Category: Azer News

Azerbaijan’s representative in the UEFA Champions League, FC Qarabag, will step onto the pitch today for their seventh group stage match, Azernews reports.

The Agdam-based club will host Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 21:45, with a team of referees from Switzerland appointed to oversee the encounter.

Currently, Qarabag sits 25th in the standings with 7 points, while the Frankfurt side occupies 33rd place with 4 points.

Fans will be hoping the home advantage can help Qarabag climb the group table in this highly anticipated showdown.

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 around the world.

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

The format of the UEFA Champions League has evolved over time.

The current structure includes several stages: Qualifying Rounds, Group Stage, Knockout Rounds and Final.

The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League marks the 71st edition of Europe’s top club football competition, and the 34th since it was rebranded from the European Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

The final will take place on May 30, 2026, at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.

The 10th round of the Azerbaijan Men’s Volleyball Super League gets underway, Azernews reports.

The first matchday will feature two exciting clashes, both taking place at the Ministry of Emergency Situations’ sports hall.

On January 21, “Ordu” will face “G?ncl?r”, followed by “Murov Az Terminal” taking on “Xilasedici”.

The Azerbaijan Men’s Volleyball Super League is the top professional volleyball league in Azerbaijan, run by the Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation, featuring clubs like Azerrail Baku and Murov Az Terminal, competing for domestic titles and European spots, with recent seasons showing fierce competition, especially in the finals.

Established in 1992, it’s a significant national league with a history of strong performances in European competitions, though the number of participating teams can vary.

The Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation (AVF) is the governing body of volleyball and beach volleyball in Azerbaijan.

The federation was founded in 1991 and became a member of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) in 1992.

The main goals of the AVF are to promote volleyball across the country, support youth and grassroots development, improve coaching and officiating standards, and achieve consistent success at the international level.

The federation works closely with clubs, schools, and regional organisations to expand participation and raise the overall quality of the sport.

On January 21, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Connor Teskey, President of Brookfield Asset Management, in Davos, Azernews reports.

The meeting included an exchange of views on investment-attractive sectors and potential projects in Azerbaijan within the framework of cooperation with the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), taking into account Brookfield Asset Management’s global investment activities focused on real assets.

As part of the meeting, a protocol of intent on long-term strategic cooperation was signed between SOFAZ and Brookfield Asset Management.

The document aims to institutionalize and deepen existing strategic relations, expanding the Fund’s access to reputable global investment platforms. Furthermore, the partnership includes plans to evaluate potential capital investments by SOFAZ of up to $1.4 billion over the next 3-4 years into funds and joint investment projects managed by Brookfield.

As part of this cooperation, the parties intend to explore opportunities in key sectors within Azerbaijan with high investment potential, including energy transition and storage, renewable energy, digital infrastructure, and other areas.

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran that the United States would respond with overwhelming force if Tehran acts on alleged assassination threats against him, Azernews reports.

Speaking in an interview with NewsNation on Tuesday, Trump said Washington had already conveyed a clear message to Iran’s leadership.

‘They shouldn’t be doing it, but I’ve left notification. Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole – the whole country is going to get blown up,’ Trump said, responding to a question about continued threats attributed to Iranian officials.

Trump criticized former President Joe Biden for what he described as a failure to react decisively when similar statements first emerged.

‘He should have said something,’ Trump said, arguing that earlier inaction encouraged further threats. ‘If they were making that threat to somebody even, not even a president, but somebody like they did with me, I would absolutely hit them so hard.’

The US president added that he had issued firm instructions regarding any potential attack. ‘I have very firm instructions – anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth,’ he said.

The remarks come amid ongoing unrest in Iran, where nationwide protests erupted in late December following the sharp devaluation of the rial, rising inflation, and increasing food prices. Demonstrations have spread from Tehran to multiple cities across the country.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), thousands of people have been killed, arrested, or injured during the unrest. Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of supporting what they describe as ‘armed rioters.’

Trump has previously warned that Washington would ‘hit hard’ if protesters were killed, though he later praised Tehran for reportedly canceling hundreds of planned executions.

TikTok is preparing to roll out enhanced age-verification mechanisms for users across Europe amid growing regulatory pressure and debates over potential social media restrictions, Azernews reports.

The platform aims to prevent children under the age of 13 from creating accounts. According to the company, the new technology will be able to assess whether an account holder is under 13 by analyzing a range of indicators, including profile information, posted videos, and user behavior on the platform. Accounts flagged as suspicious will be reviewed by moderators, who will make the final decision on whether they should be removed.

TikTok said the feature will be implemented in the coming weeks. During testing, thousands of accounts believed to belong to underage users were deleted, which the company says demonstrates the effectiveness of the system.

The issue is also being widely discussed in the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing increasing pressure to introduce a ban on social media use for people under the age of 16, similar to the model adopted in Australia. On Sunday, more than 60 Labour Party MPs sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for a total ban.

Experts warn that such measures could significantly reshape how social media platforms operate, raising broader questions about the balance between child safety, digital freedom, and the responsibility of tech companies.

The war that began between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the 1990s severely obstructed not only the socio-economic development of both states but also the progress of the wider region. It was not merely material resources that were destroyed; human lives and aspirations were shattered. As a result of the irredentist foreign policy pursued by the Armenian leadership of that time, nearly 30,000 people lost their lives, several times that number were left disabled, and more than one million people all their possesses they had, becoming refugees or internally displaced persons. They were forced to cling to life in tents, administrative buildings, and other facilities never intended for human habitation.

Beyond this, in a small region like the South Caucasus – home to only three states – two of them have kept their borders closed since the very day they gained independence. Needless to say, this has dealt a heavy blow to the economies of both countries and undermined the material well-being of their populations. In short, the war we refer to affected everyone living in these two neighboring states, either directly or indirectly.

Yet in 2020, a process began that culminated in Azerbaijan’s remarkable victory, ushering in new realities for the region. Thanks to the determination of Azerbaijan and its leadership, these realities translated into political success. Put more clearly, for the first time the air carried not the smell of gunpowder but the scent of peace and stability. As President Ilham Aliyev noted in Davos at “Defining Eurasia’s Economic Identity”: “It was a historical achievement last August when the two countries initialed a peace agreement, thus putting an end to more than three decades of war and bloodshed. The uniqueness of this peace deal is that it was signed less than two years after the last bloody clash.”

Today, this bloody chapter in the South Caucasus is on the verge of closing. Weapons no longer speak; politicians do. Occupation is no longer the subject; instead, economic issues between the two neighboring states are being discussed. True, the borders remain closed – but this is to be expected. Painful as it may be, one must admit that believing two nations who lived in enmity for 30 years could leave everything behind overnight would be naïve. Opening borders and establishing normal relations will take time, as measures must be taken to build trust between the two peoples.

Nevertheless, despite the borders still being closed, determined steps by the leaders of both countries have already enabled limited economic cooperation. Surely, these measures affect the lives of people across the region. Azerbaijani planes now fly over Armenia, saving time. Armenia imports fuel from Azerbaijan, allowing Armenians to access cheaper energy. As President Ilham Aliyev stated: “But today, the benefits of peace are reflected in the beginning of cooperation. The first cargo of critical products, oil products, from Azerbaijan is being transported to Armenia, and in itself, it brings prices down.”

This is a major achievement. Yet its significance extends beyond the region. Looking at the world that emerged after the Second World War, one reality becomes clear: conflicts do not end, they are frozen. Virtually none of the conflicts that arose during that period have been resolved. Unfortunately, the world continues to live with this reality, and citizens of conflict-ridden countries suffer as a result. Vast resources are diverted to managing these disputes. Azerbaijan, however, stands out as one of the rare countries where this reality did not prevail. Through resolute policy and social unity, Azerbaijan demonstrated to the world that such a situation is unacceptable. The result was a new global reality – a precedent. As President Ilham Aliyev emphasized: “So it was absolutely unimaginable maybe two or three years ago, but today, it is a reality.”

A firm stance has spoken for itself, and the process continues to unfold naturally. It can now be said that the Qarabag crisis is behind us. Figuratively speaking, that page of history has been closed. New realities and a new economic environment have emerged. No one should, nor can, obstruct them. As President Ilham Aliyev remarked, “And I think nothing can interfere with this process. What we need to do more, I think, is for both sides to demonstrate the results of living in peace, so that we can also witness the full support of our societies through this process. But I am very optimistic, because really what has been achieved is a tremendous benefit to Armenia, to Azerbaijan, and to the Southern Caucasus, and it sets an example of how countries that were once in very deep, hostile terms now transform into a phase of cooperation.”

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog in Davos on 21 January, Azernews reports.

During the conversation, they recalled President Isaac Herzog’s visits to Azerbaijan and his meetings with the head of state.

The successful development of Azerbaijan-Israel relations across various fields was emphasized. They noted that there are excellent opportunities to expand cooperation in the economic, trade, energy, and other sectors.

The Presidents of Azerbaijan and Israel discussed matters related to the prospects of cooperation.

“Diversification of the economy for our country is the number one priority. From a practical point of view, today we see a growing interest in renewable sources,” said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he responded to questions from business representatives from various countries during an event titled “Azerbaijan Executive Breakfast,” held as part of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“We have already inaugurated two big renewable power stations. In the coming six years, we will dramatically increase our capacity to generate energy from solar and wind. In other words, by 2032, we expect to have eight gigawatts of solar and wind energy, because there is a lot of sun and a lot of wind, and we see great potential. We have already contracted several projects, and now we are thinking about storage capacity,” the head of state noted.

In Davos, where global capital tends to sniff out the future before it becomes obvious, Azerbaijan has made a telling move. On the margins of the World Economic Forum, President Ilham Aliyev met Larry Fink, BlackRock’s chief executive, and Adebayo Ogunlesi, the founder of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), to formalise what Baku hopes will be more than a financial partnership. The memorandum of intent signed between the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), BlackRock and GIP signals a strategic wager: that infrastructure, digital as much as physical, will define the country’s next phase of relevance.

At first glance, the numbers are modest by BlackRock standards. SOFAZ is considering commitments of up to $1.5bn over the next three to four years, a rounding error for a firm that now oversees around $14trn in assets following its acquisition of GIP in late 2024. Yet scale is not the point. What matters is access, to capital, to operating expertise and to the institutional discipline that global infrastructure investors increasingly demand.

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with roughly $14 trillion under management, has in recent years pushed deeper into private infrastructure markets. Its acquisition of GIP, formed in 2006 and notable for stakes in London Gatwick and other major airports, signalled not just scale but operational muscle.

That muscle is now flexing around digital and energy infrastructure. Investment vehicles such as the AI Infrastructure Partnership, which includes BlackRock, GIP, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX, are mobilising tens of billions, potentially hundreds, to build data centres and supporting power networks to fuel artificial intelligence growth. Deals reported on the order of $40 billion for operators like Aligned Data Centers illustrate just how capital-intensive the digital future has become.

For a country perched at the nexus of Europe and Asia, this global shift presents a rare opportunity. Azerbaijan’s old narrative was framed by oil and gas; the new one is being written in bits and bytes. Under the Davos agreement, SOFAZ will explore investments not only in global infrastructure funds managed by GIP, but in data centres and cloud infrastructure that could serve the wider region, a recognition that the next frontier of growth lies in connectivity and computing power, not barrels.

For Azerbaijan, this aligns neatly with its own ambitions. Long defined by hydrocarbons and transit corridors, the country is now positioning itself as a regional platform for digital connectivity. Among the priority areas under discussion with GIP are data centres and supporting infrastructure capable of serving not just domestic demand but a wider regional cloud and AI market. Energy-hungry servers, after all, need reliable power and stable grids, two assets Azerbaijan is keen to market alongside its geography.

The partnership sits on an existing foundation. SOFAZ’s earlier co-investment with GIP in London’s Gatwick Airport, a £50 million investment already at stake in one of Europe’s busiest gateways, hinted at the fund’s evolving strategy of diversifying beyond hydrocarbons into assets that combine durability with strategic relevance.

GIP’s track record is similarly broad: from transport hubs to energy networks and digital platforms, its expertise in managing complex infrastructure assets will be a resource for Baku as it seeks to marry physical connectivity with digital resilience.

Crucially, the memorandum foresees the creation of sectoral working groups, technical sessions and expert exchanges, the scaffolding upon which the realisation of multi-billion-dollar projects will likely depend. These mechanisms are not novel in theory, but they signal an intention to mirror international operating standards rather than pursue isolated domestic projects.

The broader context makes this cooperation more than a Davos photo-op. Across global capital markets, infrastructure is being rethought as a tactical asset class. Governments are struggling with budget constraints, and private capital increasingly funds everything from fibre networks to renewable grids. BlackRock’s push into infrastructure, amplified by its acquisition of GIP, which manages over $100 billion in infrastructure equity and credit, reflects confidence in long-term returns from essential assets.

For Azerbaijan, the strategic calculus is clear: aligning with a global institutional investor enhances risk management, governance discipline, and access to co-investment partners. It also signals to other investors that Baku is open for serious business, not just in hydrocarbons and transport corridors, but in sectors tied to the digital economy.

There are potential pitfalls. Mobilising capital across borders requires navigational skill in regulatory, political and market risks, especially for projects intended to serve multiple jurisdictions. The risk, as ever, is that ambition outruns execution, a familiar Davos problem. But in an era when sovereign wealth funds increasingly compete for influence through infrastructure rather than arms or pipelines, Azerbaijan’s move is less surprising than it might once have been.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Adrian McDonald, President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) of Dell Technologies, one of the world’s leading US IT corporations, in Davos on 21 January, Azernews reports.

The conversation highlighted Azerbaijan’s favorable investment climate, which remains highly attractive to foreign investors. The meeting touched upon Dell Technologies’ ongoing operations in Azerbaijan, specifically noting the establishment of a supercomputer center in the country with the company’s involvement. They exchanged views on utilizing the center’s resources for applications in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced decision-making systems.

The discussions also covered cooperation opportunities in the development and modernization of IT infrastructure, networking equipment, data centers, and cloud infrastructure projects, including the design and implementation of advanced data centers.