Category: Azer News

A high-level discussion on the future of global cooperation was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference as part of MSC 2026, bringing together political leaders, diplomats, and strategic thinkers amid growing geopolitical fragmentation.

The roundtable, titled ‘Multilateralism in a Fractured Global Order,’ was organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and focused on how multilateral institutions can preserve their effectiveness and legitimacy at a time when global consensus is increasingly elusive. Particular attention was paid to possible reforms of the United Nations system as it marks eight decades of existence.

According to AzerNEWS, the event gathered around 40 high-level participants from more than 15 countries, including senior UN officials, former heads of state and government, ministers, leaders of regional organizations, and prominent international experts.

Among the speakers were Prince Turki Al Faisal, Chairman of the Board of the King Faisal Center for Islamic Studies; former Serbian President Boris Tadic; former Senegalese President Macky Sall; EU Special Representative for Central Asia Eduards Stiprais; and former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

The discussion also featured Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s presidential representative on climate issues and President of COP29, as well as María Fernanda Espinosa and Sodiq Safoyev.

During a dedicated lunch session, participants exchanged views on the evolving architecture of global governance. Contributions came from UN Under-Secretary-General Miguel Ángel Moratinos, former Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, and former UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcák, alongside senior officials from Uzbekistan and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

The debate highlighted emerging cooperation formats in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, the growing strategic importance of the Trans-Caspian connection, and the role of post-conflict normalization processes. Speakers emphasized that regional initiatives, rather than competing with global institutions, could complement and reinforce multilateral frameworks at a time when the international order is under strain.

On February 15, an official welcome ceremony was held in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, for President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, AzerNEWS reports.

A guard of honor was lined up for the President of Azerbaijan.

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic welcomed President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The national anthems of Azerbaijan and Serbia were played.

The chief of the guard of honor reported to the President of Azerbaijan.

The two presidents passed along the line of guard of honor.

Members of the Serbian delegation were presented to President Ilham Aliyev, while Azerbaijani state and government officials were presented to President Aleksandar Vucic.

The first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Serbia was held in Belgrade on February 15, with the participation of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.

First, the President of the Republic of Serbia delivered a speech.

Speech by President Aleksandar Vucic

– Distinguished President and dear friend, Mr. Ilham Aliyev,

Distinguished ministers in the Government of Azerbaijan and ministers in the Government of Serbia,

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

It gives me an honor to open the first session of the Strategic Partnership Council between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The special symbolism of today’s meeting and Council session is that it is taking place on the most important day for the Republic of Serbia – national holiday, the Statehood Day – which we celebrate with our closest friends, President Ilham Aliyev, and the guests from Azerbaijan.

This session is a turning point in our bilateral relations and a clear proof of the joint political will to put the relations between our two countries at the highest strategic level. Let me remind you that this Council stemmed from the joint vision and the agreement with my dear friend, President Ilham Aliyev. The Republic of Serbia has meetings in such a format with only a few countries.

Allow me to particularly underline that the presence of President Aliyev, as well as high-level officials and ministers in both the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Serbia, speaks clearly about the importance that both sides attach to this Council. I am convinced that our work today will be aimed at concrete results, clear arrangements, and a vision of long-term cooperation. I’ll make my introductory speech much shorter, and I’m begging at least Serbian ministers to do the same, because we cannot be late with our addresses to journalists. And please be respectful of that. I wanted to add just a few things.

Dear friend, Mr. President, and dear friends from Azerbaijan, we are very much determined to develop the very best strategic partnership with our friendly country, Azerbaijan. And we’ll devote ourselves to that, which means that we’ll work diligently in order to improve our relations in all different fields, in all different spheres. And, as it always goes with friends, we’ll face some hurdles, we’ll face some issues, but we’ll always be able to resolve them. And what will never expire is our desire for friendship, for creating better relationships, and for interconnecting with each other much faster and much stronger.

We are going to open a direct flight line very soon between Belgrade and Baku, which will connect us much better than it used to be in the past. At the same time, in all different fields – culture, sports, economy, agriculture, industry, military-technical cooperation – I’m absolutely sure that we’ll reach the ceiling of possible relationships between any two countries in the world. I also wanted to add just one more thing. I learned a lot from Ilham Aliyev, my dear friend, not only today, but that’s why I spent more time than expected even today. I always use that opportunity to learn more from him, and I plan to do so in the future as well. I know that he’s a very dedicated friend, and I know that we can expect many good things from Azerbaijan. I believe that Azerbaijani people can always expect only good things from Serbia and the Serbian people. And I’m begging you, Serbian ministers, to be as diligent and dedicated as our Azerbaijani counterparts. I wish you good work.

I’m going to visit Azerbaijan relatively soon again, and before that, we need to deliver many results. I was discussing, Dubravka in particular, the issue of the gas-fired power plant with President Aliyev. And I was begging the President to participate personally in that issue, because I was saying very honestly what we are able to do and what we are not able to deliver on. I got guarantees from Mr. President that he himself will be very helpful on this. After we finish this pre-feasibility study, we need to speed up all the other procedures and everything else.

Dear friends from Azerbaijan, please feel at home here in Serbia. You are very welcome. Dear President, I wish you, your family, your people, and your nation all the best, and hope to host you as often as possible. And it has to be more often. Many thanks, and very welcome to Serbia. Thank you.

x x x

Then, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan made a speech.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

– Thank you. Dear Mr. President, dear friends. First of all, thank you for the invitation. I am very glad to be back in Serbia, and also grateful to my friend Aleksandar for taking the time for me, not only on Sunday, but also on the day of the national holiday. By the way, congratulations on the Statehood Day.

The very fact of that really demonstrates the level of sincerity between us: we don’t have any borders, we don’t have any time limits, and we don’t have any reservations when we talk about our friendship and how to strengthen our cooperation.

I had an extensive discussion with my friend, the President. As always, I am very impressed with his vision, knowledge, and expertise about different aspects of today’s geopolitical situation in the Balkans and the Caucasus. The broader region is developing very rapidly, with a lot of unexpected scenarios. So we must be prepared, and we must also be in permanent contact in order to exchange views, exchange information, and share analyses about what is happening in order to achieve our targets to the maximum degree.

By the way, today, the Statehood Day is a day when we reflect on statehood. I want to congratulate the Serbian people and the President on their achievements in strengthening Serbian statehood. The country is developing successfully under the leadership of the President, strengthening its statehood and its state institutions. We are very glad to observe this because Azerbaijan and Serbia are very friendly countries. Today’s inaugural meeting of the Strategic Council is also a great illustration of the fact that what has been decided and agreed is being implemented. I am accompanied today by almost half of the members of the government. This in itself demonstrates that there are many things to discuss between members of delegations, between all of us. Prior to the visit of my friend Aleksandar to Azerbaijan, soon this year, we need to already have results from today’s visit. I ask all members of the Azerbaijani delegation to treat this with the maximum level of seriousness, so that, as always, what we agree on, we implement in a relatively short period of time.

Aleksandar has already identified the areas of partnership. If we look at the agenda, and also at today’s agenda of our session and the presentations by the corresponding ministers, we see that the agenda is getting broader. We not only work closely on the political track, on the international arena, but we also implement important projects for our economies and industries. President Vucic mentioned the construction of the power plant. I think this is an important indicator of how we diversify cooperation in the energy sector. We started with gas cooperation, and now we are moving toward the next stage – how to utilize this gas with maximum efficiency for both of us and convert it into the final product, electric energy. This will be one of the major Azerbaijani investments in Europe in recent years. This is also a demonstration of a high level of mutual trust, because you invest only in a country where you have good relations and trust your partners. You know that stability and development in Serbia under the wise leadership of Aleksandar Vucic will be an important factor for a long time. Taking into account that we need to be on time for the press statements, I also want to limit my comments to what I have said and give the opportunity to our teams to make their presentations. Once again, thank you for your hospitality and invitation.

x x x

During the meeting, the co-chairs of the intergovernmental commissions and other relevant ministers presented their reports.

Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia in the fields of energy, investments, renewable energy, tourism, agriculture, culture, and other areas was discussed.

The heads of state issued instructions to expand collaboration in these sectors and to present specific projects.

It was noted with satisfaction that direct Baku-Belgrade flights will commence in May of this year, with hopes that they will further promote humanitarian contacts and tourism between the two countries.

Subsequently, Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Aleksandar Vucic signed the Decision of the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on Sunday that Washington has no intention to leave the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Speaking at a joint press conference with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Rubio underlined that the US already has “thousands and thousands of troops” deployed in NATO countries, AzerNEWS reports.

He went on to say that Washington isn’t threatened to see the alliance grow its own capabilities, “in conjunction with the US,” adding that that is a positive thing. Rubio noted that the US doesn’t want Europe to be dependent. “The stronger the NATO members, the stronger the alliance.

We want the alliance to be so strong that no one will ever challenge it,” he underscored.

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has threatened to end its partnership with Anthropic PBC after the company refused to loosen some limitations on how the Pentagon is deploying its artificial intelligence (AI) tools, AzerNEWS reports.

According to a source familiar with the matter, the Pentagon wants Anthropic to allow it to use the tools for “all lawful purposes,” including weapon design and production, intelligence gathering, and on-site operations. Meanwhile, Anthropic refuses to approve the deployment of its models for weapon work and surveillance. Its AI tool Claude even blocked some applications from working.

The day before, it was reported that the Pentagon used Claude while detaining the deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The source noted that, while other options are available, the DoD would find it difficult to replace Claude.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic delivered press statements in Belgrade on February 15, AzerNEWS reports.

The President of Serbia made the statement first.

Statement by President Aleksandar Vucic

– Dear President Aliyev, my dear friend,

Thank you for this visit. I know how important and busy your work schedule is. So I would kindly ask you to feel at home here.

Our Chinese friends say that when it rains like this, it is always a good sign that something big is about to begin. I do hope that, despite the unfavorable weather, we will view this event in the best possible way for ourselves and see what a bright future lies ahead for both Serbia and Azerbaijan. At least when it comes to our bilateral relations.

I would like to express my great respect to the people of Azerbaijan and to you personally, dear Mr. President. I would also like to say to the people of Serbia and, of course, to the people of Azerbaijan that every time I talk to you, I learn a lot, I manage to observe many things from a different perspective of an experienced statesman and a true leader. Therefore, I would like to thank you very much for always sharing your knowledge with me and for establishing such relations with us, from which my country, the country I lead, has a lot to learn.

President Ilham Aliyev and I spoke about all the important issues in the world and in Europe today. We consulted each other and I learned from him. I understood some processes better, and more deeply than before. We have such relations that whenever a crisis occurs, we are open and talk to each other. Our cooperation is developing in every sphere of life. Compared to 2012, our trade in the field of services is 16 times higher, not 16 percent, but 16 times. Also, thanks to the strategic partnership, we have established new relations with Azerbaijan, the closest possible relations. I believe that this is extremely important for the Republic of Serbia and its people.

Our cooperation in various spheres of social life can and should be more important and greater. I do believe that with more work and effort, and indeed with a more diligent approach on our part, we will achieve even better results in the future. So far, we have signed 57 documents, and we can add to this the dozens of other documents we signed today. These documents should serve as a solid foundation for improving our relations in all areas of social life.

We have also discussed participation in the investment forum to be held in Azerbaijan in September, and before that, I will visit Azerbaijan. I believe that this is an opportunity for our business circles, bankers and other representatives to visit Azerbaijan, and this will be an opportunity for our country to present EXPO. Because in the run-up to that, there will be a few months left for EXPO. This event is the largest event that will be held in Serbia in 2027, and it is also the most important event for us. We are grateful to Azerbaijan for confirming its participation in EXPO 2027, and I am sure that they will represent their beautiful country in the best possible way here in Belgrade in 2027.

At the same time, I would like to draw your attention to some facts. The increase in tourism between the two countries and the opening of a direct flight between Belgrade and Baku by Air Serbia on May 3 will make a special contribution to this. I can personally say to all the people of Serbia that Baku is a beautiful city. They can see a lot of innovations there. The city is located on the shores of the Caspian Sea. It is a clean and tidy city. Whenever I visit Baku, I see new wonders, new and beautiful places that President Ilham Aliyev has built together with the Government of Azerbaijan. There are magnificent museums there. There are boulevards, there are friendly people, security is at the highest possible level. So this is an open invitation to Serbian citizens to visit Azerbaijan. I want to invite the people of Azerbaijan to visit Serbia and love this country. Serbia is among the countries with the highest level of security on the European continent. We have brotherly and friendly relations with the people of Azerbaijan. I think that there are many places in our country you can visit. I mean not only Belgrade but also other cities, mountain resorts, lakes and other places.

We talked about economic cooperation and agriculture, as well as the exchange of agricultural products. I really liked when I first tasted tomatoes and cucumbers grown in the settlement of Zira in Azerbaijan, and even before that, when I tasted products from the special region of Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan. I like them very much and I have heard that compared to products from other sources, Azerbaijan supplies them at a significant discount. I wonder if it is possible to provide our people with these products at such a low price? If those sitting in the government have not thought about this, let them think about it. I urge you to solve the issue of providing citizens with quality goods at more affordable prices from our friends in Azerbaijan. At the same time, we should also provide our own goods in this way. So far, this is not happening. I am sure that we can also provide Azerbaijan with many products. However, we have not done this yet and have not approached it carefully enough. This is the attitude. Time passes, but we do not seem to think about anything.

One of the most important issues is the fact that we are entering the era of electricity. I asked President Ilham Aliyev to personally participate in this project to help us. If so, we can finish the work faster. People here may think that electricity existed 20 years ago. But back then you bought fuel in containers. Then electricity was supplied for six hours, and then for the next six hours it was provided with interruptions. As for today, there is discipline that has never been seen in our country before. However, the situation may not be the same tomorrow. The era of electricity is beginning, and we need many sources of electricity. We need to produce more electricity. Azerbaijan will have electricity measuring gigawatts. But the question is: will there be the necessary transmission lines for its import? We have reached an agreement with the Azerbaijani side on important issues. Today, the Serbian gas company and SOCAR held talks on this issue and a cooperation agreement was signed. We will try to resolve each issue within two or three months, so that the project documentation can be prepared and construction can begin immediately after that. The construction will take more than two years. We believe that we will open a gas-fired power plant by 2029. Three sites have been selected around the city of Nis. We are talking about clean energy. The European Union also recognizes this. In short, the construction is expected to take place in Tripale, Krusti, or Niška Banja. However, I think Krusti is the most suitable place. The plant will have a power generation capacity of 500 megawatts. President Ilham Aliyev has promised me that he would personally deal with this issue. You may not believe it, but in two years they managed to create a total power generation capacity of 1,890 megawatts.

The people of Azerbaijan may not know this, these capacities were created in the shortest possible time. Azerbaijani companies will exercise control here. Serbian companies will join the work. Both sides will work with 50 percent. A 500-megawatt gas-fired power plant will be built. This will be a good example. In the future, we should build more gas-fired power plants. Small modular reactors will be installed. There will be data centers and other issues will be resolved. I have started discussions with the Americans, and it would be good if they, starting from the port of Bar in Montenegro, laid oil and gas pipelines, built data centers, carried out these works from Prijepolje through the Zlatibor mountains to Belgrade. Data centers should be created. If we do not use the capabilities of artificial intelligence, we will lag behind as a country. Elon Musk says that in two months everything will change dramatically. It is just that people do not see and do not know this yet. Therefore, the pace of the work should be accelerated, and we are grateful to our Azerbaijani friends for their support.

We have taken up a lot of your time. We have also discussed military and technical cooperation. Cooperation is going well. Consultations are held at the level of our foreign ministries. Agreements and constant support are evident. Even in the most difficult issues, Serbia has been on Azerbaijan’s side, and they have supported us as well. This will continue to be the case in the future. We have resolved very difficult issues. We fully believe in President Ilham Aliyev’s words. I think that he also treats our country with the same sincere sentiments. We will continue this relationship as it is. Today and tomorrow, there will be an opportunity for additional discussions. Tomorrow, we are expected to have a working breakfast, and I am very pleased that we were able to spend so much time with my friend and a friend of Serbia, President Ilham Aliyev. You see, I am not always satisfied with our flexibility. We must work with more enthusiasm and speed up everything. We have been able to do more work than before and have achieved good results. I want to congratulate every citizen of Serbia on the occasion of Statehood Day. Today Serbia celebrates one of the most important holidays on its calendar. This is a great holiday for us. I am grateful for your congratulations.

Dear Mr. President, thank you very much for honoring us with this visit. I do believe that through our joint work we will achieve the best results for the interests of the peoples of Azerbaijan and Serbia. Thank you very much. Long live the Serbian-Azerbaijani friendship!

Dear Mr. President, I am grateful to you, welcome to your home.

x x x

Then, the President of Azerbaijan made the statement.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

– Dear Mr. President, my dear friend,

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Mr. President, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to you for the invitation and hospitality. It is your national holiday today, Statehood Day, and yet, you are welcoming the Azerbaijani delegation. We view this as a manifestation of the high level of our relations. Serbia and Azerbaijan are two friendly countries that always stand by each other.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate you and all the friendly people of Serbia on the occasion of Statehood Day. It is not by chance that this holiday is called as such. I am well aware that the Serbian people have always made great efforts and sacrifices to protect and strengthen their state sovereignty. My dear friend, as the President of Serbia, you have always put statehood and state interests above all else. That is why Serbia is developing successfully under your leadership, and your country has gained tremendous respect internationally. At the same time, major reforms have been carried out in the economic and social spheres. As a result, Serbia, a country without natural resources, has been developing economically with great success, relying on its own strength and without receiving assistance from anywhere. In present-day circumstances, especially for a country located in Europe, this should be viewed as a significant factor. I would like to note the very high leadership qualities of President Vucic. As you may know, our contacts have been ongoing for many years. We know each other well, we have sincere conversations, and friendly relations. I know how much President Vucic is committed to the Serbian people, state, and public interests, and it is precisely these factors that underpin the success of any country. Of course, as friends of Serbia, we highly appreciate this and are happy about it.

My dear friend has touched upon the issues we discussed, so I do not want to repeat them. Indeed, many issues were discussed at the first meeting of the Serbia-Azerbaijan Strategic Council today. Before that, we reviewed a wide range of issues in our one-on-one meeting. We also have clear plans for the future, which consist of further strengthening our relations in the political, economic, and energy sectors, continuing to support each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty on international platforms and within international organizations, implementing joint investment projects, taking advantage of newly created opportunities in the energy and transport sectors, and creating a very strong synergy by looking further ahead.

President Vucic has already touched upon the future of the power plant to be built jointly. As the President has said, we have decided to keep this issue under the presidents’ oversight. The process of creating this power plant is based on the investment opportunities that exist in Serbia. Because if the investment climate were not positive, Serbia would not be so attractive to foreign investors. It is precisely as a result of the reforms that many countries, including Azerbaijan, are ready to invest substantially in Serbia.

The construction and reconstruction of power plants, as well as their rehabilitation, pave the way for the future development of any country. In particular, countries without natural resources often fall into dependence. Therefore, the presence of domestic energy and generation capacities ensures the energy security of each country, and I would like to note the special role of President Vucic in the implementation of this project.

In general, our relations in the energy sector are now developing in a diversified manner. Some time ago, we started exporting natural gas to Serbia, and today we decided to increase the volume of our exports. Now Serbia will also convert the gas to be exported into electricity, thereby acquiring clean electricity. This will create opportunities for both the Serbian market and for future exports. Today, Azerbaijan’s export potential in the energy sector is 2 gigawatts. This figure will only increase because we are now engaged in the construction of many renewable energy plants and are ready to cooperate with Serbia in this area.

We will generate an additional 8 gigawatts of energy capacity by 2032, and a large part of it will be exported. To achieve this, we need new and larger transmission capacities because our main export destination is Europe.

As for other issues, let me repeat, my friend has already spoken about them. I do not want to take up too much of your time. I believe that the results of my official visit will not be long in coming. We will meet again in the near future. I have invited President Vucic and members of the Serbian delegation to Azerbaijan. I am sure that we will meet several times this year – both in Azerbaijan and, perhaps, again in Serbia. Both I and, I am sure, the rest of the Azerbaijani delegation feel absolutely at home here. I have been to Serbia many times and have witnessed first hand the development taking place in Serbia under the leadership of President Vucic. Therefore, I would like to once again sincerely congratulate our Serbian friends and join President Vucic in his slogan: Long live Serbia! Long live Azerbaijan! Long live Serbian-Azerbaijani friendship!

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Armin Laschet, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, in Munich on February 14, AzerNEWS reports.

During the conversation, the head of state expressed satisfaction recalling his previous meetings with Armin Laschet.

Armin Laschet conveyed his congratulations to the head of state on the progress made in Washington regarding the advancement of the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed gratitude for the congratulations and stated that achieving peace holds significant importance for the overall development of the region.

The meeting discussed Azerbaijan’s regional peace and cooperation initiatives.

They emphasized that bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Germany are developing in various domains, including political, economic-trade, energy, and other fields.

They touched upon the important role Azerbaijan plays in Europe’s energy security, and exchanged views on the expansion of inter-parliamentary cooperation and the prospects for bilateral relations.

The meeting highlighted Azerbaijan’s role in interfaith and intercultural dialogue and the importance of sharing this experience within an international framework.

A bilateral roundtable bringing together representatives of Azerbaijani and Armenian civil societies is continuing in Armenia as part of the ‘Bridge of Peace’ initiative.

AzerNEWS reports that the two-day roundtable in Yerevan involves public activists and civil society representatives from both Azerbaijan and Armenia. The discussions are being held within the framework of efforts aimed at fostering dialogue between the two societies.

The meeting follows earlier exchanges between civil society groups from the two countries. On October 22 last year, a bilateral roundtable with the participation of Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society representatives was held in Yerevan. Subsequently, on November 21, 2025, a delegation of Armenian civil society representatives visited the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.

The ongoing discussions in Yerevan mark another step in continued engagement between non-governmental actors from the two neighboring countries amid broader regional dialogue efforts.

US President Donald Trump on Friday signaled support for the idea of regime change in Iran, AzerNEWS reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

‘Seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” Trump told reporters after a visit to Fort Bragg in the state of North Carolina.

“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives while they talk. Legs blown off, arms blown off, faces blown off. We’ve been going on for a long time. So let’s see what happens,” he added.

Trump also reiterated that “tremendous power” has arrived to the region. The US has steadily built up military forces in the region since Trump has threatened strikes against Iran following the eruption of countrywide protests in late December.

“Additional power, as you know, and other carriers going out shortly, so we’ll see it now, if we could get it settled for once,” he said.

When asked who he wants to “take over” Iran, Trump replied, “I don’t want to talk about that. There are people.”

Trump has said the US is prepared to deploy a ‘very big force’ if ongoing negotiations with Iran fail.

“Well, in case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it … If we have a deal, we could cut it short. It’ll be leaving. It’ll be leaving very soon. We have one out there that just arrived … We have it ready. A big, a very big force,” Trump told reporters when asked why he decided to send a second aircraft carrier to the region.

His remarks came after local media reported that the US will send the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Middle East to back up the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.

In North Carolina, Trump was asked what Iran could do to avoid a US attack.

“If they give us the right deal, we won’t do that – but, you know, historically, they haven’t done that. I will say they want to talk. But so far, they do a lot of talking and no action,” Trump replied.

The president reiterated that the US does not want any nuclear enrichment by Iran.

The US and Iran held indirect talks in the capital Muscat on Feb. 6 with Omani mediation to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program.

The sit-down marked the end of a roughly eight-month suspension after the US launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during an escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict in June 2025.

Amid the negotiations, the US has significantly increased its military footprint in the region as Trump warns Iran that it must make a deal.

Uranium enrichment remains a central point of dispute. The US demands Iran halt uranium enrichment and transfer highly enriched uranium out of the country.

Washington has also sought to include Iran’s missile program and its support for armed groups in the region in the negotiations, but Tehran has repeatedly said it would not negotiate issues beyond its nuclear program.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov has instructed strict oversight of logistical support across the Armed Forces during the winter months, as he outlined key priorities for 2026 at a year-end collegial meeting of the Ministry of Defense, AzerNEWS reports.

The minister ordered relevant officials to ensure rigorous supervision of supply issues within army units throughout the winter season. He stressed that all types of reserves created in military units must remain under constant control, while service members’ social and living conditions should be further improved. Psychological and medical support were also placed at the center of attention.

Hasanov highlighted several strategic priorities for 2026, emphasizing the need to further enhance personnel professionalism and raise the level of combat readiness across the troops. He called for increased intensity of training drills and field exercises, as well as improved mastery and effective use of newly commissioned weapons and equipment. The defense minister also underscored the importance of integrating innovative technologies into the Armed Forces.

During the meeting, additional instructions were issued to ensure heightened vigilance, including a more responsible approach to organizing combat duty and troop service. Strict compliance with fire safety and other security regulations during daily service activities in military units was emphasized. In light of colder weather conditions, the necessity of strengthening preventive measures against seasonal respiratory viral infections was also specifically noted.

The ministry further reported that Azerbaijani servicemen participated in 15 bilateral and multilateral international exercises over the past year. Officials stated that the conduct of various types of military drills and intensive combat training sessions significantly enhanced both the combat capability of the troops and the professional level of personnel.

The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the Armed Forces’ commitment to maintaining high combat readiness standards while continuing modernization and institutional improvements.