arena, the venue for the 2027 World Championships, has hosted numerous major competitions, including World Cups and European Championships.

The modern facility has become one of the main venues for international gymnastics events in Azerbaijan and will welcome the world’s leading rhythmic gymnasts in September 2027.