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On 17 October 2020, the Azerbaijani Army liberated the city of Fuzuli and several surrounding villages, ending more than 27 years of occupation that began on 23 August 1993. Deputy Sevil Mikayilova told Trend, as reported by Day.Az, that the priority now is turning the victory into sustainable development, rebuilding the destroyed city and enabling residents to resettle.
Iran's parliament has elected Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as the country's defense minister, according to a report published on 18 October 2026 by Report.az, which cited Tasnim. A total of 237 lawmakers voted in favor of his appointment.
One person was killed and five others were injured in a mass drone attack on St Petersburg, which the source attributes to Ukraine's Armed Forces, according to St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov. APA's Russia bureau reported the governor's statement, saying the attack damaged a 12-storey apartment building and two private houses.
Defence ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States discussed the development of military cooperation at a regular meeting of the Council of Defence Ministers in Cholpon-Ata, Issyk-Kul region, Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan's Minister of Defence, Major General Batyr Kudratkhodzhayev, took part. The Uzbek Ministry of Defence reported the meeting.
NATO exercises in Baku have concluded, with the third meeting of the "Interoperability Initiative for Partner Countries" and a first-level self-assessment exercise taking place within the Partnership for Peace programme between Azerbaijan and NATO. Day.Az reported, citing Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence, that the ministry announced the outcome.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists that the United States shares the United Kingdom's position regarding Iran's alleged involvement in preparations for an attack on the RAF Fairford airbase. Rubio said Britain had stated that Iranians were behind the preparations, that there was no basis to disagree with this assessment, and that the US also shares this position.
Training flights have been conducted within the next phase of the Falcons Meet - 2026 joint tactical flight exercise held in Azerbaijan. The exercise involves military personnel from Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates, along with aviation assets and air defence systems from both countries. The report was issued by the Press Service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense.
Trend has published its chronicle of the 44-day Patriotic War for 18 October. The war began on 27 September 2020, when Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the front line, and Azerbaijan responded with a counteroffensive later named “Iron Fist”. The 44-day war ended roughly 30 years of occupation and restored Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.
Bulgarian National Radio's programme "Bulgaria Today" aired on Friday, 16 October 2026, at 16:00. The programme was scheduled to open with a news bulletin covering the day's main developments.
Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozymbayev, on a working trip to Almaty, inspected civil protection facilities and reviewed seismological monitoring and public warning systems. He then held a council on seismic safety at the Almaty city akimat, attended by city akim Darkhan Satybaldy and representatives of sectoral ministries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said radical groups in Afghanistan intend to use the country to threaten Central Asia and Russia. He made the remarks at a conference on the security of Central Asia and Afghanistan held under the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO. Daryo reported the statement, citing 24.kg.
Diplomacy
Kazakhstan's ambassador to Russia, Dauren Abayev, took part in a conference of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on security in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Kazinform reported this, citing the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Türkiye has responded with a counter-NAVTEX to Greece’s notice for the Eunomia exercise, which Greece is conducting in the eastern Mediterranean with four countries. Ankara said the area falls within Türkiye’s jurisdiction and under the responsibility of the Antalya station.
US President Donald Trump has signed an order suspending new sanctions against Russia. The decision was justified by national interests, according to information published on the White House website and reported by Qafqazinfo. The order was signed two days before a bill took effect that would impose sanctions on the Russian government and state companies, as well as tariffs on countries that import energy from Russia.
Bashkortostan Health Minister Airat Rakhmatullin said he has taken personal control over the treatment of a 35-year-old woman and her seven-month-old child. The two were injured in a collision involving three cars in Ufa, and they are being treated in hospital in serious condition.
Greece will hold a drill in the Eastern Mediterranean on 19 October together with France, Italy and the Greek Cypriot Administration (GKRY). According to a Ta Nea report carried by Haber Kıbrıs, the exercise, called “Eunomia”, will largely take place along the route of a planned electricity interconnector project (GSI) linking Greece, GKRY and Israel.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that wars and conflicts will continue and new ones will emerge until mechanisms ensuring the implementation of decisions and resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and other international organizations are developed. He spoke at the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku.
Kazakhstan's National Security Committee has reported halting the activities of a drug smuggling channel from Afghanistan. According to NUR.KZ, which cited the committee's website, a special operation to dismantle an international drug channel along the so-called "Northern Route" was carried out jointly with special services from Russia and Uzbekistan.
Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the country has written to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte requesting support to strengthen its defence capacity. Speaking to journalists in Sofia on the anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian Air Force, Stoyanov said the aim is to secure the country’s airspace and territorial waters and to demonstrate its military presence.
On October 15, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov addressed the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku. He stressed the importance of strengthening peace, security and mutual trust across the continent, and proposed making more active use of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, which is headquartered in Ashgabat.
Öztürkler said at Sadrazamköy that the joint operational capability, superior firepower, discipline and coordination of Turkish Armed Forces’ land, sea and air components had once again been witnessed. He stressed that Turkish Cypriots favour peace, but that the desire for peace should not be seen as weakness.
Defense & Security
A temporary commission of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis against external interference and hybrid threats has issued a statement on hybrid attacks against Azerbaijan. The statement says the country's emergence as a middle-level power under President Ilham Aliyev, its assertive foreign policy, growing international authority, contribution to international energy security, strategic importance in regional transit corridors, and domestic political and economic stability have significantly increased the scale of hybrid attacks by external actors.
Iran's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said Iran is seeking to improve relations with its neighbours and that no country should allow its territory to be used for armed attacks against Iran.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on 15 October 2026 that the European Union should take a position on attacks on civilian ships, stating: “This unacceptable aggression must end.” He stressed that the Black Sea is not only a security zone but a strategic corridor for transporting food, fertiliser and energy resources, on which millions of people depend.
Today's top Turkic news: Uzbekistan-China ties, Samarkand visit, Kulubaev-Rubio talks, Northern Cyprus festival and Turkmen desertification centre.
Read today's digest →