Category: Azer News

Incheon International Airport in South Korea has become the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic for the first time, according to preliminary figures, AzerNEWS reports.

Data from Airports Council International (ACI) shows that Incheon handled approximately 38.4 million international passengers during the first six months of 2026.

London Heathrow ranked second with 37.79 million international passengers, while Singapore’s Changi Airport took third place with 34.53 million passengers.

Incheon Airport officials attributed the sharp increase partly to changes in global air traffic caused by geopolitical tensions. Some passengers who previously used major Middle Eastern hubs as transit points have reportedly switched to alternative routes, including connections through Incheon.

Dubai International Airport, which ranked among the world’s top two airports for international passenger traffic in both 2024 and 2025, is expected to fall out of the top five in the latest ranking. Heathrow, meanwhile, was fifth in 2024 and seventh in 2025, while Incheon ranked 12th and 13th respectively.

According to Incheon International Airport Corporation, the number of transit passengers at the South Korean hub increased by 18% compared with the same period last year. The airport has increasingly positioned itself as an important gateway between Asia, Europe and North America.

The rise is particularly notable because Incheon was not traditionally among the very top airports for international passenger traffic. Its rapid growth highlights how geopolitical developments, airline route changes and shifting travel patterns can quickly reshape the global aviation map.

Another interesting factor is South Korea’s growing role as an international transportation and business hub. Incheon is connected to Seoul by high-speed rail and other transport links, while its location in Northeast Asia makes it an attractive transit point for passengers traveling between different regions.

If the current trend continues, 2026 could mark a major turning point for Incheon, potentially establishing it as one of the world’s most important international aviation hubs.

Poland is considering the possibility of providing Ukraine with another batch of Patriot interceptor missiles, AzerNEWS reports.

Polish Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said in an interview with RMF FM that the decision would be assessed carefully, taking into account Poland’s own security needs.

“This decision must always be made in the context of the security of Poles, and all arguments must be carefully weighed,” she noted.

The deputy minister added that discussions with both NATO and the United States are ongoing and that a decision could be reached within the next few days.

She also emphasized that the assessment is being influenced by a recent incident involving a Russian missile that entered Polish territory, highlighting Warsaw’s concerns over the potential impact of transferring additional air-defense capabilities.

In July, Poland’s Defense Ministry officially confirmed that it had provided Ukraine with PAC-3 missiles intended for Patriot air-defense systems several months earlier. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at the time that the delivery involved five missiles.

Azercell is expanding its Crisis Management Group (BIQ) project as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen the resilience of telecommunications infrastructure and maintain reliable connectivity during emergencies. As part of the latest phase of the project, employees of Aztelekom’s North-Eastern Regional Branch completed specialized crisis response training.

The training covered key aspects of crisis response, including maintaining network continuity, rapid decision-making, managing emergency recovery operations, and effective coordination across relevant organizations. Combining theoretical instruction with practical exercises, the program further strengthened the preparedness of regional technical teams to respond effectively to emergencies.

Similar training sessions are planned across all Aztelekom regional branches by the end of the year. The initiative will help build strong technical teams across the country, while promoting consistent standards for crisis response.

Launched in 2024 in cooperation with Aztelekom and Azercosmos, the Crisis Management Group project brings together the expertise and resources of the three organizations to ensure the continuity and rapid restoration of telecommunications services during crises. The project enables the rapid exchange of information, resource mobilization and coordinated recovery efforts during crises, strengthening the overall resilience of Azerbaijan’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Azerbaijan’s long-discussed Zangezur Corridor appears to be entering a new phase, shifting from a prolonged political dispute into a concrete infrastructure project with wider regional ambitions. In an interview with Azerbaijan Television in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev presented the corridor not simply as a transport link between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, but as a strategic component of the country’s emerging role in Eurasian trade.

As it was mentioned, the corridor is not a new diplomatic idea born from post-war negotiations. It is the realization of a long-standing national objective where it is necessary to establish uninterrupted communication between mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

For Baku, however, the importance of the agreement has never been limited to its historical context. The corridor has increasingly become part of Azerbaijan’s broader transport strategy. The political debate is now mainly focused on the significance of the corridor and the conditions in which it should function.

Recalling the trilateral statement signed after the end of the Second Karabakh War, President Ilham Aliyev noted that the document provided for a corridor connecting the main part of Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. At the same time, he stated that no practical steps had been taken to open the Zangezur corridor for five years after the end of the war. Throughout this period, Azerbaijan has repeatedly noted that the relevant provision was not being implemented, while Armenia resisted what Baku called the opening of the corridor. Russia, which had been involved in the post-war arrangement, also failed to produce the practical result Azerbaijan expected. The consequence was that the original mechanism became increasingly ineffective.

It all helps to understand why the involvement of the United States became so important from Baku’s perspective. President Aliyev presents Washington’s engagement as the factor that helped break the deadlock and eventually produced the framework associated with TRIPP.

If Azerbaijan waited for every part of the route to be agreed upon before building its own infrastructure, additional delays could become unavoidable. By completing the sections under its control, Baku is effectively reducing the amount of time required between a political agreement and actual commercial operations.

The strategy also gives Azerbaijan greater leverage. Once roads and railways are completed on the Azerbaijani side, the remaining missing links become much more visible. The question shifts from whether Azerbaijan is prepared to build its section to whether the other participants are prepared to connect to it.

The 194-kilometer length of the railway may be significant, but Ilham Aliyev’s 15-million-ton annual capacity target is arguably more revealing of the project’s ambitions. A railway designed merely to restore a local connection would not require such a large capacity. The target indicates that Azerbaijan expects the route to carry substantial international transit traffic. The corridor is therefore being designed with the assumption that it will serve third-country trade, not simply Azerbaijani domestic transportation. This changes the economic calculation. A high-capacity railway requires predictable cargo flows and connections with other rail systems. Infrastructure alone cannot guarantee success. The corridor must attract shippers who have alternatives, including existing routes through Georgia, Trkiye, Iran and Russia. Azerbaijan therefore faces a second challenge after construction: making the route commercially attractive enough to fill it.

“Upon entering Nakhchivan through the Zangezur Corridor, there is a railway connection to Iran from the Julfa railway hub. So, this project could be realized even sooner. The North-South Transport Corridor extends toward the Persian Gulf. From there, it can extend to regions further afield, for instance, Pakistan. In short, this will be a crucial transport project, and Nakhchivan will stand at its center,” the head of state stressed.

If we look closely at the situation, it becomes clear that the Zangezur route would connect with the East-West Corridor, potentially strengthening links between China and Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Trkiye. At the same time, its connection through Nakhchivan to Iran could give it a role in the North-South Corridor. It creates a potentially valuable intersection.

Instead of treating the Zangezur Corridor as a single route from Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, Baku is positioning it as a network within a network. A railway that carries traffic only between two points has limited commercial potential. A railway that allows cargo to change direction can become much more valuable. This is the strategic logic behind President Aliyev’s claim that Nakhchivan could become an “indispensable transport hub.”

Azerbaijan cannot compete with maritime powers by geography. It can, however, position itself between major markets. Its location between Asia and Europe gives it an opportunity to become a transit country.

For decades, Nakhchivan’s geographic separation from mainland Azerbaijan has been viewed primarily as a vulnerability. The proposed corridor attempts to turn that separation into an economic advantage. So, if Nakhchivan becomes a junction connecting the Azerbaijani railway system with Iran and the wider regional network, its location could become commercially valuable rather than merely strategically sensitive.

The advantages of the Zangezur Corridor and the planned 194-kilometer railway are clear, but one interesting question remains: where will the 15 million tons of cargo come from?

According to President Ilham Aliyev, many international organizations and several countries are expressing interest in this route, particularly in the Nakhchivan section of the railway. One of them is the European Union. Representatives of the European Union were sent to Nakhchivan, where they familiarized themselves with the situation on the ground, and the EU also wishes to participate in this corridor.

International participation could bring investment, logistics expertise and access to additional cargo networks.

Ultimately, the success of the Zangezur Corridor will not be determined by the number of kilometers of railway built or by the capacity written into a feasibility study. Baku is not just building a railway connecting two divided parts of the country, it is trying to build a new transit artery before there is a full demand for it.

With the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and organized by the Baku Public Choir, Azerbaijan’s first “AVAZ” Youth Choir Camp has been held at the Shaki Olympic Sports Complex, AzerNEWS reports.

On the first day of the camp, participants visited the monument to National Leader Heydar Aliyev in Shaki.

The opening ceremony that followed provided information about the aims and program of the camp, while talented young participants performed selections from Azerbaijani and world music.

Throughout the camp, various training sessions and activities aimed at the musical and personal development of young people were organized. Participants took part in sessions on yoga, “Choreographic Stage Movement and Stage Speech,” “Project Management,” “Team Building,” and “The Use of Digital Tools in Creativity.” An intellectual competition was also held among the young participants.

As part of the camp, a public discussion titled “Integrating Musicians into the Business Environment and Developing the Music Industry” was held. During the meeting, the participants’ questions were answered, while current challenges in the music sector and possible ways to address them were discussed.

Concert meetings featuring composer and pianist Tural Mammadli and popular guitarist Rahman Mammadli included performances of various musical pieces. The participants also exchanged views on promoting Azerbaijani musical culture internationally and expanding creative opportunities for musicians.

Interactive choir sessions led by Dmitry Babayev, senior lecturer at the Baku Music Academy, as well as master classes by Honored Artist Anar Shushali and Shola Safaraliyeva, contributed to developing the participants’ vocal and performance skills, increasing their interest in choral art, and enriching their stage experience.

On August 8, the “AVAZ” participants performed a concert program at the Iç?ri Bazar fortress complex in the Gakh district, followed by a performance at the Shaki Khan’s Palace on August 9. In addition to solo performances by the young participants, the choir performed such works as “Karabakh”, “Student”, “Bayatilar”, “Love” and “Sari Gelin”.

The main goal of the “AVAZ” Youth Choir Camp is to bring young people together around choral art, support the development of their musical and creative potential, and bring a new impetus to the development of Azerbaijan’s choral culture.

The Baku Public Choir, meanwhile, aims to make choral art accessible to a wider audience based on the principle that “music is for everyone” and to contribute to the development of an inclusive, modern, and sustainable choral culture in Azerbaijan.

Transit fees for ships passing through the Panama Canal have surged sharply amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz linked to the conflict in the Middle East and growing demand for alternative shipping routes, AzerNEWS reports, citing Financial Times.

According to the information, the average price paid in daily auctions for access to the canal’s locks has reached around $1.1 million, several times higher than last year.

The newspaper reported that in recent weeks, fees for vessels seeking priority passage through the canal’s main locks have climbed as high as $2.5 million. In some individual auctions, prices reached $3.78 million and $2.63 million, respectively.

The surge in demand has also led to a significant increase in the number of vessels waiting to transit the canal, adding to congestion and putting further pressure on shipping costs.

Previously, shipping companies could book passage through the Panama Canal in advance at a discounted price. Now, about 30% of the traffic is determined by the auction results.

Another factor is the abnormal warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon known as El Niño, which can cause drought in certain regions. According to Argus, falling water levels in the Panama Canal are expected to persist as a result of El Niño, potentially putting further pressure on shipping capacity and transit costs.

Australia, Bulgaria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France, the United States and 33 other countries have issued a joint statement calling on “all relevant countries” to provide advance notification of launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and space launch vehicles, AzerNEWS reports.

The statement, published on the website of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, calls for notifications to be issued at least 24 hours before a launch.

The appeal is addressed to all countries, but places particular emphasis on nuclear-armed states that conduct launches of ICBMs, SLBMs and space launch vehicles.

Under the proposed notification system, countries would provide information on the general class of the ballistic missile or launch vehicle, as well as the expected launch time, launch area and direction of flight.

The countries also called for clear and timely warnings to be provided to pilots and mariners in accordance with international standards. Such notifications are intended to improve safety and reduce the risk of misunderstandings or miscalculations during missile and rocket launches.

Earlier, North Korea, according to Tokyo and Seoul, launched at least one ballistic missile – the eleventh in a row this year.

A methodological guide titled “A Look at Gabil’s Literary Works” has been prepared at the Jafar Jabbarli Republican Youth Library to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of People’s Poet Gabil, AzerNEWS reports.

The publication comes as Azerbaijan commemorates the centenary of one of the most distinctive voices of modern Azerbaijani poetry.

Born in Baku in 1926, Gabil Allahverdi oglu Imamverdiyev built a literary career that spanned decades and reflected the changing social and cultural landscape of Azerbaijan. His poetry combined lyrical expression with philosophical thought, civic themes, and a strong connection to everyday life.

August 12 marks the poet’s 100th birth anniversary. Gabil entered the literary scene in 1944, when his first poem, “Come, My Spring,” appeared in the newspaper Literature. His first poetry collection, “Morning Is Breaking,” followed in 1950. Over the years, he published a number of acclaimed books, including “My Blue Caspian’ (1959), “In Windy Weather” (1964), “Let Nature Speak” (1966), and “Citizen Passengers” (1973).

His name became closely associated with poems that generations of Azerbaijani readers have read, remembered and recited. Works such as “Baku Resident,” “Don’t Mix It Up,” “Bread,” “Cleanliness,” “They Rained Bullets,” “At the Nasimi Market,” “It Is My Cradle – It Is My Grave,” “Mountains,” and “Azerbaijani Land” remain among the notable pieces of his poetic heritage. His philosophical and psychological epic-dramatic poem “Nasimi” also occupies a special place in his work.

During the difficult early years of Azerbaijan’s independence, Gabil addressed the country’s painful realities in emotionally charged poems such as “Mother of a Martyr,” “It Happened,” “One This Way, One That Way”, etc.

Gabil’s contribution extended beyond poetry. For many years, he served as chairman of the Council of Elders of the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union, while his literary and public activities earned him widespread recognition. Among his state honors were Azerbaijan’s Order of Glory and Order of Independence.

The poet was also remembered for his sharp wit, humor, and colorful anecdotes. People’s Writer Ismail Shikhli collected stories about him and published them under the title “The Strange Adventures of My Friend Gabil.”

Years later, on the occasion of the poet’s 90th anniversary, his son Mahir Gabiloglu published “The Strange Adventures of My Father Gabil,” bringing together amusing stories from the family’s memories. Both books have remained popular among readers.

The new methodological guide prepared by the Jafar Jabbarli Republican Youth Library seeks to introduce Gabil’s life and literary heritage to a broader audience, with particular attention to young readers.

The publication is intended to encourage a closer study of the poet’s work and help promote his literary legacy.

The guide is designed as a practical resource for librarians, teachers, students, researchers, and literature enthusiasts preparing events, exhibitions, literary evenings, and other educational activities dedicated to Gabil.

It traces the poet’s life and creative journey, examines his place in Azerbaijani literature, and highlights the principal themes and directions of his poetry.

The publication also brings together full versions of several articles devoted to Gabil, including People’s Writer Elchin’s “A Few Words About Gabil’s Personality and Work,” Academician Rafael Huseynov’s “The Lines Replaced by the Irreplaceable Poet and the Truths That Are Difficult to Change,” and literary critic Vagif Yusifli’s “Our Unforgettable Gabil.”

Alongside biographical and literary material, the guide offers recommendations for libraries seeking new ways to present Gabil’s works to readers. It suggests literary evenings, book exhibitions, discussions, cultural and educational programs, as well as the creation of electronic information resources dedicated to the poet.

The poet passed away on April 4, 2007, but his poems, books, stories and literary ideas continue to live among readers.

The centenary guide is another contribution to keeping that legacy in circulation and introducing the poet’s work to a new generation.

The Ukrainian military has struck the naval base in Novorossiysk, described as the last major stronghold of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, AzerNEWS reports, citing a social media post by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The president wrote: ‘Tonight, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out a unique operation to strike the naval base in Novorossiysk, more than 300 kilometers from the front line and the last major stronghold of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea.’

Zelenskyy emphasized that Palianytsia jet drones, Neptune missiles and unmanned maritime systems were used against specific targets. Air defense positions, bridges and port infrastructure were struck.

The head of state thanked Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel, the Security Service of Ukraine and intelligence officers for the precision and results of the operation. ‘As long as Russia’s aggression continues, the occupation fleet and all the infrastructure supporting it will not be safe. The war must be stopped, and all reasonable diplomatic proposals are on the table.’

Sabah FC midfielder Veljko Simic has moved to the top of the scoring charts in the qualifying rounds of this season’s UEFA Champions League, AzerNEWS reports.

The Serbian midfielder scored in the second leg of the third qualifying round against Denmark’s AGF in Baku, taking his tally to five goals. As a result, the 31-year-old player has moved into first place in the standings.

Simic is currently followed by Anderson Talisca of Fenerbahçe and Mario Kvesic of Celje, who have scored four goals each.

Note that Sabah FC, having eliminated AGF 5-2 on aggregate, will face Israel’s Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the playoff round.

The Azerbaijani champions will play the first leg on August 19 in Bucharest, Romania, while the return leg will take place in Baku on August 25.

The UEFA Champions League is a continental tournament that brings together the best teams from Europe’s top domestic leagues.

It is widely regarded as the pinnacle of club football, attracting millions of fans worldwide.

Clubs from UEFA’s member countries compete for the title, which is seen as the ultimate achievement for European club teams.

The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League is actively underway, having kicked off its qualifying rounds in July 2026.

The tournament will feature 36 teams in the league phase, culminating in the final at the Estadio Metropolitanoin Madrid, Spain, on June 5, 2027.