Category: Azer News

The decline in the use of the ‘Green Corridor’ is not due to reluctance to grant the status, but rather the result of fully transparent risk parameters being established.

Azernews reports that Natig Shirinov, Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee, made the remarks during the event ‘Customs-Business Forum 2025: Dialogue and Trust.’

He noted that the Committee’s board has approved specific risk criteria:

‘When any entrepreneur applies for the ‘Green Corridor,’ there are now clearly defined risk criteria in place. The assessment is conducted according to these criteria, and the entrepreneur is fully informed about which risk parameters apply to them. If no risks are identified across all parameters, the entrepreneur is granted the ‘Green Corridor participant’ status. However, if any risk is detected, the entrepreneur is transparently informed and can make the necessary adjustments before reapplying. This process has been legally formalized, providing a clear framework for both customs authorities and business representatives.’

Deputy Chairman Shirinov emphasized that the transparency has been raised to a higher level:

‘The reduced use of the ‘Green Corridor’ is not because we are unwilling to grant the status or are rejecting applicants. It is simply because fully transparent risk parameters have been established in an open framework.’

On December 8, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a one-on-one meeting with President of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini in Bratislava, Azernews reports.

Azerbaijan continues to advance its agenda of economic diversification, export expansion, and customs modernization, Presidential Aide and Head of the Department for Economic Affairs and Innovative Development Policy of the Presidential Administration, Shahmar Movsumov, said at the ‘Customs-Business Forum 2025: Dialogue and Trust’ held in Baku, Azernews reports.

According to Movsumov, diversification remains one of the most important challenges facing the national economy, yet the progress achieved in recent years is already visible.

‘Between 2021 and 2024, the non-oil sector grew by an average of 6.7 percent annually, raising its share in the economy to 68 percent. Over the past six years, non-oil exports have nearly doubled, reflecting the country’s strengthened competitiveness. At the same time, thanks to public-private partnership mechanisms and ongoing reforms, the private sector’s share in the economy has reached 81.4 percent,’ he said.

Movsumov highlighted that Azerbaijan has signed free trade agreements with ten countries as part of efforts to expand economic integration and create broader export opportunities.

‘The removal of tariffs, along with the simplification and digitalization of customs procedures, accelerates export operations, reduces costs, and increases the competitiveness of the processing and non-oil sectors. These measures also help attract transit cargo and enhance the use of regional transport corridors in both the Europe-Asia and North-South directions. As a result, Azerbaijan is strengthening its role not only as an exporting nation but also as a transit-logistics hub and regional trade gateway,’ he noted.

The presidential aide also emphasized the new ‘Trusted Partner’ concept signed by President Ilham Aliyev, describing it as a significant step toward improving customs-business cooperation and aligning the country’s foreign economic activity with modern international trade supply chain requirements.

‘The concept aims to improve governance, facilitate trade, protect the interests of business entities, increase revenue opportunities, and modernize customs services. It introduces more flexible export mechanisms, supports the promotion of the ‘Made in Azerbaijan’ brand on global trading platforms, and positions national carriers as reliable partners for international companies,’ Movsumov said.

He added that the model applies to economic operators that fully comply with regulatory requirements and take advantage of state-granted opportunities.

‘This initiative strengthens business confidence and encourages the development of self-assessment systems. As part of the concept, trusted partners will be allowed to pay customs fees in installments, benefit from tailored support programs, receive professional training, and participate in awareness-raising activities. Its implementation will enhance the competitiveness of Azerbaijani businesses, expand export potential, and further consolidate Azerbaijan’s reputation as a reliable partner in the global supply chain,’ he stressed.

On December 8, a meeting was held between Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva and Supreme Chairman of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Azernews reports that Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who expressed his satisfaction with participating in the “Presentation of the Artificial Intelligence Index in the Islamic World” conference held in Baku, emphasised the importance of events on artificial intelligence and expanding cooperation in this field, and spoke about the importance of programs and projects implemented in the educational and social fields.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva, highlighted the importance of cooperation prospects between the two institutions.

Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum once again congratulated the Heydar Aliyev Foundation on being awarded the “Hamdan-ICESCO” award for educational and social support projects in the Islamic world and other countries.

Leyla Aliyeva noted that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has always attached importance to education and social spheres during its activity, and expressed her gratitude for the Foundation being awarded the “Hamdan-ICESCO” award.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on December 8, Azernews reports.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan and Iran share a long history of relations, and the centuries-long coexistence of the two peoples gives special significance to these ties. Expressing satisfaction with the recent intensification of bilateral relations, the head of state emphasized that the visit of President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian to Azerbaijan, as well as reciprocal visits by other high-ranking officials, contribute to the further expansion of cooperation.

President Ilham Aliyev stated that the bilateral agenda is broad and covers numerous areas, adding that concrete roadmaps exist for all issues.

Highlighting the highly effective work of the intergovernmental commission, the head of state pointed to cooperation in economic, trade, transport, energy, and other fields.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the visit of the Iranian delegation would be successful and productive.

Expressing gratitude for the reception, Seyed Abbas Araghchi first conveyed the greetings of President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian to the head of state. He noted that the Iranian leader holds great respect for President Ilham Aliyev and for Azerbaijan. The Foreign Minister added that after being elected President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian instructed the government to further strengthen relations with Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed gratitude for the greetings and asked that his own greetings be conveyed to Masoud Pezeshkian.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in turn, emphasized the deep-rooted nature of Azerbaijan-Iran relations and stressed the importance of further deepening these ties.

During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in the Slovak Republic for an official visit on December 8.

A guard of honor was lined up for the President of Azerbaijan at Bratislava’s Milan Štefánik International Airport.

President Ilham Aliyev was welcomed by Peter Vodráška, Chief of Staff of the Office of the President of the Slovak Republic, and other officials.

A delegation led by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Baku Torobayev, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, visited the Alley of Honor on December 7.

Azernews reports that the delegation first paid tribute to the memory of Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader of our people, the architect and founder of the modern independent Azerbaijani state, by laying a wreath at his grave and arranging fresh flowers.

Then, the grave of the prominent ophthalmologist-scientist, Academician Zarifa Aliyeva, was visited, and fresh flowers were laid in front of it.

An event-exhibition titled “The Delicate Signature of Independence: Fatali Khan Khoyski” dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the outstanding statesman Fatali Khan Khoyski, was held at the Azerbaijan Independence Museum.

According to Azernews, 27 rare photographs from the funds of the Azerbaijan Independence Museum, the personal archives of Doctor of Philosophy in History Dilgam Ahmad and Doctor of Philosophy in Philology Adalat Tahirzade, as well as the State Archive Fund, were displayed within the framework of the exhibition.

These materials serve as an important source for a deeper study of Khoyski’s political legacy, state-building activities, and the historical realities of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

The event featured scientific presentations and discussions dedicated to Khoyski’s statehood legacy.

The exhibition is of great importance in terms of preserving the legacy of Fatali Khan Khoyski and passing it on to future generations, while also bringing important moments in the history of Azerbaijani statehood back to the agenda.

The exhibition will run until December 12.

Italy is believed to have supplied Ukraine with another group of M109L self-propelled howitzers, adding to the roughly one hundred units Rome has already transferred since the start of the full-scale war. Although the Italian government has not formally announced any new deliveries, such public confirmation is not required, and analysts suggest a fresh batch has likely been dispatched, according to Ukrainian sources.

According to military observers, the howitzers sent most recently may have required extensive repairs after years in storage. ‘This is the first batch in a long time, so returning these systems to operational condition may not have been straightforward,’ one expert noted.

Italy previously transferred a substantial number of M109L systems to Ukraine, beginning in 2022. By October of that year, several dozen had already been delivered, with the remainder arriving gradually throughout 2022 and 2023. As reported by A-129 Mangusta, by June 2023 the Ukrainian Defence Forces had received over one hundred of the systems from Italian stockpiles – suggesting that there has been a pause of around two and a half years before the latest shipment.

Questions now focus on the state of the newly supplied vehicles. It is likely that some have been refurbished for frontline use, while others could serve as donors for spare parts given the heavy maintenance needs of the platform.

Ukraine has so far lost 108 M109 systems of all variants (A3/A4/A5/A6/L), according to the Oryx analytical database. Despite these losses, the M109 remains an important part of Ukraine’s artillery capabilities, and all remaining units require continuous repair and technical support.

In a separate development, Defence Express earlier reported that Italy has revived a long-dormant project to develop a counterpart to Germany’s RCH-155 – the RH1-155/52 Hitfire – signalling renewed interest in strengthening its domestic artillery industry.

The latest graduation ceremony of the ‘Commando Beginner Course’ was held within the Separate Combined Arms Army (SCAA).

Azernews reports, citing the press release of Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry, the event began with a minute of silence in honour of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the servicemen who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, followed by the performance of the National Anthem.

Speakers congratulated the cadets who successfully completed the course, highlighting the importance of such programmes in strengthening military professionalism and enhancing the combat readiness of units.

Graduates who passed the course took the Commando Oath, after which the top graduate placed a symbolic insignia on the honour board.

The ceremony concluded with a solemn march-past of the personnel in front of the tribune.