Azerbaijan

Baku wants the development of the route linking China to Europe to encompass transport, energy, digital infrastructure, investment and human capital. The volume of goods transported in the first half of 2026 has already reached almost 2 million tonnes. And in August, the laying of a fibre-optic cable on the seabed of the Caspian Sea was completed.

On display at the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum, the carpets were presented to Pope Leo XIV by the government of Azerbaijan. A documentary titled Harmony, featuring three women from the three faiths, was also produced. For Azerbaijani Ambassador Mukhtarov, diversity creates richness, like interwoven threads.

As Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia undergo restructuring, the balance of power shifts, spanning everything from politics to infrastructure. Moscow maintains complex, multifaceted relationships with Baku, Yerevan, and Tbilisi, with the ultimate outcome proving “crucial” for the region. The International North-South Transport Corridor is strategic for supply chains.

The various drinks offered to guests in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan embody not only gastronomic preferences but also a cultural code rooted in the geography and history of each of the three countries. A journey through flavours, ancient trade routes and identities.

The water level of the Caspian Sea has been falling since the mid-1990s and reached a historic low in 2025, dropping by 29 meters. The problem is having a negative impact on navigation, necessitating repairs to canals and piers in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, new islands are emerging off the coast of Kazakhstan.

Moscow is particularly important for Azerbaijan’s non-oil exports, whilst Armenia remains its main trading partner and a major tourist destination. Supplies of wheat and fuel are essential for the Georgian market.

Relations between Moscow’s eastern neighbours remain largely in limbo, as they seek to reduce their dependence without severing ties with Russia for good. Meanwhile, in Bishkek, Xi Jinping has, yet again, rejected Putin’s call to unblock the ‘Power of Siberia 2’ gas pipeline project.

The start of operations at Demirli, an open-pit mine under Azerbaijani control since the 2020 war against Armenia, has turned copper into one of the country's main non-oil exports, aided by the growing global demand for metals associated with the energy transition.

On Sunday, the Israeli cabinet approved a proposal for formal recognition of the genocide, which now goes before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, for a vote. This has sparked criticism in Turkey and Azerbaijan. For Armenians, it is a political move that reflects current tensions and conflicts. For Kegham Balian, an activist with “Save The ArQ,” Israel’s action is an "insult to the memory" of the 1.5 million murdered by the Ottoman Empire.

The Middle Corridor is reshaping the region’s geopolitical landscape, offering participating countries a historic opportunity to free themselves once and for all from their role as ‘transit appendages’ to Moscow and become independent players.

From the Stepanakert Cathedral to Tatik-Papik—the monument on the hill symbolizing the unbreakable bond between Armenians and Nagorno-Karabakh—the destruction by Azerbaijani vandals continues, as they demolish churches, steles, and other objects of historical and cultural value to completely erase the identity of others. With no significant reaction from the international community (or from the Yerevan government itself).

Nakhchivan was hit in the enclave that is supposed to be reconnected to Baku with the corridor provided for in the agreement signed by Trump to end the war with Armenia. The historic dispute with Iran over overlapping territories and different interpretations of the Shiite variant of Islam. Tehran denies responsibility, but Aliyev says he is ready to “defend his country's security and territorial integrity”.