Category: Azer News

For three decades, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict was defined almost exclusively by ceasefires, diplomatic deadlock and periodic violence. Today, something far quieter but potentially far more consequential is taking shape across the South Caucasus: trains loaded not with weapons, but with grain and fuel.

The recent transit of 25 grain wagons carrying 1,746 tonnes of product through Azerbaijani territory to Armenia is not an isolated event. It follows months of steadily expanding logistical cooperation. Nearly 20,000 tonnes of grain have already passed the same route, alongside multiple fuel shipments – AI-92, AI-95 and diesel – moving directly from Azerbaijan toward Armenia via Georgia. The first such fuel delivery in December 2025 marked a symbolic turning point: for the first time, Azerbaijan was not merely a neighbour or former adversary, but an energy lifeline.

These movements matter precisely because they appear mundane. Economic normalisation, not political theatre, is beginning to shape the post-war order.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought two wars since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Both inflicted deep human losses and entrenched national trauma. The Second Karabakh War, however, fundamentally altered the strategic landscape. Azerbaijan’s victory ended a 30-year occupation and dismantled the status quo that had frozen diplomacy in place.

Since then, the question has not been whether peace is necessary, but whether it is possible. Armenia’s approach to negotiations today is shaped less by historical claims than by geopolitical necessity. The country’s isolation, limited energy resources and disrupted trade routes have left it acutely dependent on external supply chains.

It is within this context that grain and fuel shipments acquire political meaning.

Washington talks and the opening of economic channels

The diplomatic catalyst for this shift was the Azerbaijan-Armenia meeting in Washington, which created the political space for pragmatic cooperation. While no final peace treaty emerged, the talks helped unblock economic mechanisms that had been frozen for decades.

The November 2025 delivery of 1,000 tonnes of Kazakh grain to Armenia through Azerbaijan, the first such transit in 30 years, was a clear signal. Russian grain soon followed, using the same corridor. These routes are not emergency measures; they are structural changes to how Armenia accesses food security.

President Ilham Aliyev’s confirmation that Azerbaijan now permits grain transportation to Armenia underscores the strategic intent behind these decisions. As he noted, such mechanisms strengthen peace and expand economic cooperation. The message is clear: stability is no longer pursued solely through deterrence, but through interdependence.

Energy dependence as a driver of reconciliation

Armenia’s growing reliance on Azerbaijani transit and fuel supplies reveals an uncomfortable truth for Yerevan: sustainable security cannot be built in isolation. Energy, unlike ideology, demands continuity. Fuel shortages are politically destabilising, economically damaging and socially corrosive.

This reality is also reshaping Armenia’s approach to Trkiye. Rebuilding relations with Ankara is no longer framed only as a historical debate, but as a logistical imperative. Together, Azerbaijan and Trkiye form the backbone of the region’s transport and energy architecture. Armenia’s reintegration into that system requires accommodation, not confrontation.

From Baku’s perspective, this is not charity. It is strategic foresight. Economic leverage, when exercised predictably and transparently, is more durable than military pressure. By positioning itself as a reliable transit and energy hub, Azerbaijan increases the cost of renewed hostility-without firing a shot.

What makes the current moment distinct is that cooperation is no longer limited to third-party transit. Analysts increasingly expect a shift toward direct bilateral trade. Fuel and grain are merely the opening chapter.

Armenia has the potential to export processed food, construction materials and manufactured goods, particularly in the non-oil sector. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, offers scale, infrastructure and access to wider regional markets. If political momentum holds, economic complementarities could gradually replace zero-sum thinking.

This does not mean reconciliation will be quick or linear. Deep mistrust remains, and a peace treaty is still under negotiation. Yet history suggests that peace sustained by economic interest tends to outlast peace imposed by diplomacy alone.

Grain wagons crossing borders do not erase the past. They do something more pragmatic: they anchor the future in shared necessity. For Armenia, access to food and fuel is existential. For Azerbaijan, regional stability is a prerequisite for long-term development and connectivity.

The South Caucasus has entered a phase where war is no longer the most rational option for either side. That shift did not come from speeches or slogans, but from logistics, supply chains and energy flows.

If this trajectory continues, historians may one day mark these grain and fuel shipments not as footnotes, but as the quiet beginning of a peace built not on sentiment, but on survival-and sustained by mutual dependence.

Another batch of grain wagons has been shipped from Russia to Armenia through Azerbaijan’s transit corridor, Azernews reports.

According to the information, 25 grain wagons with a total weight of 1,746 tons passed through Azerbaijani territory today en route to the Republic of Armenia.

To date, a total of 285 grain wagons – approximately 19,900 tons – have been transported from Russia to Armenia via Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that on January 11, a train consisting of 18 wagons loaded with 979 tons of AI-92 automotive fuel was sent from Bilajari station to Boyuk Kesik.

The cargo was delivered to Armenia via transit through Georgia. On January 9, a total of 2,698 tons of fuel (48 wagons) – including 1,742 tons of AI-95 gasoline and 956 tons of diesel – was also sent from Bilajari station to Armenia.

The first fuel shipment from Azerbaijan to Armenia was dispatched on December 18, 2025.

France has lowered the safety limit for cereulide toxin in infant formula, aiming to strengthen protections after several major ?groups ordered worldwide recalls over contamination concerns, the farm ministry said on Saturday, Azernews reports, citing Arab News.

Cereulide, which can cause nausea and vomiting, has been detected in ingredients from a factory in China supplying a large number of baby formula makers including Nestle, Danone Lactalis, triggering recalls dozens of ?and ?raising concerns parents.

The new threshold will be of 0.014 micrograms of cereulide per kg of body mass, compared to 0.03 micrograms per kg currently, the ministry said in a statement.

France’s move follows a European Union meeting on ?January 28 and is in line with an updated from the European Safety Authority that be released on Monday, it .

The lower threshold is likely to lead to further withdrawals in France in the coming days, it added.

The recalls illustrate how a single ?compromised ingredient can spread through the infant nutrition supply chain, despite tight regulation, and ?cause rapid market jitters.

French investigators said on January 23 they are looking into whether there is a link between the death of two infants and recalled formula products.

On Thursday, consumer group foodwatch said it had filed a criminal complaint in Paris on behalf of eight families whose babies it says fell ill after consuming contaminated infant formula, companies waited too long to warn the public.

The US State Department has approved potential foreign military sales to Israel totaling about $6.52 billion, Azernews reports, citing Azertag.

The approvals include a possible sale of AH-64E Apache helicopters and related equipment worth an estimated $3.8 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. Boeing and Lockheed Martin would be the principal contractors.

Separately, the department approved a possible sale of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and related equipment valued at about $1.98 billion. AM General LLC would be the principal contractor, it said.

‘The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing the mobility of its ground forces during operations,’ the agency said.

The State Department also cleared a potential sale of Namer Armored Personnel Carrier power packs less transmissions, along with integrated logistics support and related equipment, with an estimated value of $740 million. Rolls-Royce Solutions America would serve as the principal contractor.

U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that negotiations regarding Greenland have begun, expressing hope that the outcome will be a ‘good deal’ for both Washington and Europe.

As reported by Azernews, Trump made the remarks while speaking to reporters.

‘We have started negotiations,’ he said in response to questions about whether he had been in contact with European leaders on the issue of Greenland.

‘I hope it will be a good deal for everyone. From a national security perspective, it is a very important agreement. I believe we will reach a deal,’ the U.S. President added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced new dates for the upcoming negotiations in Abu Dhabi aimed at addressing the situation in Ukraine, Azernews reports.

In a message posted on his Telegram channel, Zelensky stated:

‘Our negotiation team has recently provided an update. The dates for the next trilateral meeting have been set for February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi.’

According to the president, ‘Ukraine is prepared for substantive discussions and is committed to ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the conflict.’

Beginning January 31 at 09:00 Baku time, the U.S. federal government has partially shut down due to a lack of funding. Such shutdowns-commonly referred to as ‘shutdowns’ in the United States-occur intermittently when Democrats and Republicans in Congress fail to reach an agreement on the federal budget.

Azernews reports that the U.S. Senate on January 30 approved a package of appropriations bills to fund most federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year, which concludes on September 30. The legislation covers key institutions, including the Pentagon, the State Department, as well as the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health, among others.

However, at the request of Democratic lawmakers, funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was removed from the package. As a result, the bills passed by the Senate must also be approved by the House of Representatives before being sent to President Donald Trump for signature.

The House is scheduled to resume work on February 2. If lawmakers approve the funding bills that day and the president signs them promptly, the shutdown could be resolved as early as February 2. Nonetheless, the possibility of further delays cannot be ruled out.

Democratic lawmakers have called for a reassessment of DHS funding following the death of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was fatally shot by a border service officer. Under the current proposal, DHS funding would be extended at existing levels for two weeks, while negotiations continue over reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

It is worth recalling that on November 12, 2025, President Trump signed legislation extending federal government funding through January 30, bringing an end to the longest shutdown in U.S. history on its 43rd day. Government operations had been halted on October 1 due to the absence of funding, following a failure by the ruling Republican Party and opposition Democrats to reach consensus in Congress, including over certain healthcare-related spending provisions. Both sides accused each other of triggering the shutdown and prolonging it for political purposes.

Azerbaijan has established a unified and transparent management system for organ donation and transplantation, the Deputy Minister of Health, Nadir Zeynalov, said during a scientific-practical roundtable in Baku, Azernews reports.

He noted that in 2022, the Ministry of Health created the Coordination Center for Organ Donation and Transplantation. Since its establishment, the center has systematized transplant operations, registration of donors and recipients, formation of waiting lists, and monitoring of procedures across the country.

‘Before the center was established, transplantations were sporadic, and there was no unified statistical record. Today, all processes are carried out based on transparent mechanisms, donors’ consent is verified through special procedures, and ethical issues are strictly monitored,’ Zeynalov said.

He added that efforts to digitalize the transplantation system are being implemented in phased stages.

On January 30, 2026, the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Mrs. Aktoty Raimkulova, participated in the 6th Meeting of the Coordination Committee of the Cooperation Organizations of Turkic States, held at the Secretariat of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Istanbul.

The meeting aimed to strengthen coordination among Turkic cooperation organizations, ensure mutual exchange of information on activities carried out, and discuss joint priority areas of cooperation for the upcoming period.

In accordance with the agenda, the outcomes of the 2025 Action Plan were reviewed, and priority initiatives planned for 2026 were considered. In addition, an in-depth discussion was held on the mechanisms for the implementation of decisions and instructions adopted by the Heads of State at the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held in Gabala, as well as on further steps in this regard.

Speaking at the meeting, the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Mrs. Aktoty Raimkulova, informed the participants about the key projects implemented by the Foundation in 2025. She also noted that cooperation with partner organizations is being consistently expanded in order to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of the Turkic world at the international level.

Mrs. Aktoty Raimkulova emphasized that the Foundation’s priorities are shaped in line with the strategic documents of the Turkic world, and that the principles of integration, cooperation, and unity form the basis of all initiatives. She also highlighted that coordinated activities within this platform serve the achievement of common goals.

The meeting was chaired by the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States and Chairman of the Coordination Committee, Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev. The event was attended by the heads of leading international organizations of the Turkic world: Secretary General of TURKSOY Sultan Raev, President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, Secretary General of TURKPA Ramil Hasan, Senior Advisor for Economic Affairs of the Turkic Investment Fund Erhan Trbedar, and Secretary General of the Union of Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry Adem Kula.

The United States Department of State has approved a potential sale of Patriot air and missile defense systems and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, valued at approximately $9 billion, Azernews reports, citing the announcement was made by the Pentagon.

According to the Pentagon, Lockheed Martin will serve as the principal contractor for the sale of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors.

The approval follows a request from Saudi Arabia to purchase 730 PAC-3 MSE missiles, the statement said.

The Pentagon added that the proposed sale would not alter the military balance in the Middle East and would not negatively affect US defense readiness.