Azerbaijan women’s volleyball team wins bronze at CIS Games [PHOTOS]

Volleyball competitions are ongoing at the third CIS Games in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

The match between the women’s teams of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan ended with a 3-1 victory for the national team.

With this win, the Azerbaijani women’s team secured the bronze medal of the CIS Games.

The Uzbekistan team finished the competition in fourth place.

Note that the match took place at the Ganja Sports Palace.

Azerbaijan is hosting the third Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Games from September 28 to October 8, 2025, marking a significant event in the region’s sports calendar.

This multi-sport competition brings together athletes from CIS member states and invited countries, aiming to promote friendship, cooperation, and athletic excellence.

For the first time in the history of the CIS Games, competitions are being held across seven cities in Azerbaijan: Ganja, Mingachevir, Gabala, Shaki, Goygol, Yevlakh, and Khankandi.

Each city hosts events in different sports, with the second-largest city, Ganja, serving as the main hub and officially designated the CIS Sports Capital for 2025.

Around 23 sports are being contested across 12 venues, highlighting a broad and inclusive athletic program.

A total of 1,624 athletes from 13 countries had confirmed participation. Event mascots Babir and Leyla are helping to generate enthusiasm among young fans.

Baku to host fifth ‘Victory Run’

On November 2, Azerbaijan will celebrate the 5th anniversary of its glorious victory in the 44-day Patriotic War, Azernews reports.

To mark this occasion, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration with the Baku City Circuit Operations Company and the Azerbaijan Athletics Federation, will organize the next charity event, the “Victory Run.”

The Victory Run will start near the “Seven Beauties” fountain in the Seaside National Park. The run will cover a distance of 10 km, and the participants who reach the finish line first will be declared winners and awarded prizes.

In addition to the race, various interesting and entertaining activities will be organized. All participants who reach the finish line will receive a medal. They will also be able to download their participant certificate from the official website of the event.

Those who wish to join the race, held under the slogan “Pride Forward,” must pay a minimum registration fee of 20 manat for charitable purposes. The funds raised from the run will be donated to YASHAT Foundation.

The Victory Run has been held annually since 2021 as a tradition.

Hungarian prime minister visits Azerbaijan’s Gabala to attend OTS Summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Azerbaijan on October 6 to attend the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Azernews reports.

A guard of honor was lined up at Gabala International Airport in honor of the high-ranking guest.

Orban was welcomed at the airport by Azerbaijani Minister of Culture Adil Karimli and other officials.

The Organization of Turkic States (OTS), previously known as the Turkic Council or the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, is an intergovernmental entity that includes all but one of the internationally recognized Turkic sovereign nations. The primary objective is to foster extensive collaboration among the Turkic nations. The General Secretariat of OTS is situated in Istanbul, Trkiye.

Azerbaijani culture demonstrated within ‘Long Night of Museums’ project [PHOTOS]

The Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Vienna has once again participated in the “Long Night of Museums” project, organized by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), Azernews reports.

More than 700 museums, galleries, and cultural institutions across Austria, with nearly 200 from the capital Vienna, took part in the event.

The Azerbaijani Cultural Center presented the exhibition titled “In the Beginning Was the Word… and Music, Colors, and Thoughts”.

This exhibition, held in collaboration with the Azerbaijan National Art Museum, the Azerbaijan State Theater Museum, Azerbaijan State Museum of Musical Culture, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), and ADA University, showcased the development of the national cultural identity formed in Azerbaijan through literature, music, theater, and fine arts.

At the heart of the exhibition were the life and work of Mirza Gadim Iravani, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Hasan bay Zardabi, and Mirza Fatali Akhundov, focusing on their contributions to Azerbaijani culture, modern perspectives, and ideas of enlightenment.

The exhibition, which attracted hundreds of visitors, also featured the European debut of the works of Mirza Gadim Iravani, whose 200th anniversary is being celebrated this year. Iravani played a crucial role in the development of 19th-century national visual arts in Azerbaijan.

Additionally, to promote the upcoming new production of Uzeyir Hajibayli’s “The Cloth Peddler” operetta in Vienna, arias and duets from the work were performed. The performances by Gunel Shirinova (soprano), Lukas Kartzel (tenor), and Tamilla Sadigbayli (piano) were met with great interest and applause.

A special program was also prepared for young visitors. Azerbaijani Cultural Center staff Rashida Asgarli and Guler Azizova presented a puppet show in German, based on the motifs of the fairy tale “Cirtdan”.

For the 25th time, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation organized the “Long Night of Museums,” where a ticket purchased for one museum grants access to other participating museums for the evening.

Last year, over 300,000 visitors attended the museums during the event, with half of them visiting locations in the capital, Vienna.

Nizami Cinema hosts premiere of ‘Taghiyev: Sona’ feature film [PHOTOS]

Nizami Cinema Center has hosted the premiere of the feature film “Taghiyev: Sona”, a portrayal of the life of the renowned philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, Azernews reports.

The event was attended by Arzu Aliyeva, the film’s executive producer and President of the Baku Media Center, along with government officials and notable cultural figures.

Produced by the Baku Media Center, the film was made with support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Cinema Agency. It also received backing from NEQSOL Holding, Kapital Bank, Bakcell, and Norm companies.

“Taghiyev: Sona” is the third chapter in the four-part Taghiyev saga, which chronicles the life and philanthropic legacy of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. The film explores significant historical events that shaped Baku and the region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The story follows Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, a man who has endured many hardships, as he meets a young and educated woman named Sona. His love for her brings new challenges, and the film portrays their unforgettable love story, as Sona navigates obstacles to win his heart.

Viewers will experience themes of strength, loyalty, and love, while witnessing the personal transformations of the characters from the first two episodes.

The executive producer is Arzu Aliyeva, with Orman Aliyev serving as producer.

Directed by Zaur Gasimli, the film’s script was written by Ismayil Iman, Asif Isgandarli, and Zaur Gasimli. The key creative team includes cinematographer Vladimir Artemyev, artist Sabuhi Atababayev, costume designer Vusal Rahim, and composer Etibar Asadli.

The cast features prominent actors such as People’s Artists Parviz Mammadrzayev and Gurban Ismayilov, along with Honored Artists Rasim Jafar, Elshan Rustamov, and Natavan Hajiyeva, who play key historical roles.

The film’s premiere was met with a standing ovation from the audience.

The first part of the Taghiyev saga, “Taghiyev: Oil”, was released in 2024 to mark the 100th anniversary of Taghiyev’s death. The film became a cultural milestone, attracting over 70,000 viewers in local cinemas, and it earned international recognition, winning the Best Feature Film with Color Correction award at the Dehancer Colourist Awards 2024.

The film takes viewers through various stages of Taghiyev’s life, from his humble beginnings in a cobbler’s family in Baku to becoming a wealthy industrialist and public figure devoted to improving the lives of ordinary people. It delves into his challenging decisions, perseverance, and his efforts to enhance education.

With its stunning visuals, the film highlights Taghiyev’s great role in societal development, including the establishment of the first girls’ school in the East and his contributions to the oil industry and the urbanization of Baku.

The production of the film has become a landmark in Azerbaijani cinema. Nearly 2,500 creative professionals were involved in large-scale scenes filmed across 76 locations, with over 300 sets constructed.

A dedicated costume workshop meticulously created period-accurate costumes, accessories, and jewelry to authentically depict the era of Taghiyev.

Azerbaijani rowers conclude CIS Games with four medals [PHOTOS]

Kur Olympic Training and Sports Center has hosted rowing competitions as part of the third CIS Games, Azernews reports.

Based on the results of the two-day competition, Azerbaijani rowers have won a total of four medals.

Alimurad Hajizade claimed the silver medal. Amil Ramazanov won two bronze medals.

The duet of Ivan Vorobyanski and Huseyn Hasanov secured third place and earned a bronze medal.

Azerbaijan is hosting the third Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Games from September 28 to October 8, 2025, marking a significant event in the region’s sports calendar.

This multi-sport competition brings together athletes from CIS member states and invited countries, aiming to promote friendship, cooperation, and athletic excellence.

For the first time in the history of the CIS Games, competitions are being held across seven cities in Azerbaijan: Ganja, Mingachevir, Gabala, Shaki, Goygol, Yevlakh, and Khankandi.

Each city hosts events in different sports, with the second-largest city, Ganja, serving as the main hub and officially designated the CIS Sports Capital for 2025.

Around 23 sports are being contested across 12 venues, highlighting a broad and inclusive athletic program.

A total of 1,624 athletes from 13 countries had confirmed participation. Event mascots Babir and Leyla are helping to generate enthusiasm among young fans.

Guided by grievance: how diaspora narratives undermine Armenia’s future

In recent months, Armenia’s shifting foreign and security policy has once again exposed deep divisions within its political and social fabric. As Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government pursues new directions in diplomacy and defense, seeking balance between East and West, the reactions from traditional power circles and diaspora groups have been anything but uniform.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the fierce criticism emerging from the diaspora regarding Armenia’s latest cooperation with the United States under the so-called Crossroads of Peace initiative. Framed by its opponents as a ‘Trojan partnership’ and a threat to sovereignty, this rhetoric reflects not a realistic security concern but a broader struggle over identity, power, and control of Armenia’s political narrative.

The recent “white paper” from the Armenian Weekly is a clear example of politically motivated fearmongering. The narrative, disguised as a defense of sovereignty, misrepresents the purpose of the Crossroads of Peace initiative and deliberately overlooks Armenia’s own strategic failures and choices regarding geopolitical dependency.

Armenia’s latest cooperation with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) underlines a familiar pattern: Yerevan repeatedly mistakes symbolic foreign attention for strategic importance. The framework, far from being a Western plot, is a limited technical project aimed at assessing and modernizing border management – something Armenia has long lacked capacity in due to systemic mismanagement and overreliance on outdated Soviet structures.

Labeling such cooperation as a ‘surrender of sovereignty’ betrays a deeper insecurity within Armenian policymaking circles. Decades of dependence on Russia’s security umbrella have left the Armenian state incapable of sustaining independent defense capabilities, and now, when Western engagement comes with transparency requirements, nationalist circles interpret it as espionage. The contradiction is glaring: a country that has hosted Russian border troops for over 30 years suddenly finds U.S. technical experts a threat to its autonomy.

Diaspora’s appeal for ‘strategic neutrality’ conveniently ignores the reality that Armenia long abandoned neutrality when it became a member of the CSTO and hosted a Russian military base in Gyumri. The paper’s call to ‘reorient defense policy’ is a rhetorical maneuver to justify Yerevan’s gradual detachment from Moscow while scapegoating the West for Armenia’s internal political fragility.

The U.S. mission’s stated purpose, to conduct a capability gap analysis, is a standard practice within international cooperation frameworks. Armenia’s own request for such assistance reflects an acknowledgment of governance and border control weaknesses. If sovereignty were genuinely the issue, such discussions would have begun when Russian soldiers were manning Armenia’s borders with Trkiye and Iran.

Perhaps the most revealing element of the ‘white paper’ is its historical revisionism. The authors selectively cite events from the early 20th century to frame the West as an eternal betrayer of Armenia, while conveniently erasing the catastrophic results of Yerevan’s own strategic miscalculations, from its militarized policies in Garabagh to its diplomatic isolation in recent years.

This instrumental use of history, combined with alarmist language about ‘occupation’ and ‘foreign control,’ aims to evoke existential fear rather than promote realistic policy debate. Ironically, it is precisely this mindset – framing every external actor as an enemy – that has confined Armenia to a cycle of dependency and isolation.

The geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus has changed irreversibly. Azerbaijan’s strengthened sovereignty, Trkiye’s assertive regional diplomacy, and new transit and energy routes have made old Cold War-style alignments obsolete. Yerevan’s dilemma is not about ‘foreign infiltration,’ but about its inability to adapt to the region’s new balance of power.

In fact, we have written on the same issues many times before. Without a doubt, this is proving itself again. Not everyone agrees with the current situation. Leaders from the Armenian diaspora, church, and nationalist figures argue that recent developments undermine the Armenian cause. These actors create a constellation of influence that opposes Yerevan’s [current] realist ideologies. What they defend is not merely a set of territorial claims, but a worldview rooted in grievance, martyrdom, and a narrative of heroic victimhood. As governments have come and gone in Yerevan, the Church has acted as a stable institution and, at times, a power center in its own right, arguably functioning as a sort of “deep state.” Significant reforms and steps not taken today could be undermined at any moment in the near future.

While the paper warns of ‘foreign control,’ the real concern for Armenia should be its own diminishing agency and relevance in regional processes such as the Middle Corridor and the Zangezur Corridor (recently labeled as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity), initiatives that continue to progress without Yerevan’s participation or influence.

The ‘Trojan horse’ narrative serves one purpose: to deflect responsibility from Armenia’s domestic failures and geopolitical confusion. By portraying cooperation as infiltration and partnership as espionage, such discourse isolates Armenia further from the modernizing and stabilizing trends of the South Caucasus.

In reality, sovereignty is not eroded by cooperation; it is eroded by the inability to use it responsibly.

Cayetano urged to resign first after ‘unconstitutional’ snap polls proposal

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s recent call for “radical honesty” is getting him some in return.

The senator’s weekend appeal for all government officials to resign and face snap elections has been shot down by political analysts, who questioned the proposal’s constitutionality and Cayetano’s credibility to make it.

In a statement posted on his social media pages Sunday, October 5, Cayetano called on officials from Congress to Malacañang to step down for “a completely new set of leaders,” describing it as the only way to rebuild public trust after the current corruption scandal involving public works projects.

The proposal, which Cayetano framed as an act requiring “radical honesty” and a “national reset button,” has been met with skepticism from observers due to the 1987 Constitution having no actual provision allowing for snap elections.

Two political analysts have also noted that Cayetano made no explicit commitment to resign himself, despite calling leadership “about stewardship, not self-preservation.”

Wrong messenger

Aside from the proposal being legally impossible, former presidential political adviser and political analyst Ronald Llamas said Cayetano’s own credibility weakens his suggestion.

“He’s calling for snap elections because people are dismayed with politicians,” Llamas said in an interview with TeleRadyo on Monday, October 6. “But he appears to be among the politicians people are dismayed with.”

Beyond the current flood control corruption probe, Llamas pointed out that Cayetano and former Senate President Chiz Escudero are themselves facing controversy over the delayed and eventually scrapped impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and the 2025 budget deliberations, particularly the unexplained insertions.

It was Cayetano who nominated Escudero to the Senate presidency in 2024 following the ouster of then-Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

“They’re too tainted to suggest this kind of political proposal,” Llamas said.

If Cayetano were serious about his proposal, Llamas said, “he should resign first as an example, so others might follow.”

Unconstitutional, unpopular

Political scientist Ranjit Rye, who teaches at the University of the Philippines and is president of OCTA Research, said the plan has no footing in either the Constitution or current public opinion.

‘On the face of it, it’s unconstitutional,’ Rye said in a DZBB interview. ‘It also has no basis in terms of public clamor.”

Rye added that while Cayetano may mean well, his idea ignores what Filipinos’ more concrete demand for government reform.

“The solution is accountability and reform of the system, not extra-constitutional shortcuts,” he said.

Cayetano’s plan depends entirely on voluntary resignations, creating obvious problems, Llamas pointed out.

“If half resign and half don’t, what happens?” Llamas asked. “Only half would have elections.”

Cayetano offered no details on implementation or what would happen if officials refused in his press release.

His own press release also quoted unidentified “administration allies” dismissing the idea as “political theater” – an unusual admission for a senator’s own statement promoting the proposal.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) itself has likewise ruled out Cayetano’s proposal as impossible under current laws.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia explained that the 1987 Constitution fixes the terms of elected officials and provides no mechanism for nationwide snap polls outside the normal electoral calendar.

“We cannot conduct a special or snap election without a law,” Garcia said in a DZBB interview.

Presidents, vice presidents and members of Congress serve fixed periods that cannot be cut short without triggering succession provisions already spelled out in the charter, the Comelec chairperson said.

Garcia said parliamentary systems allow snap elections through no-confidence votes, but the Philippines has no such provision.

He added that the current fixed terms were spelled out by the 1987 Constitution to prevent the concentration of power that existed under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who called snap elections in 1986 under a super-presidential parliamentary system.

“The snap elections before were conducted under an authoritarian setup, not in a democratic system like the one we have now,” Llamas said.