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Akbar Novruz

Akbar Novruz

AzerNews

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World Bank's latest assessment brings new perspective on Baku's challenge in human capital reform

The latest World Bank Human Capital Index brings bad news for policymakers in Baku. According to the latest HCI , released in April 2026, Armenia has...

monday 10

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan's digital Silk Way moves forward as Trans-Caspian cable installation begins

Azerbaijan's digital Silk Way moves forward as Trans-Caspian cable installation begins

A specialized cable-laying vessel has departed from the Port of Baku to begin installing the Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic Cable Line toward the port of...

31.07.2026 10

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Baku's Central Asian strategy comes into focus ahead of Bishkek Summit [Op-ED]

Baku's Central Asian strategy comes into focus ahead of Bishkek Summit [Op-ED]

Then there are some diplomatic affairs that Western newsrooms tend to label as "regional," an elegant euphemism for "ignore." One...

30.07.2026 10

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Can Azerbaijan turn its AI strategy into real-world results? [INTERVIEW]

Can Azerbaijan turn its AI strategy into real-world results? [INTERVIEW]

Artificial intelligence is expected to become one of the key drivers of Azerbaijan's digital transformation over the coming years. By assigning...

30.07.2026 10

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Why Kazakhstan can no longer rely on one oil route

Why Kazakhstan can no longer rely on one oil route

A few days ago, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium announced the resumption of the loading process at the Novorossiysk Terminal following an interruption...

29.07.2026 10

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Moody's upbeat on Azerbaijan's oil wealth as diversification gains momentum

Moody's upbeat on Azerbaijan's oil wealth as diversification gains momentum

Last year, Azerbaijan passed the milestone that it had failed to pass for decades. The upgrading of Moody's to Baa3 in July 2025, which is the...

29.07.2026 10

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

US-Saudi nuclear deal puts Iran, Israel in new strategic equation

US-Saudi nuclear deal puts Iran, Israel in new strategic equation

The U.S. Department of Energy announced a signed Section 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement between Washington and Saudi Arabia. The 30-year...

28.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

SOFAZ diversifies its portfolio as Azerbaijan’s oil era matures

SOFAZ diversifies its portfolio as Azerbaijan’s oil era matures

Last week, Azerbaijan's sovereign wealth fund SOFAZ released one of its traditional monthly reports. Despite the previous increases in its...

27.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Constitutional reform becomes Armenia's next political battleground

In the coming period, Armenia may find itself facing one of the most significant constitutional challenges ever since the Velvet Revolution of 2018....

24.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan wins the corridor race, but geopolitics get uncomfortable

This week, the Iranian Railways Administration officially confirmed that construction of the 162 km railway Rasht-Astara will start immediately after...

24.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Five major takeaways from President Aliyev’s Berlin visit [ANALYSIS]

In Berlin, Azerbaijan gets its most important European endorsement yet. A strong and perhaps bold statement. Well, the original plan was to hold this...

22.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Can Azerbaijan's regional airports unlock its tourism potential?

Azerbaijan's tourism bureau has a problem that is easier to describe than to solve. It has spent over $10 billion reconstructing Karabakh, has...

20.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

South Caucasus has moved beyond 3+3 format

Unfortunately, not every diplomatic initiative survives contact with the diplomacy that follows it. It sounds so eye-catching and laudable in a way;...

17.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Baku's tourism boom runs into diversification reckoning by World Bank

For a government that has spent a decade building a tourism industry around five-star hotel chains, Formula 1 circuits and international summits...

16.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Slovakia's Shusha diplomacy reinforces Azerbaijan's strategic role in Europe

When Slovak President Peter Pellegrini posted on X before boarding his flight to Azerbaijan - "Our two countries have built strong relations....

15.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Shusha signals Azerbaijan's shift from builder to regional power broker

The Fourth Shusha Global Media Forum was never intended to be merely a platform for presidential messaging. Indeed, the event has become in the last...

13.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Shusha Global Media Forum returns this time in its most consequential form yet

Between July 13 and 14, Shusha will welcome its fourth annual gathering, which has evolved into one of the most significant international media forums...

13.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Russia's diesel ban reveals Armenia's energy security dilemma

At a televised government meeting chaired by President Putin on Wednesday morning, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak delivered the...

10.07.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan's transit boom entering its industrial phase

Excess capacity at the logistics center is often challenging. It involves meeting demand, managing inventory capacity, and addressing all...

09.07.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Georgia's Anaklia shift opens door to new investment and stronger Middle Corridor

It took a decade, three administrations, two tender cancellations, a lost arbitration case before the World Bank, and the subtle withdrawal of a...

08.07.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan's growing reserves reinforce confidence in manat peg

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan was involved in something that is quite uncommon for the monetary authority of an emerging economy in the first six...

07.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

NATO at "strategic turning point": What awaits alliance in Ankara? [COMMENTARY]

The upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara is shaping up to be far more than another gathering focused on defense budgets. As leaders of all 32 member states...

05.07.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Brussels finally realised what Baku has been saying for years

There is a particular quality to diplomatic visits that arrive a little late. It brings the vigor of earnest intentions, tinged by the 'small...

03.07.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Europe’s green energy pivot runs through Caspian

It should be understood, however, that there is a distinct variety of infrastructure ambition that originates from a presidential summit, leads to a...

02.07.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Europe's return to Baku comes with new strategic realities

The last time Ursula von der Leyen flew to Baku, in the summer of 2022, Europe was in the grip of an energy emergency. Russia had made energy supply...

01.07.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan aims to rejuvenate its white gold with new cotton scheme

There is no doubt that cotton in Azerbaijan carries significance far beyond its meager 2% contribution to the overall output in the agriculture...

01.07.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan's green tourism strategy looks beyond visitor numbers

At an international conference on green tourism in CICA countries held in Baku last week, State Tourism Agency chairman Fuad Naghiyev offered a...

30.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Yerevan's peace agenda faces new test after Israel's genocide decision

The Israeli cabinet recently made a unanimous decision to recognise the Armenian genocide, 111 years after the incident took place and a couple of...

29.06.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Kyiv's ultimatum to Belarus raises questions over Minsk's balancing act with Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has escalated pressure on Belarus by demanding that Minsk dismantle infrastructure which Kyiv says is being...

26.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

When diaspora politics collides with Armenia's new reality [OPINION]

There is a familiar Washington ritual playing out on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that would once have seemed unremarkable. Armenian-American activists in...

25.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Baku's second IsDB summit and a very long to-do list that stretches from Karabakh to Africa

Development finance conferences mostly provide two pieces of news: the figure that is released in the press release itself, and the transactions...

23.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan’s connectivity vision expands as Armenia joins regional digital corridor

Telecommunications contracts are not usually very interesting to read, aren't they? The language used is functional; the press releases are...

22.06.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Is US-Israel special relationship entering colder era?

The US and Iran reached a 14-point preliminary framework deal aimed at ending hostilities, lifting a US naval blockade, and reopening the Strait of...

19.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan leverages development summit to attract billions in new investment

The 51st annual meeting of the Islamic Development Bank Group, which opened today in Baku under the patronage of President Ilham Aliyev, is precisely...

18.06.2026 20

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Without a mediator in sight, Azerbaijan and Armenia walk into a new chapter

Hikmet Hajiyev, Azerbaijani Presidential Aide, has made his inaugural working visit to Armenia, where he met with Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of...

17.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Animals that built Azerbaijan's countryside are getting second chance

At a regional agricultural meeting in Goygol on June 12th, Deputy Agriculture Minister Zaur Aliyev announced a target that, on the surface, sounds...

16.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

INRAIL: Türkiye’s answer to Bosphorus bottleneck that could redefine Eurasian trade

It turns out there’s a bottleneck right through the heart of one of the world’s most active cities, and until recently, it was hard to see any...

15.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Can Türkiye maintain its “African solutions to African problems” approach in Niger?

The official visit of Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani to Ankara has once again underscored the growing transformation of Türkiye’s Africa...

12.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Pashinyan’s renewed mandate and bunch of unanswered questions

The votes have been tallied, the outcome is clear, and the interpretation is already hotly debated. Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party came out...

11.06.2026 40

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Beijing's new Silk Road runs through Baku and Russia cannot stop it

For the greater part of the last three decades, the shortest overland connection between China and Europe passed through Russia. The Northern...

08.06.2026 40

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

US seeks bigger role in Azerbaijan’s energy, transit expansion [COMMENTARY]

The United States is seeking a greater role in Azerbaijan’s expanding energy and transport infrastructure, signaling a new phase in economic...

07.06.2026 40

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Day before vote, Russia, West, and internal pressure shape Armenia’s election atmosphere

With only one day remaining before the parliamentary elections in Armenia on June 7, debates surrounding the transparency and legitimacy of the...

06.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

SOCAR’s tech expansion strengthens Azerbaijan’s geopolitical reach

The global energy landscape is undergoing a profound metamorphosis, one where the traditional boundaries of resource extraction are dissolving into...

06.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Infrastructure Azerbaijan built to bypass Armenia could now be Yerevan's lifeline

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway finally got a full-scale launch after opening in 2017 but only running tests for nine years. When it began operations,...

04.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Iran's weapons in Armenia reveal a strategy, not a friendship

Military parades are designed to communicate. When Armenia staged its first such display in a decade on May 28th in Yerevan's Republic Square,...

02.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Caspian’s shifting role takes center stage at Baku Energy Week [ANALYSIS]

Thirty years ago, Azerbaijan was a country importing electricity and natural gas, with a poverty rate above 50 per cent and nearly a million...

02.06.2026 30

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Türkiye’s regional vision seeks to reshape Middle Eastern security, but can it really?

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has proposed a new regional security architecture stretching from Pakistan to the Persian Gulf, describing it as...

01.06.2026 40

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Battle for Armenia shows how Kremlin’s imperial strategy evolving

When Russia wants to remind a neighbour of its dependence, it reaches for the fruit bowl. Recently, the Russian consumer safety regulator, known as...

30.05.2026 40

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Azerbaijan launches multi-billion-dollar push to transform agriculture [OPINION]

The World Urban Forum ended in Baku three days ago with a Call for Action on housing and sustainable urbanism. The agricultural development conference...

27.05.2026 40

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz

Next phase of Europe’s energy security runs through Azerbaijan

Since the Gulf crisis, most countries have reevaluated their energy security policies and the methods for delivering energy supplies. Moreover,...

26.05.2026 40

AzerNews

Akbar Novruz