Category: Azer News

The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will bring a variety of entertainment to Baku alongside the action on the track, as Formula 1 celebrates its 10th anniversary in the Azerbaijani capital.

According to information provided to AzerNEWS by Baku City Circuit, the main Entertainment Zone will be set up along Baku Boulevard, where fans and families will have access to a wide selection of activities and experiences throughout the race weekend.

Formula 1 enthusiasts will be able to take part in several interactive attractions. A racing simulator will give visitors the opportunity to virtually drive an F1 car and compete to record the fastest lap. The Pit Stop Challenge will test participants’ teamwork and speed, with groups of two or three competing to change the tyres of an F1 car as quickly as possible. The leading teams will qualify for a final, with prizes such as signed memorabilia and paddock tours on offer to the winners.

The Fan Zone will also feature several attractions dedicated to the Formula 1 experience. Visitors will be able to view an F1 show car and the FIA championship trophy. Through an augmented-reality selfie experience, fans can also take virtual photographs with F1 drivers and team principals. An F1 DJ podium will recreate the atmosphere of a Grand Prix podium celebration.

The programme will include activities for those looking for entertainment beyond motorsport. The Ninja Challenge will offer an obstacle course featuring climbing walls, balance sections and rope elements, while a zipline will provide visitors with a high-speed attraction across the Fan Zone.

Young fans will also have dedicated entertainment options. At the Kids’ Grand Prix, children will be able to drive miniature electric cars on a specially designed track. The children’s area will additionally offer themed face painting, creative workshops and a selection of trampolines, including a helmet-shaped inflatable attraction.

Driver appearances will form another part of the programme. During Fan Forums, Formula 1 drivers and team representatives will appear on the main stage to answer fan questions and discuss their championship experiences away from the racing circuit.

A series of roaming performances will add to the atmosphere throughout the day. The entertainment line-up will include traditional national dances, Amarok’s drum performance, Mirror Dancers, Mirror Racing Show, Flying People and Drum Girls.

The Fan Zone stage will also host a series of musical performances. DJs Pancho, Maya Aziz, Nicolas Mun, Nazreen, Tim and Vugarixx will perform, alongside Excellent Band and Mardan Band.

The entertainment programme will continue into the evening at Baku Crystal Hall. International stars Calvin Harris and Katy Perry are scheduled to perform on Thursday and Friday respectively, adding live music to the Grand Prix weekend.

Running from September 24 to 26, the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will combine Formula 1 racing with live performances, concerts, interactive attractions, and fan activities across Baku, offering visitors a programme that extends well beyond the circuit.

Azerbaijan has discussed a phased approach to developing its hydrogen sector, including plans for pilot projects, commercial-scale production and the development of export opportunities.

The State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy said the issue was discussed at the latest meeting of the Working Group established to prepare a conceptual and strategic document on hydrogen production.

The hybrid-format meeting was chaired by Javid Abdullayev, director of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources.

Abdullayev said work on implementing Azerbaijan’s National Hydrogen Strategic Vision Implementation Plan has entered an important stage.

He noted that analyses have been conducted on the regulatory and legal framework, market management, infrastructure requirements, incentive mechanisms, skills development and potential hydrogen clusters.

According to Abdullayev, the current priority is to incorporate the findings of these analyses into the Implementation Plan in a way that supports their practical application.

Experts from DNV Energy Systems Germany GmbH delivered presentations on the main areas of the Implementation Plan. The presentations covered hydrogen-sector regulation, proposed amendments to relevant legislation and standards, market management and regulation, public infrastructure requirements, and government support mechanisms.

The meeting also focused on a proposed phased approach to the development of Azerbaijan’s hydrogen sector.

Under the proposed framework, the initial phase would focus on launching domestic pilot projects and establishing small-scale hydrogen clusters. The next phase would involve the implementation of commercial-scale projects, followed by the development of a more advanced hydrogen market with export potential.

Working Group members exchanged views on the implementation timelines for the different phases, including pilot projects, the development of domestic demand, infrastructure readiness and the expansion of export opportunities.

Participants also discussed proposed legal and regulatory measures, the involvement of relevant government institutions and the practical implementation of measures included in the Implementation Plan.

The results of the discussions are expected to be taken into account in further refining the Implementation Plan, with work to continue on the relevant areas.

Mercedes driver George Russell said at a press conference in Baku ahead of the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he enjoys the circuit and believes its high-speed corners suit his car well.

Russell also noted that weather conditions could have an impact on the weekend, while describing the Baku City Circuit as a challenging track that he enjoys racing on.

The Mercedes driver said he has been more satisfied with the team’s recent performances. He pointed to the Madrid race as an example, where Mercedes showed strong race pace and performance before a technical issue ended its hopes of a podium finish.

Russell believes the Baku circuit should suit Mercedes better than the Madrid track and is therefore expecting a stronger result. He also said the team has faced challenges this season because of changes to the car and tyres, but has made progress in understanding what works and is confident Mercedes can fight for victory in Baku.

The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held at the Baku City Circuit from September 24 to 26 as the 15th round of the Formula 1 season.

The weekend will follow an adjusted schedule, with both practice sessions taking place on Thursday, September 24, followed by final practice and qualifying on Friday. The 51-lap Grand Prix will be held on Saturday, September 26, starting at 15:00 local time.

The 6.003-kilometre Baku City Circuit features 20 corners and a race distance of 306.049 kilometres. The street circuit combines long, fast sections with the narrow and technical Old City section, where the track is only 7.6 metres wide at its narrowest point.

The circuit hosted its first Formula 1 race in 2016 as the European Grand Prix before becoming the Azerbaijan Grand Prix venue from 2017.

French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad has said European troops could potentially be deployed in Ukraine as part of security guarantees for Kyiv.

Haddad made the remarks in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

According to the French minister, Ukraine has become the first line of defense for the European Union. He also expressed skepticism about the prospects for achieving lasting peace between Moscow and Kyiv.

‘That is why, in the long term, we must provide security guarantees and support the Ukrainian army. European troops could potentially be deployed on Ukrainian territory, because we know that Europe’s long-term security is being decided here and will continue to be decided here in the future,’ Haddad said.

The French official stressed that Ukraine is already at the center of European security and will remain so in the long term.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed an Order ‘On the pardon of a number of sentenced persons.’

Guided by the principles of humanism, the decision was made following consideration of pardon applications addressed to the President by a number of sentenced individuals, their family members, and the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Order took into account the personality, health status, and family situation of the convicts, as well as the nature and degree of public danger of the offenses committed, the length of the sentences already served, and their conduct while serving their sentences.

Under the terms of the Order, 19 individuals sentenced to imprisonment and one individual sentenced to restriction of freedom have been released from the unserved portions of their sentences.

Spain plans to stop importing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from January 1, 2027, despite existing long-term supply contracts held by Spanish companies, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said.

According to Albares, Madrid intends to comply with the European Union’s restrictions on Russian LNG imports.

He noted that some Spanish companies still have active LNG contracts, which are typically signed for many years and cannot be terminated immediately.

“LNG supply contracts are long-term agreements. They are not something that can be resolved at the last minute, as they often remain in place for decades,” Albares added.

The Spanish foreign minister also highlighted that Spain has one of the largest LNG storage and regasification capacities in Europe. He said this infrastructure could allow the country to support other European states by helping secure gas supplies from alternative reliable partners, including the United States.

Earlier, Hungarian Minister of Economy and Energy Istvan Kapitany said that Budapest expects to ensure its gas supplies without Russian gas by October 2027.

It should be noted that Europe’s natural gas storage facilities are currently 61.6% full, compared with 74% during the same period last year.

According to Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), natural gas prices in Europe have risen by as much as 5% amid low storage levels and supply disruptions. At the Netherlands’ TTF hub, the price of natural gas has reached pound 68.36 per megawatt-hour.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that he held a conversation with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, during which they discussed bilateral ties and he criticized France for its “unacceptable” position on the United States and France’s military campaign against Iran.

“France cannot claim to be compassionate about human rights while it remained silent about the inhuman crimes of the United States and the Zionist regime against the Iranian nation and the killing of Iranian women and children, and has also cooperated in implementing the illegal US sanctions against the Iranian people,” Araghchi said in a post on Telegram.

The Iranian diplomat also emphasized the need for the French Embassy to “respect” Iran’s internal laws and regulations, and slammed Paris’ “interventionist” positions towards Iran.

He noted that Tehran believes in relations based on “respect,” but will act “decisively” in defending its interests.

Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, has moved into Africa’s offshore energy scene by picking up a stake in an oil and gas field off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire. The company has finished acquiring a 10% ownership interest in the Baleine oil and gas field development project in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, after securing all the required approvals and meeting the necessary conditions.

SOCAR put it this way: “Our participation in Baleine, one of the largest oil and gas discoveries made in West Africa in recent years, marks an important step in our long-term strategy to diversify our investment portfolio and expand the geographical reach of our international operations.”

Baleine, operated by Italy’s Eni, was discovered in 2021 and began production in 2023. Its operator describes it as Africa’s first net-zero emissions offshore oil and gas project. Now that the deal has closed, the ownership stands as follows: Eni holds 37.25%, Vitol 30%, Petroci 22.75%, and SOCAR 10%.

Buying into Baleine lets SOCAR enter the oil and gas exploration and production market in Africa, and it lines up with the company’s long-term plan to grow its international activity in that sector. The acquisition also marks SOCAR’s entry into Africa’s upstream sector and points to the company’s long-term strategy of widening its global upstream footprint. That same intent showed recently when it increased its stake in a Caspian Sea oilfield by buying out Itochu Corporation’s participating interest, as the Japanese trading and investment group exited the project.

Behind that small share sits a much bigger process: SOCAR is stretching the geography of its international assets beyond the Caspian region and building a portfolio where projects with already-proven reserves and active production can play a growing role. The deal with Italy’s Eni is especially telling because SOCAR isn’t buying into an exploration play with uncertain prospects – it’s stepping into an asset that already works and can be scaled up.

Before this, SOCAR’s expansion abroad mostly developed around the Caspian region, Trkiye, the South Caucasus, Europe, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Baleine in West Africa adds a completely new direction to that map. That’s why the deal is worth looking at not only through the volume of future production, but also through the question of what the next geography of SOCAR’s international business might be.

And Baleine isn’t only an oil project. The gas side carries particular weight for Côte d’Ivoire itself, since a significant share of the gas is meant for the country’s domestic market and its power sector. The oil, by contrast, is aimed mainly at export. As a result, the field creates an export stream and strengthens the state’s domestic energy base at the same time.

For SOCAR, that also means taking part in a project that matters not just for the partners’ revenues but for the host country’s energy strategy. Assets like these can be especially interesting for an international oil and gas company, because they build a more durable link between the investor, the operator, and the state. If SOCAR’s later investment decisions confirm its interest in the region, Baleine could turn out to be not the end point, but the first foothold.

Earlier, Togrul Kocharli, head of the international business development department at SOCAR Trading, said at a business forum during the 28th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) in Baku that SOCAR Trading is currently studying opportunities to enter the markets of Africa and Southeast Asia.

“We are looking closely at Africa, at Southeast Asia – at countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, India. These are huge markets that are a little further from us, but they nevertheless represent an interesting opportunity,” the SOCAR Trading representative said.

Strategically, SOCAR’s involvement in African projects gives Azerbaijan another lever in its energy diplomacy. By setting foot on the continent, the company gets closer to the players that actually matter there, helps tie African oil and gas into the wider supply chains that feed global markets, and opens up room for joint bets on cleaner energy down the line. For Europe, it means an extra source of oil and gas with a minimal carbon footprint, which improves the continent’s energy security at a time when world markets are unsteady.

The retail side of the story deserves just as much attention. Right now the SOCAR network runs 564 stations across Austria, Switzerland, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, and Trkiye. Moves like these grow the Azerbaijani company’s weight on international markets, raise brand recognition, and build infrastructure bridges for energy integration between regions. In a nutshell, the company shows that it can combine global ambition, innovation, and sustainable development by shaping Azerbaijan’s energy brand on the world stage and laying the groundwork for a safer, more sustainable future in global energy.

Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov met with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Secretary General and CEO Philippe Metzger to discuss cooperation in the energy sector.

The meeting focused on expanding cooperation under Azerbaijan’s associate membership in the IEC, as well as the use of international standards in the energy transition, electrification, renewable energy, energy efficiency and new technologies.

Metzger highlighted Azerbaijan’s growing role in the global energy and climate agenda, particularly its initiatives during its COP29 presidency. The sides noted that Azerbaijan’s associate membership in the IEC, which began this year, creates new opportunities for cooperation.

The IEC said it is ready to support Azerbaijan in standardization and conformity assessment in areas including electrical engineering, electronics, clean energy and energy efficiency.

Shahbazov briefed Metzger on Azerbaijan’s energy transition reforms, renewable energy projects and efforts to improve legislation on energy efficiency. He also highlighted work to bring the country’s energy regulations in line with international standards and continue energy initiatives launched during COP29.

The sides also discussed the growing role of electrification in the global energy system and the need to develop modern infrastructure for electricity transmission, exchange and distribution. They exchanged views on the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe Green Energy Corridor project.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation between the IEC, Azerbaijan’s National Electrotechnical Committee and relevant technical working groups, as well as increasing the participation of Azerbaijani experts in the development of international standards.

The Parliament of Kazakhstan has approved the ratification of a framework partnership agreement with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), opening the way for expanded cooperation and new investment opportunities.

Under the agreement, Kazakhstan is expected to attract around $6 billion in long-term financing on favorable terms over the next five years. The funds will be directed toward key sectors, including transport infrastructure, energy, healthcare, and green finance projects.

Among the potential projects that could receive support are the modernization and reconstruction of major road and railway networks, including the Zhezkazgan-Karaganda, Aktobe-Karabutak-Ulgaisyn, Atyrau-Dossor, and Moyynty-Kyzylzhar routes. These developments are expected to improve domestic connectivity and strengthen Kazakhstan’s role as a transit hub between Asia and Europe.

Kazakhstan is one of the founding members of the AIIB and has cooperated with the bank since 2016. During this period, seven projects have been implemented in the country, with a combined value of approximately $1.8 billion.

The new agreement is expected to increase Kazakhstan’s access to international financing, reduce pressure on the state budget, and speed up the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects. In the long term, officials expect these investments to support economic growth, create new jobs, encourage private sector development, and improve the country’s investment environment.

An interesting aspect of this cooperation is Kazakhstan’s growing focus on ‘green’ development. Part of the financing may support projects aimed at improving energy efficiency, developing cleaner technologies, and modernizing infrastructure in line with global efforts to reduce environmental impact.