Category: Azer News

Culture has become one of the strongest pillars of Azerbaijan-Vietnam relations, serving as a bridge between the two nations and fostering closer people-to-people ties.

Artistic exchanges, exhibitions, concerts, academic forums, and student exchange programs continue to deepen mutual understanding while introducing audiences in both countries to each other’s rich cultural traditions.

One of the most prominent examples of this cooperation is Vietnam Days in Baku, a festival that showcases Vietnamese music, traditional crafts, cuisine, fashion, and performing arts. Since its launch in 2023, the festival has introduced Azerbaijani audiences to Vietnam’s cultural heritage while providing a platform for artists, academics, and cultural institutions to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Now in its fourth edition, Vietnam Days has become an established fixture on Baku’s cultural calendar and an important platform for promoting friendship and cultural dialogue between Azerbaijan and Vietnam.

The 2026 edition was organized by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Vietnam with the support of the Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve Administration, the Vietnam National Academy, and several Vietnamese companies.

As part of this year’s festival, a concert featuring Vietnamese artists was held in the square in front of the Double Gates of the Old City (Icherisheher).

Before the concert, visitors explored an exhibition of Vietnamese handicrafts, traditional souvenirs, and national cuisine, offering a glimpse into the country’s rich cultural heritage.

Addressing the audience, Honored Artist Dilara Aliyeva said cultural ties between Azerbaijan and Vietnam have grown steadily stronger in recent years. She described Vietnam Days as an important platform for promoting the cultural heritage of both countries, expanding cooperation between artists, and strengthening the longstanding friendship between the two nations. According to her, such initiatives contribute to greater mutual understanding and encourage intercultural dialogue.

The Rector of the Hanoi College of Trade and Tourism, Trinh Tri Thu Ha, also emphasized the steady development of bilateral relations. She noted that cultural projects, alongside cooperation in other fields, help reinforce mutual trust and broaden ties between Azerbaijan and Vietnam. Describing Vietnam Days as a successful and well-established tradition, she expressed confidence that similar initiatives would continue in the future, opening new opportunities for cultural cooperation.

The concert featured performances on traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, while opera singers presented excerpts from Uzeyir Hajibayli’s celebrated operetta “The Cloth Peddler” in Vietnamese, earning warm applause from the audience.

The concert concluded with a warm reception from the audience, reflecting growing public interest in Vietnamese culture.

Events such as Vietnam Days continue to strengthen cultural cooperation and bring the people of Azerbaijan and Vietnam closer together.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that Tehran is seeking to reach an agreement with Oman to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, AzerNEWS reports.

“Over the past seven or eight days, talks with Oman have continued consistently. During discussions with regional and non-regional parties, Iran’s foreign minister emphasized that the purpose of the talks between Iran and Oman is to prevent escalation and safeguard Iran’s national interests,” Baghaei said.

He noted that Iran is initially working through consultations with Oman and with the cooperation of the country to establish a temporary route to ensure maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman added that the talks between Iran and Oman are discussions between the two coastal states. According to him, other parties may play either a constructive or provocative role in the process, but the issue primarily concerns Iran and Oman, and decisions on the next steps should be made accordingly.

“The necessary condition for reopening the Strait of Hormuz is reaching an agreement on ensuring the safety of navigation in the strait. However, this condition alone is not sufficient. The Strait of Hormuz has faced problems not because of disagreements between Iran and Oman, but as a result of attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran since late February. As long as US attacks against Iran continue, there will be no change in the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz,” Baghaei stressed.

The draw for the UEFA Champions League play-off round will take place on August 3, AzerNEWS reports.

Azerbaijani champions Sabah will learn their potential opponents during the ceremony.

The draw ceremony will begin at 14:00 Baku time in Nyon, Switzerland.

Before reaching the play-off stage, Sabah must overcome Denmark’s AGF Aarhus in the third qualifying round.

The first legs of the UEFA Champions League play-off round are scheduled for August 18-19, with the return matches to be played on August 25-26.

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.

A marble statue of a young man, believed to be around 2,500 years old, has been discovered in the ancient city of Sardis in Turkiye’s Manisa Province. The discovery was announced by Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, AzerNEWS reports.

The 2.2-meter-tall statue dates back to the first half of the 5th century BC and is considered a remarkable example of ancient Anatolian art. Researchers noted that its impressive size, excellent state of preservation, and detailed clothing – which contains features associated with Lydian culture – provide valuable insights into the artistic traditions, social structure, and daily life of the period.

According to experts, the statue could help historians better understand the transition between the Lydian civilization and the growing influence of Greek culture in the region. Sardis was once the capital of the powerful Kingdom of Lydia and was known as one of the wealthiest cities of the ancient world. It was also the place where the first known coins made from electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver, were created.

Minister Ersoy described the find as a unique archaeological discovery that will contribute significantly to the study of Anatolia’s ancient history. Archaeologists believe that further research at the site may reveal more information about the people who lived in Sardis thousands of years ago.

The discovery adds another important piece to the history of one of the most influential ancient cities of the Mediterranean world and highlights Turkiye’s continuing role as a center of archaeological exploration.

Some landmarks announce themselves with towering skylines or roaring machinery. Others stand almost unnoticed, hidden behind steel fences and high-voltage cables, quietly shaping the future long before their importance becomes obvious. When President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the Yeni Sangachal Substation, the ceremony was about far more than switching on another piece of electrical infrastructure. It marked the unveiling of a strategic link between Azerbaijan’s traditional energy industry and its emerging renewable power sector. This is a connection that could influence not only how the country consumes energy, but also how it exports it in the decades ahead.

At first glance, a substation appears to be an unremarkable investment. Unlike a power plant, it generates no electricity. Unlike an oil terminal, it exports no hydrocarbons. Yet substations perform one of the most essential functions in any modern energy system: they receive, regulate and distribute electricity across the transmission network. Without them, even the largest solar parks or offshore wind farms cannot reliably deliver power to industries, households or export corridors.

That is precisely why the Yeni Sangachal Substation deserves attention. Located next to one of the world’s most important oil and gas terminals, the facility strengthens the reliability of electricity supplies to the Sangachal Terminal while simultaneously preparing it for a lower-carbon future. For decades, Sangachal has symbolized Azerbaijan’s hydrocarbon wealth, serving as the gateway through which crude oil and natural gas reach international markets. Today, however, the same terminal is becoming part of a different energy story.

The transformation begins hundreds of kilometers away in the Jabrayil district, where the 240-megawatt Shafag Solar Power Plant is under development. Rather than constructing a dedicated transmission line exclusively linking the solar facility to Sangachal, Azerbaijan has chosen a far more efficient approach. Electricity generated by the solar plant will enter the national high-voltage grid, while an equivalent amount of electricity will be supplied to the Sangachal Terminal through the Yeni Sangachal Substation. The physical electrons reaching the terminal will not necessarily originate from Jabrayil, but from the perspective of the national electricity system, the balance remains the same. Renewable electricity produced in Karabakh effectively replaces electricity that would otherwise have been generated from fossil fuels.

This arrangement carries important environmental implications. Every unit of solar electricity delivered into the grid reduces the need for gas-fired power generation. In practical terms, this lowers carbon emissions associated with one of Azerbaijan’s most strategically important industrial facilities. It also supports the broader decarbonization efforts of the Sangachal Terminal and its international partners, demonstrating that the country’s energy transition is not about abandoning hydrocarbons overnight but about reducing the carbon footprint of the infrastructure that already exists.

The economic logic is equally compelling. When domestic electricity demand is increasingly met by renewable sources, less natural gas is burned in power plants. The gas that is no longer needed for electricity generation becomes available for export, allowing Azerbaijan to maximize the value of its existing hydrocarbon resources. Instead of viewing renewable energy as a competitor to natural gas, the country is using it as a tool to increase the efficiency of its entire energy economy. Green electricity and natural gas exports are becoming complementary rather than competing pillars of national energy policy.

However, the importance of the Yeni Sangachal Substation extends well beyond today’s projects. Azerbaijan has set ambitious targets for expanding renewable electricity generation, with large-scale solar and wind projects planned across Karabakh, the Caspian Sea and other regions. As these facilities enter operation, the challenge will no longer be limited to generating clean electricity. It will be moving gigawatts of power safely and efficiently across the country. That requires a modern transmission network built around strategically located high-voltage substations capable of integrating new generation capacity while maintaining grid stability.

This is also where the project connects to Azerbaijan’s longer-term ambitions in European energy markets. The country is increasingly positioning itself not only as a supplier of natural gas but also as a future exporter of renewable electricity. Initiatives such as the Black Sea submarine power cable and other regional electricity corridors depend on a transmission network capable of collecting renewable energy from multiple production centers and directing it toward export routes. While the Yeni Sangachal Substation alone will not send electricity to Europe, it forms part of the infrastructure that makes such ambitions technically achievable. Every additional high-voltage node strengthens the backbone of the national grid that future electricity exports will rely upon.

Infrastructure projects are often judged by what they immediately produce. By that measure, a substation may seem ordinary because it manufactures nothing and exports nothing directly. In reality, its value lies in enabling everything around it to function more effectively. The Yeni Sangachal Substation links renewable generation in Karabakh with one of Azerbaijan’s most important industrial assets, supports the decarbonization of the country’s energy sector, helps free additional natural gas for export and reinforces the transmission system that will underpin future electricity exports. It may never become the country’s most visible energy project, but it could well become one of its most consequential.

Australia has recorded its first-ever mass die-off of wild birds caused by the H5 avian influenza virus, the government has announced, AzerNEWS reports.

According to broadcaster ABC, authorities have confirmed 78 cases of H5 bird flu in wild birds across several states. Of those, 58 cases were detected in South Australia, 10 in Western Australia, 7 in Victoria, 2 in New South Wales, and 1 in Queensland.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the mass deaths had been anticipated.

“Unfortunately, we know that once the H5 virus spreads among wild animals and in the natural environment, it is impossible to prevent significant losses. We are now beginning to witness the first consequences,” Collins said.

The minister confirmed that no infections have been detected in domestic poultry or commercial poultry farms, adding that the risk to human health remains low.

Russia announced that it is strengthening the protection of vessels in the Azov-Black Sea basin while simultaneously developing alternative cargo routes, AzerNEWS reports, citing Russian media.

Russian Transport Ministry said a working group had been established to identify new routes and shift cargo flows to other modes of transport amid heightened tensions caused by drone attacks on vessels in the Sea of Azov.

“Several companies have already expressed their readiness, within their operational capabilities, to handle additional cargo volumes at their terminals and increase transportation speeds. Together with the Ministry of Defense, additional measures are being implemented to ensure navigation safety and protect vessels in the Azov-Black Sea basin,” the statement said.

Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, and Ukraine, also a major supplier of agricultural products, have carried out attacks on each other’s export facilities and commercial vessels in the Black Sea region in recent weeks. The attacks have contributed to rising wheat prices on global markets.

Russia’s main grain lobby group has warned that Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian vessels and ports could disrupt grain exports through the Black Sea in the near future, drive up prices and potentially contribute to food shortages in Africa and the Middle East.

The Ukrainian Agricultural Council (UAC), the country’s largest agricultural association, has also warned in recent weeks that Russian attacks on shipping near the port of Odesa have restricted exports during the crucial harvest season and could affect global food supplies.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva officially registered as a candidate for the next Brazilian presidential elections, his Workers’ Party announced in a post on X on Sunday, AzerNEWS reports.

The party dubbed the move “HISTORIC,” further sharing that on the 16th of August, Lula will address the nation from Vila Euclides in Sao Bernardo do Campo, “where it all began.”

As ex-President Jair Bolsonaro is unable to run given his indictment and imprisonment, his son, Flavio Bolsonaro, will be the candidate for the Liberal Party. Elections will be held on October 4.

Graduation ceremony for the latest Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Course was held in one of the military units of the Naval Forces, AzerNEWS reports via Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry.

The ceremony commenced with a one-minute silence in honor of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, and Martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland, followed by the performance of the National Anthem.

Addressing the ceremony, First Deputy Commander of the Naval Forces and Chief of Staff, 1st grade Captain Teymur Murshudov emphasized the significance of the course and wished the graduates success in their future military service.

The speakers highlighted the dangers that explosive materials, ammunition, and unexploded ordnance pose to human life. They also stressed the importance of refraining from handling hazardous objects and immediately notifying the appropriate explosive ordnance disposal team upon their discovery.

The ceremony ended with the presentation of certificates and commemorative gifts to the graduates who successfully completed the course.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the 220/110/10 kV Yeni Sangachal substation operated by AzerEnerji OJSC, AzerNEWS reports.

Balababa Rzayev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AzerEnerji OJSC, informed the head of state about the facility.

The project is designed to integrate the 240 MW Shafag Solar Power Plant in the Jabrayil district into Azerbaijan’s national power grid and supply electricity to the Sangachal terminal under a cooperation agreement between AzerEnerji and bp.

The first phase of the project, including a 330 kV substation in the Jabrayil district, was inaugurated by President Aliyev in May this year.

The newly commissioned Yeni Sangachal substation, which constitutes the second phase of the project, will transmit renewable electricity to the Sangachal terminal, enabling the decommissioning of the terminal’s gas-fired power plant. Solar power generated in Jabrayil will be delivered to the terminal through the national electricity grid.

The project will supply the terminal’s annual electricity demand of around 500 million kWh from renewable sources, saving 120-150 million cubic meters of natural gas and reducing carbon emissions by 260,000-330,000 tonnes annually.

The substation occupies 6.5 hectares and is connected to the national grid by four new 220 kV transmission lines with a combined length of 111 km.

Power is supplied from three independent sources: the 785 MW Janub Power Plant, the 385 MW Gobu Power Plant, and the 500 kV Absheron substation.

Five 110 kV overhead-cable transmission lines with a total length of 25 km have also been laid between the substation and the Sangachal terminal. Two additional lines are planned in the next phase.

The substation will supply electricity to bp’s Sangachal terminal (80 MW) and the Shah Deniz Compressor Station (85 MW), allowing both facilities, whose combined annual electricity consumption exceeds 1 billion kWh, to receive power through Azerbaijan’s unified electricity grid.

The facility is equipped with digital control systems integrated into the SCADA network and includes a dedicated control center to support grid operation.