Category: Azer News

On 3 December 2025, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, departed for Vienna, Austria, on a working visit.

As reported by Azernews, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Bayramov will participate in and deliver remarks at the 32nd Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, scheduled for 4-5 December.

As part of the visit, he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with senior officials from other participating states.

A seminar on ‘Countering Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED)’ is being held in Baku as part of NATO’s Individual Partnership Cooperation Programme, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Defense.

The workshop is led by a mobile training team from NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum. According to the Ministry, participants include servicemembers from the Main Department of Engineer Troops and its subordinate military units, as well as engineering officers from specialized military education institutions.

Throughout the training, attendees are receiving briefings on a range of topics related to C-IED tactics, detection, and prevention.

The seminar-workshop will run until December 5.

Baku is hosting the 26th International Conference of the heads of fire and rescue services from member states of the International Sport Federation of Firefighters and Rescuers, Azernews reports.

On the sidelines of the conference, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Emergency Situations, Colonel-General Kamaladdin Heydarov, held a bilateral meeting with Aleksandr Chupriyan, President of the International Sport Federation of Firefighters and Rescuers and a Colonel-General of the Internal Service.

The event brings together Minister Heydarov, Federation President Chupriyan, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Emergency Situations Botir Kudratkhodjayev, and more than 100 delegates from member countries including Germany, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Cameroon, Latvia, Mongolia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Vietnam, along with representatives of the Federation’s partner companies.

Turkiye and Kyrgyzstan are participating via videoconference.

A presentation on the six-month results of the ‘4IR Academy – National Program,’ jointly implemented by the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution under the Ministry of Economy and the Education Development Fund under the Ministry of Science and Education, is being held at the Baku Business Center.

As reported by Azernews, the event brings together representatives of public and private institutions, senior officials responsible for training and education matters, as well as project partners.

The agenda includes a presentation of the National Program’s half-year achievements, a meeting on integrating university curricula into the Coursera platform, a session titled ‘Building a Skill-Based Future in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,’ discussions on enhancing Coursera course curricula for university partnerships, and further talks on incorporating Coursera courses into university programs.

The trial of Armenian national Ruben Vardanyan – charged under numerous articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, terror financing, and other grave offenses – continued on December 2.

According to Azernews, the open court hearing at the Baku Military Court was presided over by Judge Zeynal Agayev, with Judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov serving on the panel and Gunel Sammadova as the reserve judge. The defendant was provided with interpretation into his preferred language, Russian, as well as a state-appointed lawyer.

At the outset, Judge Agayev introduced the judicial panel, state prosecutors, translators, and other officials to the victims and the legal heirs appearing for the first time in the proceedings. He also explained their rights and responsibilities under the law.

The court then heard testimonies from several victims.

Victim Elshan Babayev, responding to questions from prosecutor Vusal Abdullayev, stated that in the Agdara district, an anti-tank shell fired by remnants of the Armenian armed forces and illegal Armenian armed groups exploded nearby, killing Tural Amirov and Elchin Salmanov and injuring him and Yusif Hasanov.

Answering questions from prosecutor Terane Mammadova, victim Elvin Mammadov reported that in the vicinity of Sardarkend village of Khojaly district, a mortar round fired by enemy forces exploded nearby, injuring him and Kamran Hasanov. He added that the enemy was simultaneously firing mortars, sniper rifles, and other weapons.

Victim Khalid Shukurlu testified that he was wounded when a mortar shell fired by Armenian forces exploded in Malibayli village of Khojaly district. He noted that Sadiq Mammadov and Nijat Ahmadzade were also injured in the same incident.

Responding to questions from prosecutor Fuad Musayev, victim Taleh Humbatzade said he was injured when an artillery shell fired by remnants of Armenian forces and illegal armed groups exploded in the Yenikend area of Khojavand district. Another man, Javid Shavgatli, was also wounded.

Victim Fazil Amirli, answering questions from Vusal Aliyev, senior aide to the Prosecutor General, recounted that he, Seyfaddin Jabbarov, and Kamran Najafov were injured by enemy fire in Malibayli village of Khojaly district.

Responding to questions from Nasir Bayramov, head of a department at the Prosecutor General’s Office, victim Ilgar Gasimov said he and Huseyn Huseynov were wounded when a mine planted by enemy forces exploded in the Khojaly direction.

The hearing proceeded with the examination of documents and other evidence contained in the case materials.

The next court session is scheduled for December 5.

Ruben Vardanyan faces charges under a wide range of articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, including planning and waging an aggressive war (Articles 100.1, 100.2), deportation and forced displacement (107), persecution (109), enforced disappearance (110), unlawful deprivation of liberty contrary to international law (112), torture (113), mercenarism (114.1), violations of the laws and customs of war (115.2), multiple counts related to violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflict (116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18), premeditated murder (120.2.x), attempted murder (29,120.2.x), illegal entrepreneurship (192.3.1), terrorism (214.2.x), terror financing (214-1), establishing a criminal association (218.1, 218.2), illegal possession and trafficking of firearms and explosives (228.3), acts endangering aviation security (270-1.x), violent seizure of power and attempted overthrow of the constitutional order (278.1), creation of unlawful armed groups (279.x), and illegal border crossing (318.2).

A delegation led by Taleh Kazimov, Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan (CBA), has begun a working visit to the Republic of Korea, Azernews reports, citing the CBA.

According to the information, the visit will include a series of bilateral meetings with Korea’s financial supervisory authorities.

Discussions are expected to cover the macroeconomic outlook, improvements to financial sector regulatory frameworks, technological innovations, and other key topics.

The purpose of the visit is to strengthen cooperation and expand the exchange of expertise between the two countries’ financial sectors.

In the beta version of the ChatGPT mobile app for Android, a code snippet was discovered hinting at plans to introduce advertising-traditionally considered one of the most intrusive forms of online content-into the platform, Azernews reports.

In build 1.2025.329, developers found direct references to features like ‘search advertising’ and an ‘advertisement carousel.’ If implemented, this could mark a major shift in the economics of the internet, as ChatGPT has so far remained almost completely banner-free.

According to Business Central (BC), the potential for targeted advertising is enormous. While Google primarily knows what users are searching for, ChatGPT can understand the context of what they are thinking and asking, opening up unprecedented possibilities for precision ads. Initially, the advertising modules are expected to appear only in search-related functions, similar to Google’s approach, but they could eventually expand to other types of AI interactions.

Such a move could have a significant impact on the digital market, BC notes, given ChatGPT’s rapidly growing audience. Recent estimates suggest that around 800 million people use ChatGPT every week, processing roughly 2.5 billion requests daily. Interestingly, India has now become the platform’s largest user base, surpassing the United States.

Some experts speculate that if ChatGPT introduces advertising, it could redefine the way AI services are monetized and even reshape online marketing strategies, potentially creating a new ‘AI-first’ approach to targeted campaigns.

The National Paralympic Committee and the Archery Federation are expanding their cooperation to develop para-archery, Azernews reports.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation has been signed between the committee and the federation. A detailed meeting was held between officials of both organisations to discuss the memorandum.

The parties discussed the development of para-archery as a sport and explored opportunities for collaboration. According to the memorandum, both organisations will engage in mutual activities aimed at promoting para-archery in the country, encouraging the participation of people with disabilities in the sport, and implementing joint projects.

The MoU was signed by the Secretary General of the National Paralympic Committee, Tohrul Rahimov, and the Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Archery Federation, Farid Khalilov.

The Azerbaijan Archery Federation serves as the official representative of World Archery in Azerbaijan and oversees the development of the sport nationwide.

Established in 1963, it became formally affiliated with the international governing body in 1993. The federation organises national competitions and tournaments, hosts international events, and actively participates in the training and development of athletes and coaches.

Azerbaijan made its Paralympic Games debut at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, competing in track and field and power lifting. In the same year, the National Paralympic Committee was established.

Since 1996, national paralympians have taken part in many international competitions and six Paralympic Games. They enriched the country’s medal haul with multiple awards.

The Azerbaijani Paralympic team has made significant progress since the Tokyo 2020 Games, where they won 14 medals, including 4 gold, 4 silver, and 6 bronze.

At the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, the Paralympic team earned 11 medals, including 4 silver and 5 bronze.

The holiday season has arrived in Baku, bringing with it a spirit of joy, lights, and celebration.

Dazzling New Year fair has sprung to life along the Seaside Boulevard, filling Baku with holiday lights, music, and festive cheer, Azernews reports.

The fair offers a magical winter adventure for visitors of all ages to enjoy together

One of the most eye-catching highlights of the fair is the city’s very first outdoor ice rink. Created by ÜNNA Studio and organized by the Nargis Fund, the rink, located in the Dinamo zone, provides a spacious ice surface perfect for gliding freely and enjoying the winter season.

An event was held at the Baku House of Small and Medium Business to present the Soulmind brand, Azernews reports.

Among the participants were representatives of government agencies and public organizations, company executives, members of the business and innovation communities, the media, and youth.

The event took place ahead of the International Coach Certification Program (ICC), scheduled for December 12, 13, and 14.

The project is being implemented under a memorandum of cooperation between Soulmind and the World Coaching Organization (WCO) in Helsinki, Finland, marking the beginning of a new stage in the development of coaching in Azerbaijan.

The ceremonial opening featured the National Anthem of Azerbaijan and a moment of silence in memory of the heroes who gave their lives for the country’s territorial integrity.

During the event, guests were given a detailed overview of Soulmind’s mission and areas of activity, which offer modern, scientifically grounded, and highly effective practical approaches in personal development, psychology, corporate management, and coaching.

This model provides comprehensive support for both individual growth and the sustainable development of organizations. The brand offers individual and corporate support programs that help unlock the potential of people and teams in line with international standards.

Speakers emphasized Soulmind’s importance in strengthening human capital within organizations and introducing modern management models. Guests were presented with the development strategy, service structure, and upcoming projects.

Special attention was given to programs on psychological safety in corporate environments, team dynamics, and behavioral risk management, with practical examples demonstrating their impact on companies’ internal processes. Soulmind has already established cooperation with several reputable European institutions, and its international experience is being adapted to national values for integration into the local market.

At the conclusion of the event, participants shared their feedback and suggestions and discussed potential areas for future collaboration.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.