Category: Azer News

The price of Azerbaijan’s Azeri Light crude oil has risen above $113 per barrel on a CIF basis at Italy’s Augusta port.

According to information provided by oil market participants, the price of Azeri Light increased by $5.14, or 4.75%, compared with the previous indicator, reaching $113.32 per barrel.

On an FOB basis at Turkiye’s Ceyhan port, the price of Azeri Light rose by $4.88, or 4.65%, to $109.87 per barrel.

Meanwhile, the price of Russian Urals crude increased by $3.65, or 4.45%, to $85.60 per barrel.

The price of North Sea Dated Brent also rose significantly, increasing by $5.58, or 5.13%, to $114.26 per barrel.

At $113.32 per barrel on a CIF basis at Augusta, Azeri Light was trading $0.94 below Dated Brent, while its Ceyhan FOB price was $4.39 below the benchmark.

The Azerbaijani state budget for 2026 was calculated based on an average oil price of $65 per barrel.

A large-scale attack has targeted the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, with reports of strikes involving sea drones and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The attack took place on the evening of 9 September, according to Russian regional authorities and local reports. A warning over a possible sea-drone attack was issued in Sochi before officials also reported a threat from aerial drones.

Russia’s Krasnodar regional operational headquarters confirmed that unmanned surface vessels had attacked the city and said a fire broke out on the Sochi waterfront. Preliminary reports indicated that at least one person was injured. Emergency and special services were deployed at the scene.

Local authorities urged residents and visitors to move to safe locations and avoid approaching windows while the attack was underway.

The latest incident comes less than a week after a separate attack on Sochi’s port on 3 September. On that occasion, Ukrainian sea drones reportedly targeted the port, with footage showing an explosion and smoke in the harbour area. The attack was described as one of the first known Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel strikes on the resort city.

Sochi has increasingly come into focus as a target in the wider Black Sea dimension of the Russia-Ukraine war. Previous attacks have also affected energy and military infrastructure around the city, including an oil depot and an air-defence position in the nearby Sirius federal territory.

The latest attack also highlights the growing use of combined aerial and maritime drone operations against Russian infrastructure along the Black Sea coast.

Further details about the extent of the damage and the targets remain unclear.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in the Republic of Azerbaijan, in partnership with the Moroccan Association Joussour des Arts et de la Créativité, will host Moroccan Heritage Days in Azerbaijan from September 10 to 14, 2026, bringing the colors, sounds, flavors and craftsmanship of Morocco to the heart of Baku.

Over five days, Azerbaijani audiences will be invited to discover the diversity of Moroccan heritage through fashion, photography, music, gastronomy, traditional craftsmanship and tourism.

A special place will be given to the Moroccan caftan, one of the Kingdom’s most emblematic expressions of cultural heritage. In 2025, UNESCO inscribed ‘Moroccan Caftan: Art, Traditions and Skills’ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing the traditional knowledge, craftsmanship and skills associated with this living heritage.

Far more than a garment, the Moroccan caftan is a cultural legacy developed, enriched and refined over many centuries, transmitted from generation to generation and continuously renewed by Moroccan artisans and designers. Its fabrics, embroidery, sfifa, buttons and ornamental techniques reflect the extraordinary diversity of Morocco’s cultural traditions. Its inscription by UNESCO represents an important international recognition of this centuries-old heritage and of the knowledge and skills that continue to sustain it today.

Alongside the caftan, the showcase will feature the Mlehfa, the distinctive traditional dress associated with the women of Morocco’s southern provinces. Rooted in the cultural heritage of the Moroccan Sahara, the Mlehfa reflects a distinctive aesthetic characterized by flowing forms, vibrant colors, refined simplicity and traditional textile craftsmanship.

This enduring commitment to safeguarding, promoting and transmitting Morocco’s cultural heritage is part of the broader cultural vision promoted under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, which places the preservation and valorization of the Kingdom’s cultural heritage at the heart of Morocco’s cultural development.

Music, photography, handicraft and gastronomy will complete the experience, offering visitors a glimpse of a Morocco where centuries-old traditions coexist with contemporary creativity from the imperial cities and historic medinas to the Atlantic coast and the Sahara.

Moroccan Heritage Days are more than a cultural showcase. They are an invitation to discover Morocco and to strengthen the human and cultural ties between two countries that share a profound appreciation for heritage and tradition.

Morocco and Azerbaijan have developed close and steadily expanding relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. The entry into force of the Morocco-Azerbaijan visa exemption agreement in August 2024 has further opened new opportunities for tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco expresses its sincere gratitude to the Association Joussour des Arts et de la Créativité, its partners and sponsors, as well as the Azerbaijani authorities, whose support has contributed to bringing this celebration of Moroccan heritage to Baku.

The date for the draw ceremony of the 2026/2027 Azerbaijan Football Cup has been set.

The ceremony will take place on September 18.

A total of 34 teams will participate in the new season of the national cup.

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.

The UEFA Europa League is a major European club football competition organized by UEFA. It is the second-tier European club competition, below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Conference League.

Clubs from different European countries qualify for the tournament based mainly on their performances in their domestic leagues and national cup competitions.

The teams compete for the Europa League trophy, and the winner earns a place in the following season’s UEFA Champions League.

The Open Azerbaijan Sailing Championship in the Optimist and ILCA 4 classes will be held in Baku on September 12-14.

The event is jointly organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Azerbaijan Water Sports Federation.

Sailors from Azerbaijan and Turkiye in different age categories will compete in the championship.

The races will take place at the federation’s Sailing Centre in the Shikhov Beach area.

The races will start at 11:00 each day, while the awards ceremony is scheduled for September 14 at 18:00.

The winners of the Open Azerbaijan Championship will receive medals and diplomas.

All participants will also receive certificates from the Azerbaijan Water Sports Federation.

Outstanding athletes will be selected for the national team.

On September 9, the foreign cargo ship “TEDY,” which had Azerbaijani citizens among its crew, came under drone attacks in the Black Sea. This was reflected in the statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

According to the statement, Azerbaijani citizens Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov were killed in the attack, while Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev sustained injuries. The injured crew members were taken to a hospital in Chornomorsk, Ukraine.

At present, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating the matter with Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions, as well as with the relevant authorities of the countries concerned. Measures are being taken to ensure the repatriation of our injured citizens following their medical examination and treatment, provide them with the necessary consular assistance, and carry out the procedures related to the deceased.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and wish those injured a speedy recovery,” the ministry said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again urged Azerbaijani citizens to refrain from travelling to areas where military operations are ongoing or where the security situation remains unstable, from engaging in work activities in such areas, or from working on transport vehicles operating along these routes, including vessels.

Two Azerbaijani sailors have been killed after a vessel carrying four Azerbaijani citizens came under repeated drone attacks in the Black Sea off the coast of Odesa, according to information from Azerbaijani sources.

The Somali-flagged tugboat TEDY was initially targeted by drones while operating near Odesa. Four Azerbaijani citizens were on board the vessel at the time of the attack.

The damaged vessel later came under two further drone attacks while sailing towards the Romanian port of Constan?a.

The attacks resulted in the deaths of two Azerbaijani sailors, Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov.

Two other Azerbaijani citizens who were on board were injured and have been hospitalised in Odesa.

The circumstances surrounding the attacks, including the parties responsible, have not been established in the information currently available.

Cooperation between the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) and the World Bank (WB), as well as ongoing technical assistance projects, were discussed.

According to the CBA, the discussions took place during a meeting between CBA Chairman Taleh Kazimov and a World Bank delegation led by Roland Pryce, the World Bank’s Regional Director for the South Caucasus.

During the meeting, the current state of cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the World Bank, the implementation of activities envisaged under the Country Partnership Framework, ongoing investment projects, and future prospects were discussed.

CBA Chairman Taleh Kazimov congratulated Sasha Baeks, the newly appointed World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan, and wished her success in her new position.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on cooperation between the Central Bank and the World Bank and the implementation of ongoing technical assistance projects.

Israel has opened its embassy in Ljubljana. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar attended the opening ceremony.

“This is the fifth new Israeli embassy opened in the past year and a half. We have friends in Europe and around the world, and we must strengthen our relations and cooperation with them. I will continue expanding Israel’s diplomatic network around the world,” Sa’ar wrote on his X page following the ceremony.

Israel and Slovenia established diplomatic relations in 1992, but Israel had not previously maintained an embassy in Ljubljana. Its interests in Slovenia were represented by Austrian diplomats.

The decision to open an Israeli embassy in Slovenia was made in June, following a change of government in the country.

The trip to Slovenia comes a day after the United Kingdom banned trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and France and Canada announced they would take similar action.

Wheat, tomatoes, sweet peppers and leafy greens could become the first crops grown on future lunar bases.

Four types of crops – wheat, sweet peppers, tomatoes and leafy greens – are being considered for cultivation in space facilities designed to resemble future lunar bases.

Margarita Levinskikh, Academic Secretary of the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Doctor of Biological Sciences, told TASS about the plans.

‘Tomatoes are, in principle, one of the four crops planned for cultivation in space facilities similar to a lunar base. These include wheat, sweet peppers, tomatoes and leafy greens,’ she said on the sidelines of a press conference presenting the results of the ‘Into Space with Your Tomato’ project.

However, developing new plant varieties adapted to space is a highly complex process. Future space crops would need to withstand harsh environmental conditions while also meeting specific physical requirements, such as having a suitable size for cultivation in confined spacecraft or lunar habitats.

As part of the project, Russian and Belarusian schoolchildren worked with researchers from the IBMP to send seeds of four tomato varieties – Pinnocchio, Groshik, Donetsky and Bull’s Heart – into space aboard the Bion-M No. 2 biosatellite in August-September 2025.

The students then germinated the space-flown seeds alongside identical control seeds kept on Earth. The experiment was designed to examine how factors such as microgravity, extreme temperatures and cosmic radiation could affect seed germination and plant development.

Interestingly, the tomatoes that had spent time in space retained their main biochemical characteristics. However, researchers detected changes at a much more subtle level – within molecular mechanisms.

According to Levinskikh, some of the seeds could potentially develop changes in their genetic material in the future. If such changes prove stable and beneficial, they could eventually contribute to the development of new varieties specifically adapted to growing beyond Earth.

In other words, the tomatoes flying into space today could one day help scientists grow food on the Moon – and perhaps even on Mars.