Category: Azer News

The Republican Youth Library has prepared new presentations dedicated to the study and promotion of the rich creative legacy of Nizami Ganjavi, a prominent representative of classical Azerbaijani literature and one of the country’s greatest poets.

The presentations, created using artificial intelligence, highlight the ideological and artistic features and philosophical content of the poems included in Nizami Ganjavi’s renowned Khamsa, as well as the thinker’s profound reflections on humanity and society.

Developed using modern information technologies, the presentations aim to make Azerbaijan’s classical literary heritage more accessible and engaging in the digital environment, particularly by fostering greater interest among younger generations in the works of Nizami Ganjavi.

A presentation dedicated to The Treasury of Mysteries, the first poem of the Khamsa, is titled “The Golden Gate of Eastern Literature.” It focuses on the work’s moral, ethical, and philosophical essence, emphasizing humanity’s aspiration toward perfection, justice, and spiritual elevation.

The presentation dedicated to Khosrow and Shirin, a poem holding a special place in world literature, is titled “An Illuminated Miniature Chronicle.” It explores themes such as love, loyalty, moral choice, and the refinement of human character.

The presentation devoted to Nizami Ganjavi’s Layla and Majnun, titled “The Evolution of Eternal Love,” offers a distinctive digital perspective on one of the most renowned love stories of classical Eastern literature. It highlights the impact of love on the human soul, as well as concepts of devotion and spiritual attachment.

Another presentation, dedicated to The Seven Beauties, is titled “The Evolution of the Universe and the Human Soul.” It examines the poem’s symbolic and philosophical content, as well as humanity’s journey toward self-understanding and spiritual perfection.

Meanwhile, the presentation dedicated to The Iskandernameh, titled “A Journey Toward Wisdom,” highlights key ideas in Nizami’s work, including science, knowledge, justice, governance, and wisdom.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that Tehran has not received any official invitation to join the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.

According to Baghaei, Iran has instead been offered the opportunity to hold talks with the countries involved on issues related to collective security in the region.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also dismissed reports about the Strait of Hormuz being open and several million barrels of oil being exported through the waterway every day, describing such claims as part of a “media and propaganda war.”

Earlier, Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Iranian parliament’s news agency, told the Arab television channel Al Mayadeen that Iran had received an invitation to join the “Mecca Agreement” on collective defense.

“Countries in the region are moving toward establishing a regional security framework, and this is a victory for Iran, as Tehran has long advocated such an approach,” Rahimi added.

On August 7, Trkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a new trilateral defense agreement. Officially named the Mecca Agreement, the document provides for mutual support in the event of an armed attack against any of the three countries.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that a change in relations with Russia is inevitable while presenting the government’s program in parliament.

According to Armenian media, Pashinyan noted that the process is directly linked to achieving peace with Azerbaijan and normalizing Armenia-Trkiye relations.

The Armenian prime minister emphasized that the nature of relations between the two countries differs depending on the geopolitical circumstances.

“There is one situation in Armenia-Russia relations under conditions of conflict, while an entirely different situation emerges under conditions of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, when there is no tension in Armenia-Trkiye relations and a positive outlook is visible,” Pashinyan said.

He emphasized that, for both objective and subjective reasons, cooperation with Moscow over the past two centuries has been based on the perception that Russia was the main guarantor of the security of the Armenian people and the Republic of Armenia.

Pashinyan added that he has no doubt about Russia’s commitment to fulfilling these functions. However, he said that developments in 2021, 2022 and 2023 clearly demonstrated that Moscow “may sometimes have limitations in its ability to fulfill this role.”

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a regional project with Azerbaijan aimed at using artificial intelligence to strengthen infrastructure resilience and improve adaptation to disaster risks.

Azerbaijan is among the ADB member countries participating in the initiative, alongside Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Trkiye, Uzbekistan and other countries across the Asia-Pacific region.

The project will receive $800,000 in financing from the ADB’s Special Fund for Technical Assistance.

According to the bank, the initiative will use artificial intelligence to improve approaches to infrastructure resilience and risk adaptation while strengthening the capacity of developing member countries to identify, assess and mitigate disaster risks.

‘The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of ADB’s developing member countries to identify, assess, and mitigate disaster risks,’ the bank said.

ADB added that the initiative is expected to indirectly help protect vulnerable and low-income populations, which are disproportionately affected by natural and other disasters.

Azerbaijan receives $2.53 billion in ADB sovereign financing

The project comes as ADB remains an important development partner for Azerbaijan. Between 2015 and 2024, Azerbaijan received $2.53 billion in sovereign financing for 10 projects from the bank.

Regional cooperation and integration accounted for 51% of this financing, making it one of the largest allocations among Azerbaijan’s ADB-supported areas. Private sector development accounted for 39%, climate finance for 18%, and digital technology initiatives for 10%.

During the same period, ADB approved nine non-sovereign projects worth $963.9 million for Azerbaijan, with all of the financing directed toward private sector development.

Regional cooperation and integration accounted for 78% of the commitments under these projects, the highest share among the upper-middle-income peer countries examined by ADB.

ADB direct investment in Azerbaijan rises

According to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, ADB’s direct investments in the Azerbaijani economy amounted to $2.075 million in the first quarter of 2026.

This represented an increase of $455,000, or 28.1%, compared with the same period of the previous year.

The Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA) has released information on mine clearance operations carried out in the liberated territories between August 17 and 23.

According to ANAMA, demining operations were conducted in Tartar, Aghdara, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Khojaly, Khankendi, Khojavand, Lachin, Shusha, Fuzuli, Gubadli, Jabrayil and Zangilan.

During the reporting week, demining teams detected and neutralized 98 anti-personnel mines, 41 anti-tank mines and 522 other unexploded ordnance items.

A total of 1,829.3 hectares of land were cleared of mines and other unexploded military ordnance.

Humanitarian demining remains a critical component of Azerbaijan’s post-conflict recovery strategy. Large areas of land in these regions remain contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance, posing a significant threat to civilians and slowing the pace of reconstruction projects and the safe return of internally displaced persons.

Azerbaijan has presented its tourism potential and products at two major international tourism events in Malaysia, seeking to expand cooperation with Asian markets and attract new business partners.

The Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), together with four local tourism industry partners, represented the country at the PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2026 in Kuching, Sarawak.

Azerbaijan participated with a national stand at the leading Asia-Pacific tourism exhibition, where the country’s tourism opportunities and products were presented to international market representatives. The Azerbaijani delegation also held business meetings with potential partners.

The event brought together companies operating in the leisure, luxury tourism and business events (MICE) sectors. Participants included travel agencies, tour operators and other tourism industry representatives from Europe, the CIS, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Asia, Africa and the Pacific.

During the meetings, participants discussed ways to promote Azerbaijani tourism products in international markets, establish new partnerships and strengthen existing business ties.

The ATB also participated, alongside local partners, in the World Islamic Tourism and Trade Expo (WITEX 2026) in Kuala Lumpur.

Organized by the Malaysian Association of Travel Agents (MATA), WITEX brought together government representatives, leading tourism companies and international market participants.

The event focused on opportunities for cooperation within the Islamic tourism economy, innovations in tourism software and technology, and establishing connections between local and international suppliers.

Particular attention was given to the development of halal tourism, with halal travel experiences, products and services presented by tourism companies and destinations from different markets.

Chinese-founded fast-fashion retailer Shein is seeking to raise HK$13.9 billion ($1.8 billion) in its IPO at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as the company’s shares are expected to commence trading on September 1, according to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday, AzerNEWS reports, citing Global Times.

The company is offering 280 million shares at HK$47.6 to HK$49.5 per share. Institutional investors include Boyu Capital, Tiger Global, General Atlantic, and Tencent Holdings Ltd.

Shein said that it plans to use the IPO proceeds to enhance technological capabilities such as the procurement of cloud and server services, invest in marketing to enhance brand awareness and expand global footprint, and strengthen its supply chain governance and ensure compliance with evolving regulations across various jurisdictions related to sustainability and corporate responsibility.

Founded in 2012, Shein has grown into a global fast-fashion e-commerce platform serving 273 million active customers in approximately 160 markets in 2025.

According to a report from consulting firm GlobalData, Shein surpassed Zara, HandM, and Uniqlo in 2024 to become the third-largest player in the global apparel market, just behind Nike and Adidas.

In July, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) approved Shein to proceed with its Hong Kong IPO, according to a notice seen on the CSRC website on July 10.

Member of the Azerbaijani Parliament and Deputy Chairperson of the Culture Committee Gnay Efendiyeva visited Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, while MP Hikmat Babaoglu paid an official visit to Almaty.

The visits took place within the framework of the parliamentary elections held in Kazakhstan. Representing Azerbaijan as international observers, the MPs monitored the electoral process as part of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA).

During the visit, the Azerbaijani lawmakers visited various polling stations in Astana and Almaty, where they observed the organization of voting, the progress of the electoral process, and the conditions provided for voters.

It should be recalled that on August 23, Kazakhstan held its first-ever elections to the country’s new unicameral Kurultai. According to preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission of the Republic, the Adilet party won the elections to the new single-chamber parliament, securing 71.17% of the vote.

Georgia has officially declined to implement the European Union’s latest sanctions package against Iran, with a ruling Georgian Dream lawmaker saying Tbilisi will support international measures only when they serve the country’s interests.

According to Interpressnews, Georgian MP Tengiz Sharmanashvili said on August 17 that Georgia’s position on international resolutions and measures is determined solely by their impact on the country.

‘If it goes against Georgia’s interests, we do not care whose interests it serves,’ Sharmanashvili said.

‘The question of whether Georgia joins a resolution or takes steps in international affairs is determined by one criterion alone: whether it serves the country’s interests at that particular moment,’ he added.

Sharmanashvili also pointed to Trkiye and Serbia, both EU candidate countries, noting that they had likewise declined to join the latest sanctions measures against Iran.

The EU sanctions package, announced by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, consists of three separate decisions.

The first modifies the existing EU sanctions regime by removing and adding individuals and revising the listing of one organization.

The second extends restrictive measures related to Iranian military support for armed groups operating in Russia, West Asia and the Red Sea region, while removing four individuals from the sanctions list.

The third decision adds six Iranian individuals to the EU sanctions list over alleged human rights violations.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, First Lady Ziroatkhon Mirziyoyeva, and family members visited the Ismail Samani Mausoleum in Bukhara.

The mausoleum is one of the oldest Islamic architectural monuments in Central Asia. Constructed between the late 9th and early 10th centuries, the mausoleum is distinguished by its unique architectural design. Baked brick serves as the main construction and decorative material used in the monument. Researchers have identified 18 different types of brickwork in the mausoleum. According to tradition, Ismail Samani, the founder and one of the most prominent representatives of the Samanid dynasty, is buried here alongside his father and grandson.