Category: Azer News

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Saturday that his government is weighing the possibility of suspending emergency electricity aid to Ukraine if oil supplies to Hungary are not restored, echoing a similar warning issued by Slovakia.

As reported by AzerNEWS, speaking at a rally in Bekescsaba, Orbán noted that Hungary has already halted diesel deliveries to Ukraine and blocked the European Union’s pound 90 billion loan package to the conflict-hit country in response to the pause in oil transfer through the Druzhba pipeline. ‘There is another option, which is being considered cautiously for now,’ he said. ‘If this is stopped, harsh things could happen.’

Meanwhile, Ukraine has informed the European Commission that the Odessa-Brody pipeline could serve as an alternative route to replace the damaged Druzhba line, potentially ensuring continued oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia.

The developments underscore the growing tension between energy security and political leverage in Central Europe, as countries balance domestic needs with broader EU commitments amid the ongoing conflict.

Azerbaijan produced 114.9 thousand tons of motor gasoline in January of this year, according to the State Statistical Committee, AzerNEWS reports.

The volume of gasoline output decreased by 9.1 thousand tons, or 7.3%, compared to the same period in 2025.

As of February 1, the country’s finished product reserves amounted to 65.7 thousand tons.

The data also show that the total value of production in the oil products manufacturing sector reached 398.3 million manats in the reporting period, marking a 16.4% decline compared with January of last year.

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Economy Rövn?q Abdullayev took part in the 14th Meeting of Ministers of Economy and Trade of the Turkic States Organization (OTS) held in the city of Trkistan, Kazakhstan.

As reported by AzerNEWS, citing the Ministry of Economy, the meeting was chaired by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of National Economy Assan Darbayev.

In his remarks, Deputy Minister Abdullayev highlighted the significant progress made in recent years in strengthening multilateral cooperation within the OTS. He emphasized that Azerbaijan continues to take important steps to deepen economic ties and facilitate mutual trade with all member states of the organization.

He noted that the bilateral investment funds jointly established with Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan have accelerated capital flows and supported the financing of industrial and investment projects. Abdullayev also stressed that the launch of operational activities of the Turkic Investment Fund will further contribute to regional economic integration.

During the meeting, participants discussed deepening economic cooperation under the OTS, facilitating trade, promoting investment, advancing digital transformation, and enhancing partnerships in transport and logistics. Special attention was given to improving the efficiency of the Middle Corridor.

Following the discussions, the ministers signed a Joint Communiqué and a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of trade among OTS member states.

It was also decided that the 15th Meeting of OTS Ministers of Economy and Trade will be held in Azerbaijan in the second half of this year.

On the sidelines of the event, Deputy Minister Abdullayev met with Trkiye’s Deputy Minister of Trade Sezai Uçarmak. The two sides discussed expanding Azerbaijan-Trkiye trade and investment cooperation, promoting non-oil exports, strengthening collaboration in digital trade, and other joint priorities.

The delegation led by TURKPA Secretary General Ramil Hasan continued its participation in the second day of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) 25th Winter Session in Vienna, AzerNEWS reports.

According to information, on the sidelines of the plenary session, TURKPA Secretary General Ramil Hasan held meetings with OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella and OSCE PA President Pere Joan Pons Sampietro. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between TURKPA and the OSCE PA, developing joint projects, and expanding participation in upcoming international conferences, a partnership that has continued since 2010.

The meetings also addressed TURKPA’s efforts to obtain observer status within the OSCE PA, which unites 57 member countries. TURKPA officials noted that all required documents have been prepared and will soon be submitted to the OSCE PA’s International Secretariat.

The TURKPA delegation, including Deputy Secretary General Muhammet Alper Hayali, Commission Secretary Aynura Abutalibova, and Head of Protocol Service Yadigar Mammadov, also attended an official reception hosted in honor of session participants by Walter Rosenkranz, President of Austria’s National Council.

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defence, Zakir Hasanov, together with Deputy Defence Minister and Commander of the Azerbaijan Air Force Namiq Islamzade, has inspected the operational readiness of an air defence military unit.

As reported by AzerNEWS, citing the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan, the minister reviewed the implementation of service tasks and received updates on the current situation at the unit’s command post.

The ministry’s leadership observed training sessions focused on professional preparedness, assessing the personnel’s skills, application of theoretical knowledge, and proper use of weapons and military equipment. Their performance was rated highly.

General-Colonel Zakir Hasanov instructed the Air Defence Command to ensure that units thoroughly study the tactical and technical capabilities of the newly introduced modern weaponry and equipment. He emphasized the importance of mastering their effective use in combat conditions and enhancing personnel competence in the safe and correct operation of these systems.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a new 10% global tariff to replace the measures struck down by the Supreme Court, describing the court’s ruling as ‘terrible’ and criticizing the justices who rejected his trade policy as ‘fools.’

As reported by AzerNEWS, the announcement came shortly after the Court invalidated most of the global tariffs introduced by the White House last year. In a 6-3 decision, the justices ruled that the president had exceeded his authority.

The ruling marked a major victory for businesses and U.S. states that had challenged the duties, potentially opening the door to billions of dollars in tariff refunds, while also introducing fresh uncertainty into the global trade landscape.

NASA has released a detailed report on the failed Starliner mission, which resulted in two Boeing astronauts spending nine months aboard the International Space Station, far longer than the mission’s originally planned one-week duration. The report highlights critical disagreements between NASA and its long-time contractor over the safe return of astronauts to Earth and points to communication failures and unprofessional behavior, AzerNEWS reports.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed key findings at a press conference following the release of a 300-page report that outlines both technical and organizational shortcomings in Boeing’s first manned Starliner mission, which concluded last year.

He emphasized that while the Starliner spacecraft has design and engineering flaws that need correction, the most alarming issue identified was not hardware-related. Isaacman warned that ignoring these concerns could foster a culture incompatible with the safety standards required for manned spaceflight.

Because of technical problems with the Starliner, NASA left astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams aboard the ISS for nine months, effectively turning what was meant to be a short test mission into a prolonged and high-risk operation.

The report details tense meetings between NASA and Boeing officials over the astronauts’ return. These discussions were marked by unprofessional conduct, defensive behavior, and ethically questionable arguments-falling short of NASA’s standards for constructive technical dialogue and crisis management.

According to interviews with unnamed NASA officials conducted in November, early mission meetings were ‘defensive, conflicted, and emotionally charged.’ One employee described the discussions as ‘the most hostile environment I have ever experienced,’ noting that there was no clear process for resolving conflicts between teams, leading to strained relationships and emotional outbursts.

Boeing, in response, expressed gratitude to NASA for the opportunity to participate in the mission and conduct a thorough review. The company stated that significant progress has been made in addressing Starliner’s technical issues and that organizational changes have been implemented to prevent similar problems in the future.

Despite the mission’s setbacks, the prolonged stay of Wilmore and Williams aboard the ISS provided NASA with an unexpected opportunity to gather long-duration spaceflight data on human performance and spacecraft operations-insights that could prove valuable for future lunar and Mars missions.

In recent times, and especially today, much has been said and written about developments in Azerbaijan’s information space: disinformation dumps, scandals and hybrid threats. Media outlets and channels speak of a hybrid attack against the country, of traces leading to Moscow, says in BakinskiyBurila, a telegram channel publishes in Russian. The channel reports that yet two key points must be noted:

First, this did not begin today. This is not merely an attack; it is a war, hybrid and propagandistic, and it has been waged for quite some time. Second, the stronger and more independent Azerbaijan becomes in its decision-making, the more those inclined to exert underhanded and malicious pressure on Baku will emerge.

To understand this, one must look more broadly at developments in Azerbaijani-Russian relations.

The crisis surrounding the AZAL passenger aircraft became a trigger, after which Moscow’s attitude towards Baku, no longer pragmatic and clear, but ambiguous, Soviet in tone and, if one may say so directly, colonial, began to be displayed openly and on a daily basis. Where are those held accountable? Where are the compensations paid? The criminal case against the individual who gave the order to shoot down a civilian passenger aircraft was ultimately discontinued.

Perhaps Moscow assumed that Baku would swallow this and remain silent. If so, Russia was met with several unpleasant surprises: the Aliyev-Pashinyan meetings in Abu Dhabi, the TRIPP project and the initialling of a peace agreement in Washington, the strengthening of relations between Azerbaijan and the United States, and moreover, the constructive personal rapport between President Ilham Aliyev and President Donald Trump.

Subsequently, JD Vance visited the region, which was another blow to Moscow’s sense of pride. It was described as an effective and productive visit, again undermining Moscow’s expectations.

More recently, further setbacks were delivered to those dreaming of a ‘revival of the USSR’. First, Ruben Vardanyan, sent from Moscow to Karabakh, received a 20-year prison sentence. And today, in Washington, a Peace Council summit is taking place, with the President of Azerbaijan participating.

Analysts around the world frequently comment on processes in the South Caucasus by saying that ‘Russia has been pushed out of the region’. What they fail to clarify is that Russia was not pushed out; it pushed itself out through its own attitude, behaviour and actions. These are not the 1930s, the 1970s or the 1990s. The world has changed. Azerbaijan has changed and Russia even more so.

As for that attitude, consider the example of Ruben Vardanyan. How and why did he suddenly appear in Karabakh? The tales of a visionary who allegedly renounced his Russian passport and travelled not even to Armenia but to a separatist entity for the sake of ‘an idea and a future’ can be left to children who believe in Father Christmas and pink ponies. Moreover, the separatist stirrings in Karabakh, followed by internal political developments in Armenia, clearly demonstrated that there were significant plans for Vardanyan.

Looking back from 2026, it appears evident that he was meant to build political capital in Karabakh before relocating to Armenia to ‘save the nation’, effectively replicating the career trajectory of two other figures, Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan, whose ties with Russia were notably close. Vardanyan is now in prison. His ‘predecessors’, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan, are likewise detained. The Armenian threat, fuelled from Moscow, has been fully neutralised.

The same applies to the threats Russia allegedly sought to cultivate in Baku itself. The premises once occupied by the so-called ‘Russian House’ in Baku, a vaguely defined institution that made little effort to conceal suspicions of intelligence activity, now house a fitness centre. The activities of the Baku office of the outlet Sputnik were also curtailed swiftly and decisively. These episodes form part of the chain of events after which Moscow allegedly launched a large-scale hybrid campaign against Baku.

This time, the activity has reportedly shifted to Europe: through networks of influence, through various politicians in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and in Brussels more broadly, and through Azerbaijani radical opposition figures residing in Germany and other EU states. Notably, many of them appeared to become active almost simultaneously, reviving blogs, websites and social media platforms.

The Commission of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) on Countering Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats has, within its mandate, investigated a number of issues underlying the recent disinformation campaign conducted against Azerbaijan across digital platforms and various media channels, AzerNEWS reports.

According to the statement, an analysis and assessment of these unfriendly actions directed at the state have identified the following:

– The activities are coordinated from a single center;

– The hybrid attacks, which have continued for more than a year, are part of a multi-level pressure strategy;

– The anti-Azerbaijan strategy consists of information manipulation aimed at misleading public opinion, creating polarization within society, and undermining trust in the state and its institutions.

The statement notes that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Azerbaijan has fully restored its territorial integrity and strengthened its sovereign will. At the same time, the country’s contribution to global energy security, the development of transport corridors, the adoption of independent decisions on regional development issues, and the further strengthening of international partnerships have made it a target of a coordinated campaign involving baseless accusations and deliberate disinformation.

The Republic of Azerbaijan reaffirmed that it will remain resolute in defending its rights against any hybrid threats and attempts to disrupt its information space.

Amid the ongoing disinformation campaign, the parliamentary commission called on citizens to rely solely on information provided by Azerbaijan’s official state institutions and representatives.

President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, AzerNEWS reports.

”Your Excellency,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, along with my best wishes for the continued success, happiness, and prosperity of the people of Azerbaijan.

It gives me great pleasure to note that over the past three decades, Slovenia and Azerbaijan have developed friendly and constructive relations based on mutual respect, trust, and a shared commitment to cooperation, both bilaterally and within multilateral forums. I am confident that relations between our countries will deepen and strengthen successfully in areas of mutual interest, especially in the economy, energy security, new technology development, and reinforcing friendly ties between our peoples.

Our joint efforts to promote international peace and security, advocate sustainable development, and combat climate change demonstrate our commitment to addressing global challenges through collective action. Within the international community, we will continue to work together to promote mutual understanding, stability, and peace.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration,” the letter reads.