Category: Azer News

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has long said that he founded SpaceX in 2002 primarily to help humanity settle Mars. The company’s website prominently highlights the Red Planet as the ideal target for human exploration and expansion, AzerNEWS reports, citing foreign media.

Until recently, Musk had largely dismissed the Moon as a viable destination. Just 13 months ago, he insisted SpaceX would go ‘straight to Mars,’ calling Earth’s natural satellite ‘a distraction.’

However, over the past weekend, Musk surprised the public by announcing that SpaceX is now focusing on establishing a lunar settlement-at least in the short term.

‘For those unaware, SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon,’ Musk wrote on February 8 via X, the social media platform he acquired in 2022. ‘We could potentially achieve this in under 10 years, whereas a Mars city would take more than 20 years.’

He added: ‘The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars. Trips to Mars are limited to planetary alignment every 26 months, taking six months each way, while lunar missions can be launched every 10 days with a two-day trip. This allows us to iterate and grow a moon city much faster than a Mars city.’

Musk hinted at this shift last week while outlining SpaceX’s plan to operate a million-strong constellation of data-center satellites in Earth orbit. The Starship, SpaceX’s fully reusable megarocket, will launch all of these satellites-and is central to the company’s lunar ambitions.

‘Thanks to in-space propellant transfer, Starship will be able to land massive amounts of cargo on the Moon,’ Musk explained. ‘Once there, we can establish a permanent presence for scientific and manufacturing purposes. Lunar factories could produce satellites and deploy them deeper into space. Using electromagnetic mass drivers and lunar manufacturing, we could send hundreds to thousands of terawatts of AI satellites into deep space, advancing humanity along the Kardashev scale and harnessing a meaningful portion of the Sun’s power.’

(For context, the Kardashev scale classifies civilizations by energy use: Type I harnesses all power on its planet, Type II captures all of its star’s energy, and Type III commands an entire galaxy. Humanity hasn’t reached Type I yet.)

Musk emphasized that the off-Earth data-center plan is a ‘bonus’ element of the Moon-focused strategy. ‘The priority shift is due to the risk that a natural or manmade disaster could prevent resupply from Earth, causing a colony to fail,’ he wrote on February 9. ‘We can make a self-growing Moon city in under 10 years, while Mars takes 20+ years because of the 26-month alignment cycle. That is what matters most.’

SpaceX has not abandoned Mars. Musk clarified that lunar development will precede but run in parallel with Mars plans. ‘Mars missions will start in five or six years, but the Moon is the initial focus,’ he said, adding that a crewed Mars flight could happen as early as 2031.

SpaceX has been preparing for a crewed lunar mission for roughly five years. In April 2021, NASA selected Starship as the first crewed lander for the Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent human presence on and around the Moon by around 2030.

If all goes according to plan, Starship will deliver astronauts to the lunar surface on Artemis 3, currently scheduled for 2028-pending the success of Artemis 2, which will orbit the Moon with four astronauts next month.

However, Starship still faces major hurdles. It has flown 11 suborbital test missions, but it has yet to complete an orbital flight or demonstrate off-Earth refueling, essential for lunar missions. Each Moon-bound Starship will require up to a dozen tanker flights to fill its fuel tanks.

Competition also looms. Last fall, then-NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy threatened to open SpaceX’s lunar contract to rivals like Blue Origin, though Duffy’s departure may have eased that pressure. Nonetheless, Blue Origin recently paused its suborbital space tourism flights for at least two years to focus on Moon missions, keeping the space race very much alive.

Musk’s pivot to the Moon highlights a subtle but important strategy-learning to build self-sufficient cities quickly in low-gravity environments. By starting on the Moon, humanity could develop the technology, logistics, and economic models needed for eventual Mars colonization, essentially using Earth’s nearest neighbor as a ‘training ground for interplanetary civilization.’

On the 10th, the 13th session of the Islamic World Heritage Committee of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) commenced in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as part of an ongoing festival, AzerNEWS reports citing the Culture Ministry.

The session reviewed nominations submitted for inclusion in the Islamic World Heritage List and the Islamic World Heritage Tentative List.

During the session, a decision was adopted to inscribe the Aghdam Imarat Historical and Architectural Museum Complex and the Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve, both nominated by Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, on the ICESCO Islamic World Heritage List.

This marks the first time that monuments in Aghdam have been included in international cultural heritage lists.

The 18th-century Imarat complex, regarded as sacred by Azerbaijanis, is of profound historical and cultural significance. Alongside the Imarat Palace of Panah Ali Khan, founder of the Karabakh Khanate, the site encompasses the mausoleums of Panah Ali Khan himself, Ibrahim Khalil Khan, and his son Mehdi Gulu Khan, who ruled the khanate in different periods. It is also the final resting place of Khurshidbanu Natavan, daughter of Mehdi Gulu Khan and a distinguished Azerbaijani poet, as well as other prominent representatives of the Karabakh khans’ lineage.

The establishment of the Imarat Historical and Architectural Museum Complex in the city of Aghdam, decreed by President Ilham Aliyev on February 20, 2025, stands as a vivid example of the special state-level attention being devoted to the revival of cultural heritage and the restoration of historical and cultural values in the Karabakh region.

President Ilham Aliyev attended the official reopening of the restored Aghdam Imarat Complex on September 19, 2024. Spanning 3.3 hectares, the complex includes facilities designed for ceremonial events, mausoleums, a historic cemetery, an equestrian complex for the presentation of Karabakh horses, and a visitor center. The Aghdam Imarat Complex is now open to visitors.

The inclusion of Shusha widely regarded as the cultural cradle of Azerbaijan on the ICESCO Heritage List serves as a powerful testament to the value placed on the revival of this reserve city’s rich historical and cultural legacy.

The session will continue through the 13th as part of the festival’s program.

With its rich cultural legacy, Azerbaijan joined the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) in 1991.

Since then, Azerbaijan has actively promoted the preservation of its Islamic cultural heritage.

The country successfully collaborates closely with various organisations, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Conference of Parliamentary Union, and the Islamic Conference of Youth Forum.

Researchers are conducting in-depth studies at the Imarat Historical and Architectural Museum Complex in Aghdam to preserve and document its rich historical and cultural heritage, AzerNEWS reports.

A team of researchers, led by Associate Professor Parviz Gasimov, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (AMEA), carried out a detailed study at the site.

The research involved specialists from the Institute of History and Ethnology named after A.A. Bakikhanov, including Doctor of History, Associate Professor Gntekin Najafli, Associate Professor Shamil Rahmanzade, and Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics, Associate Professor Mehri Khanbabayeva.

The work was carried out within the framework of the project Aghdam Imarat Complex (historical-archaeological-epigraphic research), which won a grant under the Azerbaijan Science Foundation’s “Karabakh is Azerbaijan! – 3” competition.

The investigations focused primarily on studying the epitaphs on headstones and tombstones that had suffered vandalism in the cemetery of the Imarat complex, as well as examining archival materials related to the site. During the fieldwork, researchers also made detailed impressions of the epitaphs for further analysis.

Note that the archaeological research at the complex was conducted in 2023-2024, documenting instances of vandalism and identifying the locations of burial monuments.

Following these efforts, the Imarat Historical and Architectural Museum Complex was officially established on February 20, 2025, by decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The Imarat Historical and Architectural Museum Complex in the city of Aghdam is a major cultural heritage site and restored historical landmark that preserves and showcases the legacy of the Karabakh Khanate and its prominent figures.

It centers on the 18th-century palace and estate of Panah Ali Khan, the founder of the Khanate, and includes mausoleums, a historic cemetery, ceremonial buildings, a visitor center, and cultural exhibition spaces that tell the story of the region’s past.

Now, the site is open to visitors and features commemorative elements such as a park for Karabakh horses, interactive displays, and facilities that support educational and cultural engagement with the region’s architectural and historical heritage.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, AzerNEWS reports.

“Dear Mr. President,

On the occasion of the national holiday of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Victory of the Islamic Revolution, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and your entire people on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan.

The development of relations between our peoples and countries, bound together by common religious-cultural roots and the ties of good-neighborliness, holds special importance for us. The increasing dynamism in Azerbaijan-Iran relations in recent times gives us great satisfaction.

Your official and working visits to Azerbaijan last year opened a new chapter in the history of interstate relations and gave impetus to the development of our mutually beneficial cooperation.

Currently, the scope of issues on our bilateral agenda is expanding and becoming enriched with new content. The intensive nature of visits at various levels, the documents signed, the joint projects implemented, including the effective work of the State Commission, create favorable opportunities for deepening our cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

I am confident that, for the sake of security and prosperity in our region, Azerbaijan-Iran relations and cooperation will continue to strengthen through our joint efforts in line with the interests of our friendly and brotherly peoples.

On this momentous day, I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your endeavors, as well as enduring peace and prosperity to the friendly and brotherly people of Iran,” the letter reads.

Footage of President Ilham Aliyev’s meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance was posted on his social media accounts, AzerNEWS reports.

The post reads:

“Meeting of President Ilham Aliyev with the U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan (10.02.2026)”.

US Vice President JD Vance signed a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Tuesday during a historic visit to the South Caucasus as Washington consolidates its engagement with Armenia and Azerbaijan following their historic peace deal after decades of conflict.

Vance has unveiled an exciting initiative to bolster Azerbaijan’s maritime security by providing new patrol boats to help safeguard its territorial waters. He further highlighted the promise of expanding collaboration in cutting-edge areas like artificial intelligence and critical minerals, especially through the innovative Middle Corridor transit systems.

But the main thrust of the cooperation is connectivity through transport and logistics by developing the major transit corridor dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) which was agreed by Armenia and Azerbaijan in their peace deal brokered by the US last August, integrating the two countries into a new east-west trade route to strengthen wider Eurasian trade routes.

Having visited Armenia before Azerbaijan, Vance commended the leadership of the two former rival countries who fought two wars over the Karabakh region in decades of conflict, adding that their continued cooperation within the ongoing historic peace process will ensure long-term stability in the South Caucasus.

In Armenia, a country that no sitting US vice president or president has visited before, Vance said on Monday that ‘peace is not made by people who are too focused on the past. Peace is made by people who are focused on the future.’

Evaluating J.D. Vance’s visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan requires considering the US’s geopolitical strategy in the region, according to Dr. Brendan Ziegler, a German-based analyst speaking to AzerNEWS.

“Ever since the agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia on August 8 in Washington, the idea of Baku and Yerevan rapproachment is something ‘surprising’ and plausible. Given the fact that it had been labelled as something symbolic rather than a tangible approach by some, consequent events said something different. Mutually shared statements, disclosures, and Ilham Aliyev’s meeting with Trump at Davos are simple proofs. Perhaps, JD Vance’s trip to both countries even meant something more powerful. The first visit by a U.S. vice president to Armenia, and one to Azerbaijan, occurred after nearly two decades. Looking from a big scope we can say this is a new stance by Washington. This emerging U.S. model is indirect control through trusted regional allies. In this framework, Israel and Trkiye sit at the center, with Saudi Arabia playing a secondary but still important role. Under the Trump administration, this approach has been applied with notable consistency. And with Vance’s statements, calling Azerbaijan a key US ally, as a New Strategic Partnership acts as an extension of this broader architecture.”

Ziegler thinks that this reflects a deliberate shift in U.S. regional management. ‘Washington no longer wants to police the South Caucasus directly,’ he argues.

‘Instead, it is folding Baku into a wider security and connectivity ecosystem overseen indirectly through its most trusted regional partners.’ In this model, Azerbaijan is not sidelined but embedded, managed through alliances rather than mandates.

He explains, TRIPP is often reduced to a trade corridor crossing southern Armenia, unveiled after last August’s White House summit that ended decades of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. ‘That reading misses the point,’ he says.

“This logic also explains the centrality of the ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’ (TRIPP) to Vance’s visit. TRIPP is often described as a trade corridor across southern Armenia, unveiled after last August’s White House summit that ended the decades-long Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. But its importance is not merely economic. Strategically, it displaces Russia’s long-standing plan to control a similar corridor guarded by Russian forces, thereby striking at the Kremlin’s residual influence in the post-war South Caucasus. Beyond that, TRIPP opens a critical logistical gateway to Central Asia. For Washington, this is about far more than transit fees. The landlocked Central Asian republics sit atop critical mineral reserves vital to future industrial and defense supply chains. The U.S. has already signed memoranda of understanding with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and Vance’s proposal for a critical minerals trading bloc, floated at a ministerial attended by over 50 countries, provides essential context for his subsequent Caucasus trip.”

Commenting on the significance of the U.S. Vice President’s visit to both Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ziegler said the region is no longer as peripheral as it once was.

“What is clear is that the South Caucasus has become a pivot point in a much larger game. Vance’s visit was not about Armenia or Azerbaijan alone. It was about redefining how the U.S. manages regions it no longer wishes to dominate militarily, how it delegates order to allies, and how it reshapes Eurasia’s connective tissue as it prepares for a far more consequential contest in the Far East,” said the expert.

The Central Scientific Library of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) has hosted a conference dedicated to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, under the theme “From Idea to Impact: New Horizons for STEM with Gender Equality”, AzerNEWS reports. The event was jointly organized by the ANAS Presidium and the Women’s Council.

Opening the conference, ANAS Vice-President, academician Irada Huseynova, highlighted that this day is celebrated worldwide, including in Azerbaijan, following the UN General Assembly resolution adopted on December 22, 2015. She pointed out that gender equality in science remains a key priority, with efforts focused on promoting women’s active participation in research and innovation.

Irada Huseynova noted that UNESCO’s 2026 theme, “From Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap,” aims to encourage women to transform ideas into tangible scientific and technological achievements. This approach emphasizes expanding girls’ access to STEM education from an early age, eliminating stereotypes, and increasing women’s representation in leadership positions in science. She also highlighted Azerbaijan’s rich scientific and cultural traditions, noting that women have historically played an active role in advancing science.

Stressing the importance of gender balance in the ongoing transformation of Azerbaijan’s scientific landscape, Huseynova shared that approximately 58 percent of researchers in the country are women, surpassing the global average. She added that increasing the share of women in STEM education and leadership positions will make future innovation and technological development more inclusive.

Following her, ANAS Acting Vice-President, academician Govhar Bakhshaliyeva, underscored the prominent role of Azerbaijani women in the country’s social, political, and cultural life. She highlighted that the National Leader Heydar Aliyev emphasized expanding women’s societal role, a policy successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. Govhar Bakhshaliyeva stressed that Azerbaijani women contribute significantly to nation-building, social and economic development, and the intellectual and cultural potential of the country, exemplified internationally by the work of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva.

Bakhshaliyeva also discussed the growing impact of women in science and education, mentioning notable Azerbaijani women scientists who pioneered new ideas and founded their own schools of thought.

Later, Professor Rena Mirzazade, Chair of the ANAS Women’s Council, emphasized the importance of celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

She noted that women occupy numerous leadership positions in Azerbaijan and are active in scientific management within ANAS, highlighting that the academy currently employs 1,977 female staff members, including 385 doctors of science and 269 PhDs.

Other speakers highlighted the importance of gender equality in science and technology in the context of rapid innovation, noting that emerging tools such as artificial intelligence and digital platforms play a key role in enhancing research efficiency and expanding opportunities for women in STEM fields.

The ‘World Defence Show 2026,’ currently underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, continues to serve as a key platform for international defense cooperation.

AzerNEWS reports that Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense Industry, Minister Vugar Mustafayev, who is attending the exhibition, held a series of high-level meetings on February 10 with prominent officials and industry leaders from several countries.

During the event, Mustafayev met with Ahmad bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries, and Khalid bin Hussein Al-Biyari, Deputy Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs. He also held discussions with Mansurjon Ibodullayev, Director of the Defense Industry Agency under Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense, and Muhammad Chiragh Haider, Secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production.

In addition, the Azerbaijani minister met with senior representatives of leading U.S. defense companies, including General Dynamics, Teledyne FLIR, and Ansys.

The meetings focused on reviewing existing cooperation in the defense industry and exploring prospects for further development. The sides discussed potential avenues for collaboration in manufacturing, technology transfer, and innovation-driven growth.

During the talks, participants emphasized that in today’s rapidly evolving security environment, the defense industry is shaped not only by production capacity but also by strong scientific foundations, cutting-edge technologies, and agile management models. Strengthening ties between industry and academia was described as a strategic priority.

The importance of closely monitoring technological advancements, studying best practices, and adapting them to national contexts was highlighted as essential for ensuring the sector’s dynamic development. International exhibitions and forums such as the World Defence Show were noted as playing a vital role in facilitating dialogue and cooperation.

The discussions also underscored the value of institutionalizing experience-sharing mechanisms to ensure sustainable and structured collaboration.

All parties stressed the importance of maintaining active communication and continuing dialogue to advance mutually beneficial partnerships.

The World Defence Show 2026 is scheduled to conclude on February 12.

Turkish Airlines will launch regular flights to Yerevan starting from March 11, Armenia International Airports CJSC has announced, Azernews reports.

The Istanbul-Yerevan-Istanbul route will initially be operated on a daily basis.

According to the operator, the frequency of flights will increase in the coming months, reaching ten flights per week from mid-May and further expanding to fourteen flights per week from mid-June.

In the world of politics, much like on a chessboard, the pieces and the logic by which they operate vary widely. This is particularly evident among certain members of Russia’s State Duma who have gained notoriety for political rhetoric driven not by reasoned argument, but by ideological theses. One such figure is Konstantin Zatulin, who at times appears to be attempting to assume the role once played by Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Yet the absurdities he routinely utters end up damaging not only his own credibility, but also the public image of Russia’s political elite as a whole.

The recent speech by Mr Zatulin, a Russian politician and deputy in the State Duma, delivered at the Armenian Apostolic Church’s main cathedral in Moscow, deserves close attention. At first glance, one might dismiss his remarks as mere rhetoric. Yet those familiar with Russia’s political machinery know that figures like Zatulin often serve as unofficial mouthpieces for the Kremlin-saying aloud what Moscow itself prefers to keep between the lines. When convenient, the Russian state embraces their words; when not, it dismisses them as ‘personal opinions.’ That is precisely why Zatulin’s speech should be read carefully, especially its subtext.

The message was clear: Russia does not want peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Kremlin, bogged down in Ukraine, lacks the capacity to halt the peace process outright, but it hopes to reignite the long-buried Karabakh conflict. Its strategy hinges on the 2026 Armenian elections, where Moscow aims to restore the so-called ‘Karabakh clique’ to power-at any cost. Zatulin’s attack on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was not accidental; it was part of a broader campaign to undermine him and reassert Russia’s grip on Yerevan.

I will honestly admit that Armenia’s defeat in 2020 was more than a reality as it demonstrated Azerbaijan’s transformation into a modern military power. Technologically and tactically, Azerbaijan’s armed forces outmatched Armenia many times over, and in several areas rivalled larger regional actors, such as Iran, Turkiye, and even Russia.

However, being honest, I must say that Pashinyan was not the architect of Armenia’s defeat in the 44-day war. That responsibility lies squarely with the Karabakh clique, whose thirty-year rule crippled the Armenian state, hollowed out its economy, and isolated the country regionally. Their legacy includes corruption so brazen that even railway tracks and sleepers along the Araz River were dismantled and sold.

The reality today is stark: the Karabakh conflict is over, and new regional dynamics have emerged. Russia, however, refuses to accept them. Moscow fears that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan would spell the end of its influence in the South Caucasus-and beyond.

In detail, Russia offers no real opportunities to countries in the region under its ‘sphere of influence,’ only fear and coercion. History proves that those who defy this sphere of influence thrive. Thirty years ago, Azerbaijan showed Russia the door. Despite initial hardships, the Azerbaijani economy has since grown 140-fold, rebuilding its infrastructure to a standard that now surpasses Russia’s own. Similarly, Poland and the Baltic states enjoy a per capita income nearly double that of Russia. Conversely, nations that remain tethered to Moscow-like Armenia under the Karabakh clique-are left with nothing.

Zatulin cannot conceal the truth, though he works tirelessly to obscure it. He knows the realities all too well, yet cloaks them in diplomatic varnish. Russia’s failure to intervene during the 44-Day War was not simply a tactical calculation-it was an admission of weakness. With the Ukraine conflict draining its resources, Moscow recognized that it lacked the capacity to confront a state as militarily advanced as Azerbaijan.

In his speech, Zatulin repeatedly credited Turkiye for Azerbaijan’s battlefield success, portraying Russia’s passivity as a gesture of goodwill toward Ankara. This is a deliberate misdirection. The Kremlin’s silence was not about preserving ties with Turkey; it was about avoiding a direct clash with Azerbaijan’s modernised war machine. To acknowledge this would be to concede that Azerbaijan has become a model of defiance-proof that resistance to Moscow’s dominance is not only possible but effective. Zatulin’s rhetorical contortions are designed precisely to prevent such an admission, even as the facts speak for themselves.

True to tradition, Russia now resorts to threats. Zatulin warned that Armenians in Russia would be branded traitors if Pashinyan remains in power, and hinted that once the war in Ukraine ends, Moscow will ‘settle accounts’ with its neighbours. This is intimidation, pure and simple.

The choice before Armenians is stark. In 2026, they can vote for progress, show resolve, and shut the door on Russia-or they can return the Karabakh clique to power and sink deeper into decline. Russia is not a rising star but a fading one, unable to help itself, let alone its neighbours. The only chains Armenians risk losing are those fastened by the Karabakh clique itself.