Category: Azer News

Volvo Cars plans to introduce 13 completely new car models by the end of 2030. The Swedish automaker announced the ambitious product strategy during its Capital Markets Day.

According to the company’s plans, seven new models will be developed for Western markets, while six will be aimed at customers in China. Volvo Cars intends to focus on adapting its vehicles to regional market requirements, expanding electrification and strengthening cooperation with China’s Geely Group.

Another important goal is to increase the company’s operating margin to 8%. In the second quarter of this year, the figure was just 1.1%. Volvo Cars expects to improve profitability through more efficient production and significantly lower investment costs per vehicle for many of its future models.

The company is also continuing to invest in hybrid technology. Volvo Cars has announced updated hybrid versions of the XC60 and XC90, featuring a longer electric driving range. These models will be available in Europe and the United States. The automaker believes that demand for hybrid vehicles will remain strong well into the 2030s, even as the global automotive industry gradually moves toward fully electric cars.

Volvo Cars currently employs around 42,600 people worldwide. A significant part of its production, research and development activities is based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company also has major operations in Belgium, China and the United States.

An interesting aspect of Volvo Cars’ strategy is its attempt to balance global electrification with the different needs of individual markets. While some regions are rapidly moving toward fully electric vehicles, others are still showing strong demand for hybrids and conventional powertrains.

At the same time, investors remain cautious. Since the beginning of the year, Volvo Cars shares listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange have fallen by around 40%. The company’s ability to successfully launch its new models while improving profitability will therefore be closely watched in the coming years.

?Professor of International Journalism Mikhail Gusman wrote an article for Anadolu Agency Analysis on the increasing importance of the South Caucasus in global politics and Azerbaijan’s role in the region’s new architecture.

The article examines the emerging geopolitical and economic architecture of the South Caucasus, depicting that the region is gradually moving from a conflict-centred framework towards greater emphasis on trade, transport, energy and regional cooperation. It identifies Azerbaijan’s strengthened position as a central feature of this transformation, highlighting its role as an energy supplier to Europe, transport hub and diplomatic actor maintaining ties with multiple global and regional powers.

AzerNEWS presents the article:

The South Caucasus is currently undergoing a historic period. Not only is the region’s political configuration changing, but its importance in world politics is also shifting. Until very recently, the South Caucasus was perceived primarily through the lens of conflict and antagonism. Today, however, issues such as economic development, transportation corridors, energy, trade, and regional cooperation are increasingly coming to the forefront.

Especially after the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, it has become possible to speak of the region with a completely different logic, not as a constant conflict zone, but as a potential area of cooperation.

However, the interest of major global actors in the South Caucasus is also increasing. Here, the interests of Russia, Trkiye, Iran, the European Union (EU), the United States (US), and Central Asian countries intersect. Therefore, the balance is becoming more complex and multifaceted. Rather than the absolute dominance of any one side, a new system is emerging in which the roles of the countries in the region are significantly enhanced. Azerbaijan occupies a very special place in this system.

Azerbaijan’s changing position in the region

Within this new balance of power, Azerbaijan’s position has significantly strengthened. This is not solely related to the country’s geography or energy resources. Today, Azerbaijan is increasingly emerging as an independent geopolitical actor capable of pursuing its own foreign policy while simultaneously maintaining relations with various power centers.

In recent years, there has been a very significant change in the international perception of Azerbaijan. Until recently, the country was mostly discussed outside the region in the context of the Karabakh conflict. Today, this is a completely inadequate description of Azerbaijan. The country has become a major energy partner of Europe, a significant transportation hub, and an active participant in international diplomacy. Azerbaijan has also strengthened its relations with Trkiye, Central Asia, Russia, Europe, the USA, and other states. This shows that Baku views its foreign policy not as a battleground between separate power centers, but as an opportunity to work in multiple directions simultaneously. Therefore, today, Azerbaijan’s international weight is significantly greater than what can be estimated solely from the country’s size or population.

Increased interest in the region

The ongoing war in Ukraine has significantly impacted the geopolitical system of Eurasia. As trade routes, energy flows, and logistics shift, the importance of routes enabling the transport of goods and energy outside conflict zones has increased. This has significantly heightened interest in the South Caucasus and Caspian region. Following recent developments, we see Washington attempting to play a more visible role in regional resolution processes. However, this should not be viewed solely as a struggle for influence. Ideally, the South Caucasus could become an area where the interests of different states intersect, but this intersection does not necessarily lead to conflict. The current geopolitical situation presents a unique opportunity to foster cooperation. If the countries of the region embrace trade flows through their territories, infrastructure construction, and investment, this in itself would create an additional incentive for stability.

Furthermore, if everyone is interested in the stability of transportation routes, energy security, and the development of trade, an objective incentive to support peace emerges, and Azerbaijan is in a very strong position here. Baku can talk to different power centers and advance its national interests without abandoning cooperation with different partners.

Zangezur’s key role in international trade

This new political situation in the South Caucasus also has the potential to objectively increase the role of the Middle Corridor in trade between Europe and Asia. Modern international trade needs routes that are not only cheap but also reliable, predictable, and diversified. Recent years have demonstrated very convincingly how fragile global logistics can become when major transport routes face political crises.

The Middle Corridor gains particular importance in this context. The corridor connects China and Central Asia to the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Trkiye, and then to European markets. However, infrastructure alone is not enough for trade to fully develop in the region. Political stability needs to be ensured in all the countries through which this route passes.

This is why the processes taking place in the South Caucasus today have significance far beyond the region. If the sustainable development of transport links is ensured, the Middle Corridor can become one of the most important elements of the new Eurasian logistics. Regarding increasing the capacity of the Middle Corridor, the Zangezur Corridor is potentially one of the most important elements within the entire East-West transport system. The importance of the corridor lies primarily in its ability to connect Azerbaijan more directly to Nakhchivan and then to Trkiye.

For Trkiye, this opens up additional opportunities to strengthen its role as a transit hub between Asia and Europe. For Azerbaijan, it constitutes another element in transforming the region into a significant transportation center. In this sense, the Zangezur Corridor is a project that will complement the Central Corridor. The more interconnected railway and road routes there are, the higher the overall efficiency of the entire transportation system. In this sense, the opening of the Zangezur route can give an additional impetus to the entire Central Corridor.

Strengthening the Zangezur Corridor, and consequently the Central Corridor, offers Trkiye the opportunity to significantly strengthen its economic and political presence in the geography stretching from Anatolia to Central Asia. Today, spheres of influence are increasingly built through infrastructure rather than political pronouncements. If countries share railways, highways, energy systems, trade connections, and investments, a completely different level of interdependence emerges. In this respect, Azerbaijan becomes an extremely important partner for Trkiye. Through Azerbaijan, Trkiye has the opportunity to establish a much deeper interaction with Central Asian states.

Azerbaijan-Trkiye partnership

While the phrase “one nation, two states” is a well-known formula between Azerbaijan and Trkiye, it is not solely based on the emotional and historical closeness of the two peoples. In recent years, this relationship has gained a very concrete political, economic, and strategic dimension. Trkiye has become Azerbaijan’s most important strategic partner. Azerbaijan, in turn, is of great importance to Trkiye as a state connecting Anatolia to the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. And here a very interesting structure emerges: while Trkiye gains additional opportunities to access the Caspian Sea and then Central Asia through Azerbaijan, Central Asian states also gain more convenient access to Trkiye and European markets. Thus, rather than a new military-political bloc, a new network of economic, transportation, and political connections is forming.

When it comes to states with strong historical and strategic ties, relations between leaders also gain importance. In the case of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, we see a combination of personal trust, mutual political understanding, and convergence of strategic interests. When there is trust between leaders, this significantly facilitates the making and implementation of complex decisions. Aliyev and Erdogan understand each other’s political logic very well, which is particularly important during periods of significant regional change. However, relations between the two countries are based on strong societal support and a very solid historical bond. Therefore, while the personal closeness of the leaders is an important additional factor, relations between Azerbaijan and Trkiye are based on the convergence of long-term interests.

The Shusha Declaration, in particular, constituted a crucial step in the development of relations between the two states. With its comprehensive content ranging from politics and security to economics, energy, transportation, and humanitarian cooperation, the document effectively reinforced the alliance nature of relations between Azerbaijan and Trkiye. In other words, it established a political foundation for long-term strategic interaction. The importance of the Shusha Declaration extends beyond bilateral relations because this close interaction between Azerbaijan and Trkiye inevitably affects the entire architecture of the South Caucasus and the region’s connections with Central Asia. This contributes to the development of trade relations, transportation links, and cultural and humanitarian contacts, including those within the Organization of Turkic States. Trade, transportation links, cultural and humanitarian contacts are developing among the countries of the Turkic world, and geography plays a very significant role here. Azerbaijan has a unique position between Trkiye and Central Asia, between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus. Therefore, its role is naturally increasing. The most important step in this process is the development of economic relations. The more trade, transportation links, investments, and joint projects there are, the stronger the relations between the states will become. However, it is too early to say that a closed geopolitical axis has already formed here. Nevertheless, it can be said that an objective process of rapprochement is underway.

Azerbaijan’s role in the new architecture of the South Caucasus

Considering all these developments, it would not be wrong to say that Azerbaijan’s role in the South Caucasus will increasingly grow in the coming years. Moreover, Azerbaijan could become one of the most important connecting points not only in the South Caucasus, but also between Europe, the Caucasus, the Caspian region, Trkiye, and Central Asian countries. Here, we are no longer just talking about the importance of the country’s geographical location. Azerbaijan has created new infrastructure around its geography, developed energy projects, built transportation routes, and established a network of political and economic partnerships. Therefore, it is possible to say that today, geography offers an opportunity for Azerbaijan, and state policies enable this opportunity to be transformed into a real political and economic resource.

The second-round games of the 46th World Chess Olympiad, being held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, will take place on September 17.

Azerbaijan’s men’s national team will face the Philippines in this round. The team consists of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Rauf Mamedov, Aydin Suleymanli, Mahammad Muradli and Eltaj Safarli.

The women’s national team will take on Denmark. The Azerbaijani lineup includes Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Gunay Mammadzada, Govhar Beydullayeva, Khanim Balajayeva and Gulnar Mammadova.

In the first round, Azerbaijan’s men’s team defeated Morocco 4-0, while the women’s team beat Guatemala 4-0.

The World Chess Olympiad, held under the Swiss system over 11 rounds, will conclude on September 27.

A total of 1,032 chess players representing 208 teams are taking part in the Olympiad.

Increasing the complexity of Azerbaijan’s economy is one of the country’s key objectives, Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov said.

Jabbarov made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the ‘Baku ID 2026’ innovation festival held at the SABAH.city innovation campus.

The minister said the goal is not simply to produce more goods, but to create goods and services with higher added value.

‘Our main goal and ambition is to increase the complexity of Azerbaijan’s economy. Put simply, this does not mean merely producing more goods, but creating goods and services with higher added value,’ Jabbarov said.

According to him, the integration of talent, technology and the ecosystem is essential to achieving this objective.

‘When the necessary policies and a favorable environment are provided, human capital stands at the very center of the process. Today, the concepts of illiteracy or a skilled employee are also taking on entirely new meanings,’ the minister added.

Jabbarov noted that in the modern economy, people are not merely individuals seeking jobs, but also people who create new employment opportunities.

He said this was also at the core of the philosophy behind ‘Baku ID’ and the festival’s fifth anniversary, and thanked those who had contributed to the project.

The minister said Azerbaijan had also gained important experience through cooperation with the World Economic Forum.

‘Several years ago, the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) was established in Azerbaijan. I am personally proud to have participated in its activities within the framework of the Job Accelerator,’ Jabbarov said.

He noted that technological transformation in the labor market is accelerating and that artificial intelligence is playing an important role in this process.

According to Jabbarov, one of Azerbaijan’s key objectives by 2030 is to become not only a creator of technology, but also a country capable of effectively adopting and applying such technologies to high standards.

Jabbarov said the indicators outlined in the ‘Future of Jobs’ report point to the direction of changes expected in the labor market in the coming years.

‘The share of jobs based solely on human labor, without technological involvement, is expected to decline, while the share of jobs involving cooperation between humans and technology is expected to increase. At the same time, the share of automated processes carried out solely by technology and artificial intelligence is also expected to grow,’ the minister emphasized.

He said these trends indicate that the labor market of the future will be based on the interaction between human capabilities and technology.

At the beginning of his speech, Jabbarov said the project was more than physical infrastructure, describing it as a platform bringing together economic actors, the education ecosystem, innovators, financial institutions and community representatives.

‘We see this space not simply as physical infrastructure, but as a point where economic actors, the education ecosystem, innovators and everyone important to the ecosystem, from financing to the community, come together,’ the minister said.

The Azerbaijan Cup final will be held at Ganja City Stadium for the first time.

The decision was made by AFFA President Rovshan Najaf following a proposal by the Professional Football League.

The decisive match of the tournament will take place on May 12 next year.

The Azerbaijan Football Cup is the country’s main annual knockout football competition. It was first introduced in 1936, with its modern format running since 1992.

Organized by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), the tournament includes clubs from both the Premier League and lower divisions.

The winner earns a place in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.

Formed in 1992, the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) is the governing body of football in Azerbaijan.

The Association is responsible for overseeing all aspects of amateur and professional games in its territory.

It runs numerous competitions, the most famous of which is the Azerbaijan Cup. AFFA is a member of both UEFA and FIFA.

Azerbaijan’s historical and religious monuments reflect the country’s long-standing tradition of tolerance and multiculturalism, while many such sites suffered serious destruction and vandalism during the occupation, Culture Minister Adil Karimli said.

Karimli made the remarks while speaking at the conference titled “Protection of Historical and Religious Monuments: Challenges and Prospects.”

He said that Azerbaijan has historically developed an environment of multicultural values and tolerance, rooted in the country’s ancient statehood traditions. These traditions, he noted, have become part of the way of life of Azerbaijani society as well as state policy.

“Historical and religious monuments are an expression of our country’s rich tradition of tolerance. Multicultural values and an environment of tolerance have historically been formed in Azerbaijan. These traditions, stemming from the nature of our ancient statehood, have become part of the way of life and state policy of the Azerbaijani state and society as a whole,” the minister said.

Adil Karimli noted that during the occupation, historical and religious monuments were subjected to serious destruction and vandalism, with some completely destroyed.

“Unfortunately, I would like to note that during the occupation, acts of desecration were committed at many of our religious sites and mosques. We have experienced these painful realities. Therefore, in the post-conflict period, our state has been taking intensive measures to restore these monuments in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur. Many of our historical, cultural and religious monuments have already been restored, and this process is continuing,” he said.

The minister also pointed to the difficulties of protecting historical and cultural heritage in mined areas as one of the problems that emerged during the post-conflict period, particularly with regard to religious sites.

He said that special attention is paid to the protection, restoration and conservation of cultural heritage sites both within and outside Azerbaijan.

“All historical and religious monuments located in Azerbaijan are protected by the state and treated with particular sensitivity. Their restoration is carried out regularly,” Karimli said.

Increasing the share of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan’s electricity system has become one of the main directions of the country’s energy policy in recent years. Thus, the commissioning of the 100 MW Qobustan Solar Power Plant in the Garadagh district is another stage in this process. The plant, which was inaugurated on September 16 in the presence of President Ilham Aliyev, will generate approximately 200 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

One of the main economic benefits of the project for Azerbaijan is a certain reduction in the use of natural gas for electricity generation. No fuel is required to generate electricity at a solar power plant. Therefore, the electricity produced by Qobustan can potentially replace part of the electricity generated using gas at thermal power plants.

According to official calculations, the operation of the plant will save approximately 45 million cubic meters of natural gas annually. This figure may not appear large for Azerbaijan’s energy system. However, although this concerns only one project, the overall volume of savings could increase as renewable energy capacity expands.

There is another aspect to the issue. Azerbaijan is a producer and exporter of natural gas. Replacing part of the gas required for electricity generation with solar energy creates an opportunity to use that gas for other purposes. This can provide additional flexibility in supplying gas to industry and, under suitable conditions, expand export opportunities.

The Qobustan plant’s annual output of 200 million kilowatt-hours also demonstrates the scale of the project. Although the plant has an installed capacity of 100 MW, solar energy is not a continuous source, meaning it cannot operate at maximum capacity for 24 hours a day throughout the year. Therefore, the plant’s actual annual output is lower than its nominal capacity. This is one of the main characteristics of solar power plants.

Another result of the project is a reduction in carbon emissions into the atmosphere. According to official information, the Qobustan Solar Power Plant will prevent approximately 97,000 tons of carbon emissions annually. This figure does not represent direct financial income, but it is significant in terms of Azerbaijan’s transition toward a lower-carbon energy system.

One of the features that distinguishes the Qobustan project is that it was implemented through an auction mechanism. In 2023, a 300.77-hectare plot of land in the Pirshaat settlement of the Garadagh district was designated as a renewable energy area for the construction of a solar power plant. The site was subsequently put up for auction, and in 2024, China’s Universal International Holdings Limited won the auction.

This model is particularly important for Azerbaijan. The state creates the land and legal framework for renewable energy projects, while the investor participates in financing and implementing the project. The Qobustan plant is presented as the first renewable energy project in Azerbaijan implemented through an auction.

President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly emphasized the special attention being paid to expanding renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan’s energy policy. The projects currently being implemented represent one of the practical results of this policy. With the commissioning of Qobustan, the total installed capacity of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan is expected to reach 2.17 GW.

Hydropower plants account for the largest share of this capacity. The combined capacity of the country’s 65 hydropower plants is 1,443.5 MW. Wind power plants have a capacity of 306.5 MW, while solar power plants will have a capacity of 278.2 MW. In addition, hybrid and bioenergy projects are also included in the overall figure. As a result, the share of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan’s total energy capacity rises to approximately 20.8 percent.

Azerbaijan’s renewable energy potential, however, is considerably larger than its existing capacity. The country’s economically viable renewable energy potential is estimated at 27 GW. Of this, 23 GW comes from solar energy and 3 GW from wind energy. These figures indicate that there is significant potential for new projects in the coming years.

The implementation of approximately 1.5 GW of new renewable energy projects is planned by the end of 2027. As these projects are implemented, the role of solar and wind energy in electricity generation could increase further.

As a result, the significance of the Qobustan Solar Power Plant is not limited to the creation of 100 MW of new generation capacity. The project makes a concrete contribution to Azerbaijan’s energy balance by generating 200 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, saving 45 million cubic meters of gas, and reducing emissions by 97,000 tons. From a broader perspective, the expansion of such projects increases the country’s opportunities to use its natural gas resources in areas other than electricity generation and creates conditions for greater diversification of energy sources within the energy system.

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Armenian religious leaders based in the United States and Armenia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Narek Mkrtchyan at the White House.

According to the Armenian Embassy in Washington, the meeting included discussions on U.S.-Armenia relations, the Christian and cultural ties between the two nations, religious freedom, and efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region.

The participants also stressed the importance of peace and greater understanding between nations, as well as the role of faith and spiritual values in supporting these efforts.

During the meeting, the Armenian religious leaders held a joint prayer, asking for God’s blessing for the well-being and future of the peoples of Armenia and the United States, as well as for friendly relations between the two countries.

The religious leaders also expressed support for continued efforts toward peace and stability, while referring to the role of the United States and President Donald Trump in the Armenia-related peace process.

Khankandi is set to have a new art school as part of the restoration of social, educational and cultural infrastructure in the liberated territories.

The Cabinet of Ministers has amended the “List of subordinate institutions not included in the structure of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, approved by Decision No. 196 dated June 17, 2014, formally establishing the Khankandi City Art School as an arts education institution under the Ministry of Culture. The same amendment also formalises the legal status of the Kurmangazy Art School in Fuzuli.

The establishment of the Khankandi Art School will help provide children and young people with access to arts education, develop their creative potential and pass the rich cultural traditions of Karabakh on to future generations.

At the initial stage, the school is expected to accommodate up to 100 students. At later stages, the number of students is planned to increase by at least three times. Alongside music, the school will offer other areas of art based on demand.

The Ministry of Culture has created a special electronic application section in the MyCulture unified personal account system to determine demand for arts education in the liberated territories.

So far, 300 people from Khankandi, Shusha, Lachin, Kalbajar, Jabrayil and Zangilan have registered. The applications will be analysed by location and speciality and taken into account when organising classes, determining specialities, and providing teachers.

The launch of the new art school in Khankandi is regarded as an important step toward complementing the Great Return process with a cultural and creative environment.

Israel and Morocco have agreed to take further steps to upgrade their diplomatic relationship, including elevating their diplomatic missions to full embassies and appointing ambassadors, following a trilateral summit with the United States in New York.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz took part in the meeting, which focused on strengthening Israel-Morocco relations and expanding commercial ties.

The three countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations between Israel and Morocco, with the planned elevation of diplomatic missions to full embassies representing a significant institutional step in the relationship. The two sides also agreed to appoint ambassadors.

The move builds on the restoration of formal Israel-Morocco relations in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The latest agreement seeks to move the relationship towards a more developed diplomatic and economic framework.

Economic cooperation featured prominently in the discussions. Israel and Morocco agreed to complete agreements on investment protection and the prevention of double taxation by the end of 2026. The measures are intended to facilitate reciprocal investment and support closer business and commercial links between the two countries.

The countries are also expected to expand direct air links. Moroccan airlines are expected to begin operating direct flights to Israel in the coming weeks, while the two governments have discussed further high-level reciprocal visits.

The New York meeting comes as the Abraham Accords approach their sixth anniversary, with the United States continuing to support the expansion of ties established through the 2020 normalisation agreements.

Sa’ar said the declaration agreed at the summit sets out practical measures for upgrading Israel-Morocco relations and stressed the historical links between the Moroccan and Jewish peoples.

The planned embassy upgrade would give the relationship a more conventional diplomatic structure, while the proposed investment and tax agreements could provide a framework for expanding economic activity.

For Washington, the trilateral meeting also provides a platform for reinforcing one of the regional relationships created by the Abraham Accords, while Israel and Morocco seek to broaden cooperation beyond political contacts into investment, business, tourism and transport.

The latest measures therefore represent a further institutionalisation of the Israel-Morocco relationship, combining diplomatic upgrades with steps aimed at making bilateral economic ties more practical and sustained.