Category: Azer News

bp, as the operator under the agreement on the exploration, development and production sharing for the Ashrafi-Dan Ulduzu-Aypara area in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea, has announced the publication of the draft environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the ADUA project seismic survey programme, Azernews reports.

According to bp, the draft EIA has been prepared and released on behalf of the contractor parties as part of the approved work programme. The document outlines the planned seismic survey activities, assesses potential environmental and socio-economic impacts, and details proposed mitigation and monitoring measures aimed at minimizing or eliminating adverse effects.

The EIA covers a planned 2D high-resolution seismic survey, which is expected to be short-term, lasting up to twenty days. The survey will be conducted in the north-western part of the ADUA block, in water depths of twenty to forty metres, and is scheduled to take place between February and April 2026.

bp noted that the main objective of the survey is to collect detailed subsurface data to a depth of around one thousand five hundred metres to support the planning of future exploration wells. The data will help identify shallow geological hazards such as faults, shallow gas accumulations and other subsurface features that may pose risks to drilling operations and well integrity.

Stakeholder consultations form a key part of the EIA process, with bp emphasizing that feedback from interested parties is essential to ensure that both the project design and the assessment reflect a broad range of views.

The full draft EIA document and its non-technical summary are available in Azerbaijani and English on bp’s official website.

The international congress reaffirmed Moscow’s status as a global center of expertise in business tourism, bringing together professionals from 37 BRICS and Global South countries. The event welcomed nearly twice as many participants as last year – a total of 2,500 industry specialists. Its diverse program covered topics such as successful MICE destinations, the effectiveness of business events, the future of neurotechnologies and the experience economy, while also enabling a record number of business meetings, Azernews reports.

Participants from 37 countries

Moscow hosted the concluding events of the international business tourism forum – the Meet Global MICE Congress (MGMC). Held on December 17-18, the congress brought together more than 2,500 industry professionals, representatives of relevant government bodies, associations, corporate clients, and business event organizers from different countries. This is almost double last year’s number and six times higher than the first forum.

Congress participants arrived in the capital from 37 foreign countries and Russian regions – twice as many as the year before. Around 70 percent of attendees were top executives and decision-makers, which created the opportunity to negotiate and establish partnerships directly during the event.

Among the participants were: Tushar Keisharvani, Board Member of the India Convention Promotion Bureau; Marcus Lee, CEO of China Travel Online; Rukayya Kassim, Head of Conferences and Conventions at Visit Qatar; Jose Andreas Runkat, Chairman of the Indonesia Exhibition Companies Association; Prodjeni Pater, Chairperson of the Association of African Exhibition Organizers; Dharmendra Jain, Founder of Kenya’s Actnable AI; Mint Leong, President of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association; and Dusan Borovchanin, former CEO of EXPO 2027 in Serbia. Representatives of the tourism authorities of Egypt, Jordan, the Maldives, Nepal, Tanzania, and Uzbekistan also attended.

Guests held more than 8,000 business meetings within the expo zone, aimed at building new connections, finding clients, and shaping event plans for future periods.

Two intensive days

For participants, 15 business sessions were organized across several thematic tracks: ‘Conferences and Exhibitions,’ ‘Destinations and Associations,’ ‘Global Trends and Analytics,’ ‘Meetings and Intensives,’ ‘Business,’ and ‘Technologies.’ Plenary sessions, panel discussions, case sessions, presentations, keynote speeches, and training programs helped to fully uncover the main theme of MGMC-2025 – ‘Unity through Open Diversity: New Opportunities for Global Growth.’

Speakers addressed the impact of personalization, gamification, hybridization, the experience economy, artificial intelligence and neurotechnologies on the MICE industry. They also focused on the multiplier effect of mega-events, the profile of today’s client and contractor, how national identity is reflected in the global exhibition industry, success formulas and promotion channels for business destinations, and outbound corporate events for Asian regions.

A platform for business

MGMC-2025 featured more than 130 exhibitors from BRICS and Global South countries, including MICE operators, associations, congress and exhibition bureaus, transport companies, and hotels seeking to enter growing markets and increase brand recognition. In addition to Russian participants, a large share of exhibitors came from the Middle East (30%) and Southeast Asia (23%).

Dedicated stands showcased the ‘Made in Moscow’ and ‘Moscow Tea Ceremony’ projects.

Key participants in the Hosted Buyers Program included representatives from the Middle East (over 27%), India (25%), and China (15%). In total, 200 industry professionals came to Moscow to explore opportunities for hosting events, hold B2B negotiations, and discover the city as both a business and cultural-entertainment destination.

The first Meet Global MICE Congress was held in Moscow in autumn 2023 and became the largest international event in the field of business tourism in Russia. Last December, the forum was held under the BRICS Edition format, bringing together more than 1,300 business tourism representatives from BRICS and Global South countries and enabling business dialogue with 17 nations. The main theme – ‘Global Challenges and Trends in the MICE Industry: Moving Towards Sustainable Development Through the Lens of BRICS Experience and Knowledge’ – was discussed within 13 business sessions.

The Moscow City Tourism Committee continues to build a strong, sustainable brand for the capital as a key tourism destination not only in Russia, but also internationally. Moscow most frequently welcomes visitors from China, India, CIS countries, and the Middle East. To strengthen international ties, the city organizes business missions, presents its tourism potential at industry exhibitions, and develops projects and events tailored to both local and international travelers.

At the initiative of the Guild of Professional Film Directors, with the support of the Actors’ Guild and the Producers’ Guild, the Azerbaijan Film Academy has held the ceremonial awards event for the Golden Fairy Professional Film Awards 2025 (Qizil P?ri) in the fields of cinema and television, Azernews reports.

The event took place at the Fikrat Amirov Conference and Concert Center at Khazar University and brought together leading representatives of the country’s film and television industry – directors, actors, producers, screenwriters, film critics, and cultural figures.

The Golden Fairy Awards honors the best professional works of the year, contributing to the development of national cinema and television arts, as well as supporting and recognizing the creative achievements of Azerbaijani filmmakers.

The winners of the Golden Fairy Awards 2025 were the following nominees:

1. The best feature film: ‘Heyat deyesen gozeldir’ – director Vagif Mustafayev – Azerbaijanfilm

2.The best director: Asif Rustamov – for the film ‘Mermer soyugu’

3.The best producer: Orman Aliyev – for the filmTagiyev-Neft’ – BMC

4.The best original screenplay: Hilal Baydarov – for the film’Sepelenmish olumler arasinda’ – Ucqarfilm

5. The best cinematography: Orkhan Abbasov – for the film’Heyat deyesen gozeldir’ v? ‘Meryem’ – Azerbaijanfilm

6.The best production design: Sabuhi Atababayev – for the film’Tagiyev-Neft’ – BMC

7.The best original music : Azer Hajiasgerli – for the film’Meryem’

8.The best actor: Hikmet Rehimov- in ‘Heyat deyesen gozeldir’ – Azerbaijanfilm

9.The best actress: Shelale Shahveledqizi – in tv series ‘Eqreb movsumu’ – ITV

10.The best tv series: ‘Eqreb movsumu’ – director Emil Guliyev, producer Yalchin Verdiyev – ITV

11. The best debut film: ‘Elvida Schmidt’ – director Ali-Sattar Guliyev – Mozalan

12.The best short feature film: ‘Qiz qalasi’ – director Aghamehdi Aghayev

13.The best documentary film: ‘Silahdashlar’ – director Nizami Abbas – Salnam?

14. The best documentary film (short) – ‘Shusha, sen azadsan!’ director Cavidan Sharifov,

producer Orman Aliyev – BMC

15. The best director (documentary film) – Fariz Ahmedov for the film’Sonuncu’ – BMC

16. The best animated film: ‘Narqiz’ director Mesud Penahi – Perifilm LLC

17. The best tv film (feature): ‘Sonuncu’ – director Ramiz Hasanoglu AzTV

18. The best tv film (documentary): ‘Fesiller’ – director Parviz Hasanov, AzTV

19. The best short tv film (documentary): ‘Azikh magharasi’ director Mezahir Hashimov – CBC

20. The best director of tv films- Rovshen Isakh – ‘Yuxu kimi’- ATV

21. The best editing- Asger Rahimov – for ‘Heyat deyesen gozeldir’ – Azerbaijanfilm

22. The best costume designer- Vusal Rehimov – for ‘Tagiyev-Neft’ – BMC

23. The best make-up artist- Adile Farrukhova – for ‘Heyat deyesen gozeldir’

– Azerbaijanfilm

24. The best sound director- Tariyel Hasanzade – for ‘Heyat deyesen gozeldir’ – Azerbaijanfilm

25.The best ‘Film Portrait’: – ‘Millet namine. E.K.bey Mehmandarov’

director Yav?r Rzayev – Azerbaijanfilm

26.The best ‘Film about film’: – ‘Ocaqov dunyasi’ director Iman Mecidov – Baku TV

27.The best cinematic work for children – ‘Men, Lale, bir de Sherlok

Holms’ director Rufet Shahbazov – ITV, KAC Media

28. The best student work (feature ) – ‘100 addim’ – director Shirin Ahmadov – ADMIU

29. The best student work (documentary) – ‘Renglerin kolgesi’ director Atakhan Aliyev – ADMIU

30.The best social advertising clip- ‘Vatana mahabbat’ director Khanlar Aghayev – ATV

31. Journalist Gulu Maharramli “for his contributions to the development of national television” (by decision of the Board of Directors of the Film Directors Guild)

32. Writer, screenwriter, filmdirector Anar Rzayev for his contributions to the development of national cinema (by decision of the Board of Directors of the Film Directors Guild)

The Organizing Committee decided to award five nominees with Special Diplomas of the Organizing Committee:

1. To the creators of the film ‘Soyuq gunesh’ – Director Elshan Zeynalli, Screenwriter and Producer Sadaqat Karimova – for a successful screen representation of multiculturalism and national-spiritual values and for successful creative exploration;

2. Babek Abbaszade, Director of the film ‘Nasir muallimli iller’ – ARANFILM;

3. Turkan Huseyn, Director of the film ‘Sonuncu foto’ – CHINARFILM;

4. Sultan Abbasbeyli, Director of the animated series ‘Balash’ – Anima Center;

5. Sabina Hagverdiyeva, Director of the TV films ‘Lampa’ and ‘Salam, torpaq’ – ITV.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az and Milli.Az.

An emergency distress call was issued by two oil tankers flying the Azerbaijani and Turkish flags off the coast of Florya in Istanbul on Tuesday morning, Azernews reports, citing Turkish media outlets.

The incident occurred at around 11:50 a.m. local time in waters off Florya, on Istanbul’s European side. For reasons that have not yet been disclosed, the two tankers sent out emergency signals, prompting an immediate response from maritime authorities.

According to Turkish media outlets, rescue and salvage teams affiliated with the Turkish Coast Guard Authority were swiftly dispatched to the scene. Officials confirmed that operations are ongoing, though no further details regarding the cause of the emergency or the condition of the vessels have been released so far.

Aerial images of the tankers taken during the response highlighted the scale of the operation underway in the busy maritime corridor.

Azerbaijan has established the State Enterprise Monitoring Agency under the Ministry of Finance, Azernews reports.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has signed a decree in this regard.

The decree approves the agency’s charter and defines its role in monitoring the budget drafts and forecasts, as well as the annual income and expenditure execution, of legal entities owned by the state or created on behalf of the state. The agency, which is part of the Ministry of Finance, will also analyze performance indicators of these entities.

The decree tasks the Cabinet of Ministers with determining the agency’s staffing limits within one month and ensuring its logistical support and funding for operational expenses, as well as addressing other matters arising from the decree.

Azerbaijan maintains a consistent and clear position on the one-China policy, the country’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed, Azernews reports.

Commenting on the situation around Taiwan, Aykhan Hajizadeh, head of the ministry’s press service, emphasized that Azerbaijan does not recognize Taiwan’s independence.

“Maintaining peace and stability in the region is an important factor for international security. The position of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the one-China policy is irreversible, clear, and consistent. Our country does not recognize the independence of Taiwan. We support the peaceful resolution of disputes within the framework of international law, particularly based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity,”- Hajizade said.

JD.com Inc. announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a ‘deep technical cooperation’ agreement with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

According to the statement, the two companies will launch a joint innovation project focusing on the core technology of low-latency inference for advertising. The collaboration will explore areas including intelligent advertising, large-scale AI models, and cloud computing infrastructure.

As part of the initiative, JD.com and Huawei aim to optimize not only hardware and software but also applications, with the goal of ensuring greater stability and efficiency of advertising services during high-traffic periods, such as major shopping festivals or peak sales events.

Experts note that this partnership could also accelerate the adoption of AI-driven personalized marketing, potentially allowing JD.com to deliver more relevant ads to consumers in real time while reducing server strain and energy consumption. Some analysts suggest that such collaborations may become a blueprint for how e-commerce giants leverage advanced AI and cloud technology to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving digital marketplace.

On December 29, a festive event was organized for children in need of special care at the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and head of the IDEA Public Union, on the eve of the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day (December 31) and the upcoming New Year.

Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of Baku Media Center Arzu Aliyeva, and Alena Aliyeva attended the event.

During the event, a special New Year issue of the ‘Göy?rçin’ (Dove) magazine for children was presented. Initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, this monthly publication-whose editor-in-chief is Professor Rafig Yusifoglu-has served preschool and primary school readers since 1958.

People’ Artist Faig Aghayev joined the festivities, performing hits from his repertoire. Leyla Aliyeva, Arzu Aliyeva, and Alena Aliyeva joined the children on the dance floor, sharing in the fun.

Additionally, residents from Orphanage No. 2 and No. 3 social service institutions showcased their own dancing talents during the program.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has shared a post on his social media accounts on the occasion of 31 December – the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and the New Year holiday, Azernews reports.

Azerbaijan National Kata Championship has been held among judokas at the Absheron Olympic Sports Complex, Azernews reports. The tournament was conducted in accordance with the kata rules and refereeing standards of the International Judo Federation.

In the cadet category, the first place was claimed by Sadiq Abdullayev as Tori and Rajab Akbarov as Uke, while the second place went to S?ttar Nurullayev (Tori) and Zaur Nazirov (Uke). The third place was awarded to Nihat Jamalov (Tori) and Rustam Mammadov (Uke).

Among the juniors, Famil Asadov (Tori) and Yusif Ahmadov (Uke) won the first place, with the second place going to Mirabdulrahim Abdullazad? (Tori) and Zidan Bashirov (Uke). Rasul Amirzade (Tori) and Tahir Bunyadov (Uke) secured the third place.

In the senior category, Chingiz Ahmadov (Tori) and Seymur Majidli (Uke) took first place, followed by Rahim Aslanov (Tori) and Yusif Aliyev (Uke) in second place. The third place was awarded to Natig Gurbanli (Tori) and Elchin Mayilov (Uke).

The championship showcased the talent and dedication of Azerbaijani judokas across all age groups and emphasized adherence to international kata standards.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art worldwide. Since 2015, the Federation has been led by Rovnag Abdullayev.

The country’s modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.

A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow, Rasul Salimov, grabbed the bronze medal at the European Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka, Elchin Ismayilov, became the European champion in 2000 in Wroclaw.

However, the achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 73 kg division.

The list of the country’s top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, Irina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayat Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat Shikhalizada.