Category: Azer News

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, President of the Republic of North Macedonia.

The text of the letter was published on the official website of the President of Azerbaijan.

“Dear Madame President,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my sincerest congratulations to you and, through you, to your entire people on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of North Macedonia.

The strengthening of interstate relations and partnership between Azerbaijan and North Macedonia, built on good traditions and enriched with new content year after year, is a source of satisfaction.

Today, there are good opportunities for expanding our partnership. I am confident that we will successfully continue our joint efforts to enhance relations between Azerbaijan and North Macedonia and further expand our bilateral and multilateral cooperation in line with the interests of our friendly peoples.

On such a remarkable day, I convey my best wishes to you and wish your friendly people everlasting peace and prosperity,” the letter reads.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to announce a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements on Tuesday.

The measure is expected to bring the UK into line with a July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which found Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful and said states have obligations to oppose the situation.

Under the expected measures, the UK could prohibit investment in businesses operating within Israeli settlements.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Monday that states have an obligation to avoid recognising or supporting the continuation of the settlement system.

‘All states carry an obligation – not a preference of an obligation – not to recognise the situation as legal, and not render aid and assistance in maintaining it,’ Albanese said.

She argued that a settlement trade ban should form part of a broader shift in policy aimed at implementing the ICJ’s 2024 advisory opinion.

The Labour Muslim Network (LMN) and International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) last week called for a comprehensive ban on British citizens and businesses conducting economic and financial activities in Israeli settlements and activities supporting the wider settlement economy.

The groups argued that the UK is bound by international humanitarian law and has an obligation under Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions to ensure respect for the law.

The expected British measures come as Israel advances its E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem, which critics say could effectively divide the occupied West Bank into two.

Israel has already warned London against imposing such measures. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar threatened retaliation last week, saying: ‘If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain.’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed on Monday a partnership deal with the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland, including a pound 200 million investment package for 2026 and 2027. “This will create new opportunities and a strong and engaged EU in both Greenland and the Arctic.

Because Greenland is a strategic ally and a trusted friend,” she stated during a visit to the island.

Von der Leyen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also signed a joint declaration committing to expand and strengthen bilateral relations and economic cooperation, as well as working on countering hybrid threats, foreign information manipulation and interference, and Arctic resilience, amid renewed claims from the Trump administration that it should incorporate Greenland into its territory. “Greenland’s future is for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide, no one else,” Von der Leyen repeated.

Azerbaijan has emerged as a key hub in the evolving Black Sea-Caspian transport architecture, Orkhan Yolchuyev, Director and Co-Founder of the Baku-based CASPIA Center, said during the 5th International Conference and Exhibition, Black and Caspian Freight Forum 2026: Corridors, Infrastructure, Investments.

According to Yolchuyev, several major transport corridors and routes intersect in the region, including the North-South Corridor and Black Sea routes, placing Azerbaijan at the center of the emerging logistics network.

He noted that Azerbaijan has already built important advantages through its railway, port and other transport infrastructure, as well as its international logistics capabilities.

“However, the next stage will be significantly more difficult,” Yolchuyev emphasized, pointing to the increasingly complex geopolitical environment surrounding international logistics.

He stressed that the region’s infrastructure should be transformed from separate transport capabilities into “a unified, predictable and commercially attractive transport product.”

Yolchuyev also highlighted the growing importance of Central Asian countries in regional connectivity. He noted that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are strengthening their roles in east-west transport flows, while Azerbaijan provides a link between Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Georgia and the Black Sea, meanwhile, play a crucial role in connecting the region with European markets, he added.

Azerbaijan Airlines will resume scheduled flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 15 September 2026.

Flights on the Baku-Jeddah-Baku route will operate four times a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The new schedule will give passengers greater flexibility when planning trips for leisure, business and other purposes.

Located on the Red Sea coast, Jeddah is one of Saudi Arabia’s leading economic, tourism and transport centres. In addition to its role as a major business and tourism destination, the city serves as a key air gateway for passengers travelling to Mecca and Medina.

The resumption of direct flights to Jeddah will expand travel options between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia and provide passengers with more convenient air connections between the two countries.

Tickets are available through Azerbaijan Airlines’ official website and mobile app, as well as the airline’s sales offices and accredited travel agencies.

The role of the Middle Corridor is growing as logistics companies seek alternative routes for transporting containers from China to Europe, Alexandra Mirzoyeva, Head of Strategic Projects at East West Intermodal Logistics, told AzerNEWS in an exclusive interview.

Mirzoyeva said companies operating on the China-Europe route are increasingly looking for alternative transport options in order to diversify risks and avoid relying on a single corridor.

“We see that all clients, all companies involved in logistics and shipping containers from China to Europe are looking for alternative routes,” she noted.

According to Mirzoyeva, diversification has become increasingly important amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and changes in the political situation.

“The companies cannot send everything through only one corridor, so in this context, the role of the Middle Corridor is increasing,” she emphasized.

An expert also stressed that companies have to adapt their business and logistics processes to changing geopolitical conditions.

Despite the challenges along the route, she said the Middle Corridor has demonstrated its ability to respond to changing conditions and remains a promising option for companies looking to diversify their supply chains.

“There are different difficulties along the way, but nevertheless, we see that there is a future for the Middle Corridor and that it needs to be developed,” Mirzoyeva added.

The steady decline in the water level of the Caspian Sea over recent decades is no longer a projection about the future but a reality that is already being observed, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Rauf Hajiyev said.

Hajiyev made the remarks during a panel discussion titled ‘Challenges Posed by Climate Change in Inland Water Bodies: The Case of the Caspian Sea,’ held as part of the Fourth Baku Climate Action Week in Baku.

He said climate change is increasingly placing serious pressure on water resources in many parts of the world.

‘Rising temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and river flows, and increased evaporation are affecting water resources, biodiversity and ecosystems, while also creating new challenges for human well-being, food security and economic development,’ Hajiyev said.

According to the deputy minister, the decline in the Caspian Sea’s water level is causing the coastline to retreat, altering coastal areas and reducing ecosystems and habitats.

He also highlighted the risks facing valuable species such as the Caspian seal and sturgeon.

‘The impact of these changes is not limited to the environment. The shallowing of the Caspian Sea can have significant consequences for coastal communities, cities, infrastructure, transportation, port operations and economic activity along the coastline as a whole,’ Hajiyev said.

He stressed that the situation makes it necessary to reassess future investment and development plans by taking climate risks into account.

Hajiyev noted that the causes and consequences of developments in the Caspian Sea extend beyond national borders.

‘Alongside climate change, anthropogenic factors are exacerbating existing risks. Therefore, an effective approach to the future of the Caspian Sea cannot be limited to measures taken at the national level,’ the deputy minister said.

He emphasized that the Caspian is a shared body of water and that protecting it, ensuring environmental sustainability and adapting to emerging challenges require joint efforts by all Caspian littoral states.

Hajiyev said it was particularly important to integrate scientific research findings more effectively into policymaking and decision-making processes, as well as to improve assessments of changes in water levels and possible future scenarios.

‘At the same time, it is essential to identify practical adaptation measures for different water-level scenarios and expand opportunities for implementing them at the local level,’ he added.

According to Hajiyev, the experience gained in addressing the challenges facing the Caspian Sea could also serve as a model for other inland water bodies vulnerable to climate change.

He expressed hope that the panel discussions would produce useful outcomes for broader regional and international cooperation.

The second day of the Fourth Climate Week (CW4) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is being held in Baku.

The day’s agenda is focusing on sustainable cities, transportation, water resources and agriculture.

Government officials and representatives of international organizations, experts, financial institutions, the private sector and civil society from various countries are participating in the events.

A series of sessions, panel discussions and other events are being held as part of the Fourth Climate Week and Baku Climate Action Week, covering climate change mitigation, climate finance, sustainable development and efforts to accelerate climate action.

Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW 2026) will continue through September 11.

Iranian authorities have doubled the price of gasoline sold under the third tariff, which applies after drivers exhaust the subsidized fuel limits on their fuel cards.

Starting September 8, the price of one liter of gasoline under the third tariff has increased to 10,000 tomans (approximately $0.0443). The first two tariffs remain unchanged at 1,500 and 2,000 tomans per liter, respectively.

The third tariff is considered an over-limit rate and applies once the fuel quotas available under the first two tariffs have been fully used.

The change is expected to mainly affect drivers who regularly exceed their subsidized fuel allowances. The move may also signal Iran’s broader efforts to reduce the cost of fuel subsidies, which have placed a significant burden on the country’s budget.

Automobile transport can become an important element of the Middle Corridor, making the route more flexible, faster and more competitive, Ruslan Sharipov, Middle Corridor Project Manager at TransExpeditions, told AzerNEWS in an exclusive interview.

Sharipov said road transport could effectively complement rail freight and help improve both the speed and cost efficiency of the corridor.

“This completely coincides with the concept that I presented today. We believe that road transport organically complements rail transportation,” he noted.

According to Sharipov, road transport offers greater flexibility and maneuverability, while proper organization of the process could make it competitive in terms of both delivery time and price.

He stressed that the role of road transport in the Middle Corridor should not be limited to conventional semi-trailer transportation. Containers can also be efficiently transported using specialized container trailers, allowing different modes of transport to be integrated into a single logistics chain.

“Containers are very convenient and profitable to transport on specialized trailers, container carriers, and then the entire chain becomes seamless,” Sharipov highlighted.

He explained that under such a model, a container can be loaded in China and continue along the entire route to its final destination without the need to transfer the cargo from one container to another.

“This container, without reloading, follows the entire route to wherever it needs to go,” he noted.

Sharipov described containerization as one of the most important innovations in the history of logistics, saying that combining containers with road transport creates a highly mobile and efficient solution.

“When we combine containers with road transport, we get an incredibly mobile, efficient and economically viable solution,” he pointed out.

According to Sharipov, the wider use of such intermodal solutions could help the Middle Corridor strengthen its competitiveness by combining the advantages of rail and road transportation within a single, seamless logistics chain.

The second day of the Fourth Climate Week (CW4) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is being held in Baku.

Discussions on the second day are focusing on sustainable cities, transportation, water resources and agriculture.

The day’s agenda includes discussions on the challenges posed by climate change in the Caspian Sea and the impact of changing water levels on coastal ecosystems, communities, cities, infrastructure, transportation and economic activity.

Participants are also examining the benefits and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence into early warning systems for multiple hazards. Key topics include the deployment of AI-powered weather forecasting models, cybersecurity, data availability, technological reliability and international cooperation.

Digital transformation and the potential of artificial intelligence in developing climate-resilient agriculture are also prominent on the second day’s agenda. Discussions are focusing on the application of AI and data-driven solutions in Azerbaijan’s agricultural sector, mechanisms to support farmers, and ways to adapt water and food systems to the impacts of climate change.

Other sessions during the day will address green digital action, climate resilience and energy efficiency in digital infrastructure, as well as the integration of urban development into the global climate agenda.

Participants will also discuss how the outcomes of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum, held in Baku, can be incorporated into climate action ahead of COP31. The agenda includes the development of sustainable and climate-resilient cities, sustainable infrastructure, green construction, climate finance, and cities’ preparedness for climate-related risks.

Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW 2026) will continue through September 11.