Category: Azer News

The city of Izmit, in Turkiye’s Kocaeli Province, has hosted an International Art Workshop that brought together artists from around the world for a week of creative collaboration and cultural exchange, AzerNEWS reports.

Representing Azerbaijan with distinction were Nigar Aliyeva and Leylifyar Museibova, members of the Arts Council Azerbaijan, the organization announced.

Throughout the week-long residency, participants created new artworks, shared professional expertise, explored contemporary artistic practices, and immersed themselves in the diverse cultural traditions of the participating countries.

The workshop culminated in a group exhibition showcasing the works produced during the residency.

The participation of the Azerbaijani artists marked a significant contribution to strengthening international cultural cooperation, fostering professional artistic connections, and promoting Azerbaijan’s contemporary art on the global stage.

Arts Council Azerbaijan is an independent international art platform founded in 2006 by artist Dadash Mammadov. Since its establishment, the organization has been dedicated to promoting Azerbaijani art and culture while fostering international cultural dialogue through exhibitions, artist residencies, educational initiatives, and collaborative projects.

Bringing together artists, curators, cultural institutions, diplomatic missions, and international partners, Arts Council Azerbaijan serves as a platform for creative exchange and professional development.

Its activities encompass visual arts, animation, design, photography, crafts, and interdisciplinary artistic practices, creating opportunities for both emerging and established artists to engage with audiences in Azerbaijan and abroad.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that export restrictions affecting Armenian goods pose a threat to the entire Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying failure to resolve the issue could mark “the beginning of the end” for the bloc, AzerNEWS reports.

Speaking after a meeting of the ruling Civil Contract party’s board, Pashinyan argued that the dispute is no longer solely Armenia’s problem.

“We all acknowledge now that this is not Armenia’s problem. Armenia is not the issue. It is the EAEU’s problem, because what is effectively happening is that the Eurasian Economic Union is paralysed and not functioning. If this issue is not resolved quickly, allow me to predict that this will mark the beginning of the end of the EAEU,” he said.

Pashinyan also commented on his recent telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the two sides had reached a common understanding on a number of issues.

According to the Armenian prime minister, he told Putin that Armenia has the legitimate right to develop alternative partnerships.

“The most important thing is that the Republic of Armenia has the legitimate right to develop alternatives for itself. I told the President of Russia that we have declared this course and we will follow it, especially now that the people of the Republic of Armenia have voted in favour of it,” Pashinyan said.

He added that Armenia should have alternatives in every sphere and stressed that the era of having no strategic options was over.

Addressing the possibility of a referendum on choosing between membership in the European Union and the EAEU, Pashinyan said such a vote could only take place after Armenia formally submits an application for EU membership.

His remarks come amid ongoing trade tensions between Armenia and Russia, including restrictions on Armenian exports, as Yerevan continues to pursue closer ties with the European Union while remaining a member of the Russia-led EAEU.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that US President Donald Trump had agreed to provide Ukraine with licenses to manufacture Patriot missile systems domestically, AzerNEWS reports.

In an interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy emphasized that the agreement followed discussions the two leaders began during a NATO summit in Ankara earlier this month. He described the arrangement as important for Ukraine, which needs to increase and accelerate the production of air defense systems.

According to Zelenskyy, Trump approved Ukraine’s request during their meeting at the White House.

“We had a very good meeting with President Trump today. He agreed to give us the licenses,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president also met with representatives of U.S. defense companies.

It should be noted that Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks in the United States on July 28. The meeting between the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations was conducted behind closed doors, with journalists excluded.

Shortly after his talks with U.S. president, Zelenskyy held a closed-door meeting with members of the U.S. Senate. Following the meeting, the Senate held a procedural vote in support of a bill proposing sanctions against Russia.

Employees of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Justice, judges, and court staff participated in an international training program titled “The Judicial Crafting: Executive Judicial Training Programme”, held in Baku, AzerNEWS reports.

The Ministry of Justice said the training was organized within the framework of a Cooperation Program signed between Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Justice and Pakistan’s Ministry of Law and Justice.

An agreement to hold the program was reached during Azerbaijani Minister of Justice Farid Ahmadov’s visit to Pakistan on May 14-15 this year. The initiative aims to further expand cooperation between the two countries in the field of justice and promote the exchange of professional experience.

Presentations were delivered and discussions held with participants by members of the delegation led by Pakistan’s Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik. The delegation included judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, officials from the International Mediation and Arbitration Centre, the Secretary-General of the Arbitration Centre of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other experts.

More than 20 representatives, including employees of the Ministry of Justice, judges, and court staff, participated in the program.

The next international training session under the cooperation program is scheduled to be held in Pakistan in October this year.

The training program is considered important for expanding the exchange of knowledge and experience between the justice and judicial authorities of the two countries, strengthening professional ties, and developing institutional cooperation.

Palestinian citizens of Israel are reportedly facing increasing restrictions on the use of the Arabic language in workplaces, according to a recent report by Middle East Eye, which documents allegations of discrimination against Arabic-speaking employees, AzerNEWS reports.

The report highlights several incidents in which Palestinian workers said they were instructed not to speak Arabic while on the job.

In one case, a manager reportedly sent a message to a workplace WhatsApp group instructing employees to acknowledge a ban on speaking Arabic inside the shop.

According to an employee cited by the outlet, the manager became angry after she briefly spoke Arabic while saying she was taking a box to the storeroom, despite using the Hebrew word for “storeroom” to indicate the conversation was work-related.

“She started shouting, kicking boxes and telling us we were forbidden to speak Arabic,” the employee said.

The worker added that the manager told staff:

“This is a Jewish state. Here we speak only Hebrew. Arabic stays at home.”

The report argues that such workplace restrictions reflect broader concerns among Palestinian citizens of Israel following the adoption of Israel’s 2018 Nation-State Law, which removed Arabic’s status as an official language and granted it a “special status” instead.

According to Middle East Eye, Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, who make up around 21% of Israel’s population, view restrictions on speaking Arabic in the workplace as an attack on their cultural identity and civil rights, amid what they describe as broader discrimination in employment and public life.

The report cites testimonies from affected employees but notes concerns raised by Palestinian workers and rights advocates regarding the treatment of Arabic speakers in Israeli workplaces.

A total of 1,091,865 foreign nationals from 194 countries entered Azerbaijan during the first six months of 2026, AzerNEWS reports.

Vusal Huseynov, head of Azerbaijan’s State Migration Service, disclosed this information while answering journalists’ questions during a media tour titled “Media Awareness in the Field of Migration.”

According to him, the number of foreign visitors entering Azerbaijan in the first half of 2026 was approximately 10% lower than during the same period last year.

“The structure of the decline needs to be examined. The main factor behind the overall decrease is the reduction in the number of visitors from the Gulf countries and South Asia. This is largely related to conflicts and wars in the region,” Huseynov noted.

At the same time, he emphasized that growth was recorded in several directions.

“We have seen an increase in the number of visitors from Turkic states, including Kazakhstan, as well as from Pakistan and European countries. The sharpest decline was recorded among visitors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, India and South Asia as a whole,” the State Migration Service chief stressed.

Huseynov also added that the the top five nationalities among foreigners entering and leaving Azerbaijan are Russian, Turkish, Georgian, Kazakh and Iranian citizens.

Ukraine’s Air Force shared in its latest social media update on Wednesday that the Russian military launched a total of 80 attack drones “and loitering munitions overnight, including Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, Banderol, and decoy drones”, AzerNEWS reports.

Ukraine’s defense systems were put to work, with a total of 65 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) intercepted. However, 14 of the drones managed to hit ten targets across Ukraine. In addition, the debris from downed drones fell in two locations.

The United Arab Emirates and the United States have agreed to establish a joint task force aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for military applications, AzerNEWS reports.

The initiative, known as Task Force Talon Synapse, is expected to begin operations in the coming weeks in Abu Dhabi, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The task force will consist of around 20 US and Emirati specialists in artificial intelligence, data analysis and cybersecurity, with the goal of advancing AI-based capabilities for defence operations.

‘Together, our Emirati partners and we share a strong commitment to adopting AI applications that will foster innovation at speed and scale,’ CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper said.

‘This will be a historic milestone as we work with one of our most capable regional partners to rapidly deliver evolving AI advancements to our warfighters.’

According to CENTCOM, the initiative was proposed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser, who raised the idea of creating an AI-focused military cooperation mechanism last year.

The announcement follows discussions between US technology leaders and Emirati defence officials during a recent regional visit, where details of the project were discussed.

The UAE has increasingly positioned itself as a global hub for artificial intelligence development. In 2019, the country established the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, the world’s first graduate-level university dedicated entirely to AI.

The country also appointed one of the world’s first ministers responsible for artificial intelligence, with Omar Al Olama currently serving as Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications.

During US President Donald Trump’s visit to the UAE in 2025, Washington and Abu Dhabi announced plans for a 5GW UAE-US AI Campus, while the UAE later secured access to advanced NVIDIA chips considered critical for AI infrastructure development.

The latest agreement comes amid expanding US-UAE defence cooperation. Washington recently announced plans to upgrade the UAE’s export status in recognition of its defence support, including during the Iran conflict.

Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $34.4 billion last year, according to the US Trade Representative.

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have discussed ways to expand investment cooperation between the two countries, AzerNEWS reports, citing the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy.

According to the information, Minister Mikayil Jabbarov met with Nurlan Zhakupov, Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhstan’s Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund.

The meeting addressed the current state and prospects of economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, as well as priority areas for further partnership.

The sides exchanged views on expanding joint investment activities, opportunities for cooperation between institutional investors, and partnerships in trade, industry, artificial intelligence and other innovative sectors. They also discussed the joint implementation of green energy projects.

It was emphasized that expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest would contribute to further strengthening economic ties between the two countries and facilitate the implementation of new joint projects.

Head of the European Union’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre, Maria Zuber, warned on Wednesday that the entire European continent could be ablaze in early August, as weather conditions, including extreme heat, increase the risk of new wildfires in Greece, Italy, and Central Europe, in addition to the wildfires already burning in Spain and France, AzerNEWS reports.

“Greece for ?the moment was spared, and now we see that it will go to Greece. Italy will face risk at the beginning of August, and we will need to see what will ?happen with the Iberian Peninsula, because if (it is) there as well, we will ?have all of Europe on fire,” Zuber told reporters.

The official went on to say that 2026 could become the biggest fire season in European history, beating the record set last year.