Category: Azer News

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday that the European Union cannot accept products coming from territories “illegally occupied” in the West Bank, arguing that the bloc must not support such activity through trade.

“The explosion of violence triggered by extremist settlers in the West Bank threatens the two-State solution and constitutes an unacceptable affront to the dignity of the Palestinian people,” Barrot wrote on X.

He stressed that the EU “cannot, through its trade, support this activity.” Barrot’s comments came after a barrage of attacks against the Palestinian population in the West Bank by Israeli settlers, aggression that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned on Saturday.

The summer of 2026 was the hottest summer ever recorded in the United Kingdom since meteorological observations began in 1884. The UK Met Office reported that this summer broke the previous temperature record.

According to preliminary data, the average daily temperature across the UK from June to August was 16.5°C. The country experienced several heatwaves and a large number of extremely hot days, with temperatures rising above 30°C.

The hottest day of the summer was August 13, when temperatures reached 38.1°C in the UK. However, this was not the country’s all-time temperature record. The highest temperature ever recorded in Britain was 40.3°C, measured in July 2022.

The summer of 2026 was also remarkable because of the unusually dry weather. London and other parts of southern England experienced long periods with little or no rainfall. In some areas, the lack of rain lasted for several weeks, creating difficult conditions for agriculture and increasing concerns about water supplies.

Scientists from the Met Office say that climate change is playing an important role in the increasing frequency of extreme heat. According to experts, human-caused climate change makes unusually hot summers much more likely.

‘Summer 2026 was remarkable and provides another example of the extreme weather events we can expect to see more frequently in the future,’ said Mark McCarthy, head of climate analysis at the Met Office.

Another interesting fact is that the UK also experienced an unusually sunny summer. The country recorded hundreds of hours of sunshine, making 2026 one of the sunniest summers in recent decades. July was particularly notable for its combination of high temperatures, very little rainfall and long periods of sunshine.

The unusual weather was not limited to Britain. Much of Europe also experienced an extremely hot and dry summer, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in several countries. Scientists warn that heatwaves, droughts and other extreme weather events could become more common as global temperatures continue to rise.

For many people, summer 2026 will be remembered as one of the most unusual summers in British history – not only because of the record-breaking heat, but also because of the lack of rain and the exceptional amount of sunshine.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev concluded his working visit to the Kyrgyz Republic on September 1.

A guard of honor was lined up in honor of the head of state at Manas International Airport.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were seen off by Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Head of the Presidential Administration.

“I am glad to visit once again brotherly Kyrgyzstan. A month ago, the Treaty on Allied Relations was signed during my state visit,” said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in his speech at the SCO Plus format meeting.

The head of state noted that this historic document has elevated Azerbaijani-Kyrgyz relations to the highest level.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyed Abbas Araghchi in Bishkek.

According to the information, the ministers discussed the current state and prospects for the development of Azerbaijan-Iran bilateral relations, as well as ways to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The sides also exchanged views on regional issues.

Jeyhun Bayramov and Abbas Araghchi emphasized the importance of maintaining regular high-level dialogue and advancing mutually beneficial projects between the two countries.

It is worth noting that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit is currently underway in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The summit brings together leaders and senior officials from SCO member states to discuss regional cooperation, security, economic ties and other issues of mutual interest.

New rules governing medical examinations for foreign nationals entering Russia for work came into force on September 1.

Previously, migrants had 90 days after entering the Russian Federation to undergo a medical examination confirming that they did not have dangerous infectious diseases or HIV and had not used illegal drugs. Under the new rules, this period has been reduced to 30 days.

In addition, foreign nationals planning to stay in Russia for more than 30 days are now required to undergo a medical examination once a year. The cost of the examination must be covered either by the migrants themselves or by their employers.

Another important change concerns the organizations authorized to conduct these examinations. Intermediaries are no longer allowed to arrange or conduct medical checks for labor migrants. Only officially authorized medical organizations will be permitted to carry out the examinations.

A medical examination will also be required when applying for a temporary residence permit or work permit, as well as when renewing or reissuing a work patent.

Following the examination, migrants will receive a medical certificate, including in electronic form. The results will also be entered into the Unified State Health Information System (EGISZ).

If a dangerous infectious disease, HIV, or drug use is detected, the medical organization must notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Rospotrebnadzor within 24 hours. This will allow the authorities to quickly decide what measures should be taken, including possible deportation.

One notable aspect of the new rules is that medical monitoring is becoming more regular. Instead of undergoing a single examination after arrival, migrants staying in Russia for an extended period will now have to confirm their health status every year.

For foreign workers and their employers, this means that keeping track of medical examination deadlines will become an important part of maintaining legal employment and residence status in Russia.

Germany is on the verge of its most significant pension system reform in the past 20 years, a move that could put traditional insurance companies under serious pressure and reshape the country’s retirement savings market.

The new rules are expected to come into force in January. One of the key changes is a sharp reduction in commission fees, which will be capped at 1% instead of the previous 4%. This could redirect hundreds of billions of euros from traditional insurers toward global asset managers, investment firms, and other financial service providers. According to Morgan Stanley analysts, the reform could generate an additional pound 40 billion in annual capital flows into financial markets.

The main goal of the reform is to improve long-term pension returns by giving up some of the strict guarantees traditionally offered by insurance-based pension products. Under the new system, mandatory lifelong annuities could be replaced with more flexible withdrawal options, allowing retirees to have greater control over how and when they access their savings.

However, the insurance industry has raised concerns about the potential risks. Without strong lifelong guarantees, retirees could become more exposed to market downturns, particularly during periods of high volatility. A major market decline shortly before or after retirement could significantly reduce the value of a person’s pension savings.

There are also concerns about whether the financial infrastructure will be ready for the January launch. The new system will require complex administrative and digital processes, and experts question whether all providers will have enough time to adapt.

At the same time, competition for pension customers is becoming increasingly intense. Digital brokers and fintech companies are entering the market, offering low fees, user-friendly investment platforms, and greater flexibility. This could be especially attractive to younger Germans, who are generally more comfortable managing their finances through digital services.

An interesting aspect of the reform is that it could gradually change the way Germans think about retirement savings. Germany has traditionally relied heavily on insurance products and relatively conservative pension investments. A greater shift toward market-based investments could encourage millions of people to participate more directly in capital markets.

If successful, the reform could therefore have effects far beyond the pension sector. It may strengthen Germany’s investment market, increase competition among financial providers, and give savers more choice. At the same time, it will force both regulators and consumers to confront an important question: how much investment risk should individuals be expected to take in exchange for the possibility of higher retirement returns?

The success of the reform will ultimately depend on whether Germany can strike the right balance between higher potential returns, financial stability, consumer protection, and the need to prepare the system for an ageing population.

A total of 4,010 Azerbaijani citizens are officially registered as missing in connection with the First and Second Karabakh Wars, according to data released by Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons as of August 31, 2026.

The figures show that 4,004 people went missing during the First Karabakh War, while six are missing in connection with the Second Karabakh War.

Of the 4,004 people who went missing during the First Karabakh War, 3,222 were military personnel, and 782 were civilians.

The civilian group includes 71 children, 288 women and 319 elderly people.

According to the State Commission, 910 sets of human remains have so far been discovered and exhumed as a result of search and excavation efforts. Of these, five were discovered in August 2026, while 79 were found during the first eight months of the year.

Meanwhile, the identities of 328 missing persons have been established through DNA testing and forensic methods. The identities of 57 people were established between January and August 2026.

The remains of 267 identified individuals have been handed over to their families and buried. Of these, 21 were handed over for burial in August, while 64 were recorded during the first eight months of 2026.

Authorities have so far identified 32 mass burial sites in Azerbaijan’s territories liberated from occupation.

As a result, 3,682 people are still officially considered missing.

The State Commission said it would continue efforts to locate missing persons, discover and exhume human remains, establish their identities and return the remains to their families.

As the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit is being held in Bishkek on August 31-September 1, transport and connectivity are again in focus. The summit, which marks the SCO’s 25th anniversary, is expected to address a broad range of economic and regional cooperation priorities, including transport and infrastructure.

In the modern world, a country’s international standing is determined not only by the size of its territory, population and economy. It is determined by its geographical location, ability to influence regional processes, and position along transport and communication routes connecting different economic regions, which are also key factors shaping its strategic importance. At a time when global economic activity is increasingly shifting toward Asia, and new transport and energy routes are gaining geopolitical importance alongside their economic value, the role of countries linking major regions is becoming even more significant.

Azerbaijan is one of the countries with such a strategic position. Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and with access to the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan has developed modern transport infrastructure that enables it to serve as an important link between Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Trkiye and Europe. The country’s growing position in the international system in recent years has also been accompanied by efforts to make more effective use of these advantages.

The main strength of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) lies in its demographic and economic scale. The organisation includes China and India, two of the world’s largest population and consumer markets. Russia, Pakistan and Iran also have large populations and sizeable domestic markets. This represents not only significant consumer potential, but also a vast labour force, industrial capacity and a broad base for future economic growth. The nominal GDP of China, at around $19.5 trillion, India at $3.96 trillion, and Russia at $2.56 trillion, clearly demonstrates the economic scale of the SCO space. The rapid development of Central Asian economies such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan further adds to this picture.

For Azerbaijan, this space is important in terms of existing trade ties, as well as opportunities to expand transport, logistics, investment, industrial and energy cooperation. However, Azerbaijan’s main advantage is not its ability to compete with SCO members in terms of economic scale, but rather its capacity to connect this vast economic space with broader Eurasian markets.

The same logic applies to transport. The SCO space covers a large part of the major land transport routes running from east to west and from north to south. Expanding links between China and Central Asia’s production and trade centres, Russia, Iran and India, the Caspian region and Western markets is creating new logistics opportunities.

Azerbaijan occupies a particularly important position on this map. The country lies at the intersection of the East-West and North-South transport routes. The Port of Baku, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Middle Corridor and the North-South International Transport Corridor provide connections in different directions. The first phase of the Port of Baku has an annual cargo handling capacity of 15 million tons and 100,000 TEUs, while plans to increase this capacity to 25 million tons and 500,000 TEUs could further strengthen Azerbaijan’s role in the region’s transport network.

Cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has significant potential to contribute to the development of transport corridors connecting China with Europe, according to Alper Özel, Chairman of the Executive Board of Trkiye’s International Transporters’ Association (UND).

Commenting on this issue for AzerNEWS, Özel noted that the SCO framework could create additional opportunities for strengthening transport links between China, Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Trkiye and European markets.

“Political dialogue between countries, the facilitation of customs procedures, digitalization and the harmonization of transport infrastructure can contribute to increasing cargo flows,” Özel said.

However, he emphasized that political will alone would not be sufficient to ensure the sustainable growth of the Middle Corridor. “For the corridor to grow in real terms, border crossings must be accelerated, transit costs, which are currently high, must be reduced, and a predictable and regular transport capacity must be established along the entire route,” he stressed.

According to Özel, strengthening transport links between China, Central Asia and the South Caucasus would further increase Azerbaijan’s logistical importance.

He noted that Azerbaijan’s geographical position makes it a critical link connecting the Caspian Sea with Trkiye and European markets. In this regard, the Baku-Alat Port, as well as the country’s railway and road connections, provide important advantages. At the same time, Özel emphasized that Azerbaijan’s role should extend beyond that of a transit country.

“For Azerbaijan to become a genuine regional logistics hub, it is necessary to increase vessel capacity in the Caspian Sea, accelerate port operations, establish regular services and reduce waiting times for cargo,” he noted.

Özel also cautioned that growing demand for freight transportation does not automatically translate into improved corridor performance.

Touching upon cooperation between Azerbaijan and Trkiye, Özel noted that bilateral transport cooperation is one of the determining factors for the competitiveness of the Middle Corridor. He stressed that road, rail and Caspian connections between the two countries should be addressed as an integrated system.

According to Özel, increasing the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, digitalizing customs and transit procedures, and putting new connections into operation could significantly strengthen the corridor. However, he pointed out that competition for China-Europe freight is not determined by distance alone.

An expert also added that removing bottlenecks, particularly those associated with the Caspian Sea crossing, is critical for the Middle Corridor to compete with alternative routes, including the Northern Corridor and maritime routes.

Further to comments, an expert, Natig Mammadov, said that Azerbaijan has the potential to become an important logistics bridge between the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and European markets. According to Mammadov, Azerbaijan is already emerging as one of the important transport and logistics hubs of Eurasia, benefiting from its geographical position at the intersection of major East-West and North-South routes. However, he noted that geography and infrastructure alone are not enough.

Mammadov noted that the SCO economic space includes some of the world’s largest production, energy and consumer markets. China is a major global manufacturing centre, while Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries have substantial natural resources and growing trade volumes. In this environment, Azerbaijan can serve as a connecting link between the expanding economies of Asia and European markets.

The Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alat is central to this strategy. Cargo arriving from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries can cross the Caspian Sea, enter Azerbaijan and continue by rail or road toward Georgia and Trkiye before reaching Europe. But Mammadov stressed that Alat should not be viewed simply as a port.

“Alat has the potential to become not merely a port but a major international logistics centre,” he said, pointing to the need for further development of storage, cargo processing, container handling and other logistics services.

The Caspian Sea remains one of the most difficult sections of the Middle Corridor. Unlike a conventional rail route, cargo travelling through the corridor must change modes of transportation when crossing the Caspian. Goods arriving by rail must be transferred to vessels and then transferred again to rail or road transport after reaching Azerbaijan. Every additional transfer brings extra costs and creates another opportunity for delays.

Mammadov said expanding the maritime side of the corridor should therefore be one of Azerbaijan’s main priorities. This includes increasing the capacity of the Port of Alat, expanding container terminals and storage facilities, and introducing more modern cargo-handling systems. He also highlighted the need to increase the number of ferries and specialised container vessels operating between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

“Modern ports alone are not sufficient if vessels arrive irregularly or cargo has to wait several days for departure,” the expert said.

In his view, more predictable maritime connections, stable schedules and a unified cargo booking system would significantly reduce waiting times and make the route more attractive to Chinese exporters and international logistics companies.

Mammadov believes China is likely to increase its use of the Middle Corridor in the coming years, although he cautioned against expecting it to replace existing China-Europe routes.

“The more realistic scenario is that the Middle Corridor will become an important additional and strategically significant transport route,” he said.

Looking ahead, Mammadov expects several developments to shape the Middle Corridor over the next three to five years. He pointed to an increase in Chinese transit through Central Asia and across the Caspian Sea, a stronger role for Azerbaijan as the principal transit hub on the western shore of the Caspian, and further growth in container transportation along the Alat-Georgia-Trkiye-Europe route.

He also expects the Middle Corridor to gradually move from being viewed as an alternative route to becoming a permanent part of the broader China-Europe logistics network. Still, he stressed that the corridor should not be seen as a replacement for maritime transportation or other established routes. Rather, China is likely to pursue a multi-route strategy, choosing between corridors according to cargo type, price, delivery time and geopolitical conditions. For Azerbaijan, this creates a significant strategic opportunity.

The bigger prize is to turn transit into a full-scale logistics industry – and ultimately transform Azerbaijan from a transit country into one of the key trade and logistics hubs linking the fast-growing economies of Asia with European markets.

Azerbaijan’s women’s national volleyball team will take to the court on September 1 in the round of sixteen of the 2026 CEV Women’s European Volleyball Championship.

The team will face Turkiye with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.

The team, led by head coach Faig Garayev, will face Turkiye in their next match. The game will be played at the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall in Istanbul and is scheduled to start at 20:00 in the evening, Baku time.

Azerbaijan advanced to the knockout stage after finishing third in Group C, which was hosted in Baku.

The national team collected eight points during the group stage to secure its place in the playoffs.

The meeting with Trkiye now presents Azerbaijan with a fresh challenge as the team looks to continue its European Championship campaign and move into the quarterfinals.

The 2026 CEV Women’s European Volleyball Championship is being jointly hosted by Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Czechia and Sweden from August 21 to September 6.

Group C matches were played in Azerbaijan, with the national teams of Azerbaijan, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Romania and Spain competing in the group.

Baku hosted the Group C matches at the National Gymnastics Arena from August 21 to 28.