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Azerbaijan news
Hadi Haqshenas, governor of Iran's Gilan province, told Trend that operational work on the Rasht-Astara railway is continuing as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor. He said that about 120 kilometres of the 162-kilometre line's land has been purchased from citizens.
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.
According to the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture of Azerbaijan, 827 families, or 3,153 people, have returned to Fuzuli city so far. The committee said residential complexes are being built in the city alongside the development of social infrastructure.
Uzbekistan and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) discussed expanding cooperation on road and railway networks, logistics corridors, energy infrastructure and water systems during a meeting in Bangkok on October 15. According to a statement from the Uzbekistan Ministry of Economy and Finance, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov met AIIB President Zou Jiayi on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. Turkmenistan has called on interested countries and international partners to support its initiative to establish the Ashgabat Climate Dialogue, a multilateral platform for cooperation on climate change and environmental protection. The call was reflected in a press release from the Turkmen government's press service, citing President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's speech at the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku.
Azerbaijan exported 33,160 million kWh of electricity to the Islamic Republic of Iran in January–August 2026, the State Statistics Committee reported, as cited by Trend. The exports generated $942 thousand in revenue.
The price of Azerbaijan's Azeri Light crude oil on the global market fell by $2.78, or 2.33%, to $116.26 per barrel, a source in the oil market told Report. According to trading results, Brent crude oil futures for December stood at $116.59 per barrel.
According to a report published by the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline transported 18.857 million tonnes of oil in January–September 2026. Based on Trend's calculations using the committee's data, this is 1.712 million tonnes, or 8.3 percent, lower than in the same period of 2025, when 20.569 million tonnes were transported.
Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers has adopted a decision on a uniform school uniform, which some political and public circles in Türkiye have met with discontent. Speaking to Modern.az, Aydin Mirzazada, a member of the Milli Majlis committee on defence, security and anti-corruption, said it is wrong to present statements by individuals against Azerbaijan as the position of the Turkish state.
In a column for AzerNEWS, Farman Aydin asks whether Ankara regards Baku as an equal sovereign partner or as an ally whose foreign policy should conform to Turkish expectations. The question comes amid controversy over oil exports through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. The author argues that strategic partnerships cannot rely on historical sentiment alone and require mutual respect, consistent principles, and recognition that even close allies retain the right to pursue their own national interests.
Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (TDT), has congratulated Azerbaijan on Restoration of Independence Day. According to Report.az, he shared the message on his account on the social media platform X.
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.
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Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has congratulated Azerbaijan on Restoration of Independence Day. Day.Az reported that the message was published on the ministry's official account on the social network X.
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.
The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan will host the 15th plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) and a meeting of the Assembly Council on October 19-20.
Azerbaijan's extended chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) until 2028 opens new opportunities for regional cooperation, security and joint economic projects, according to Ranokhon Tursunova, a professor at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Tashkent. She spoke to Day.az about the outcomes of the 7th CICA summit, held in Baku on 15 October.
Azerbaijan will have four consecutive non-working days in November, Day.Az reports. This year, 8 November, Victory Day, falls on a Sunday. The following day, 9 November, is marked as State Flag Day and is also a non-working day.
Azerbaijan has held a series of meetings with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other international financial institutions to discuss fiscal reforms, economic diversification and future investment cooperation. According to the Ministry of Finance, First Deputy Finance Minister Anar Karimov held the discussions on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group in Bangkok, Thailand.
Azerbaijan expects to keep the manat at 1.70 to the US dollar through 2030. The Ministry of Economy has incorporated this rate into its macroeconomic projections for 2027–2030. According to the government, the stable manat has supported domestic demand, limited currency risks in financial and consumption decisions, and strengthened the national currency's position in household savings.
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.
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Azerbaijan holds the leading position in the South Caucasus by volume of strategic foreign currency reserves. According to the State Statistics Committee, the country's strategic reserves stood at $89.38 billion as of 30 September 2026. This amount is about 19.8 times the country's external public debt of $4.51 billion. The reserves are about 10.9 times Georgia's international reserves of $8.17 billion, announced in September, and 13.4 times Armenia's foreign currency reserves of $6.66 billion.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Baghdad within the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The United States considers developing relations with Central Asian states a priority and aims to deepen cooperation with countries in the region. US Secretary of State and Presidential Assistant for National Security Affairs Marco Rubio made the statement to journalists before departing for Uzbekistan.
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.
Today's top Turkic news: Uzbekistan-China ties, Samarkand visit, Kulubaev-Rubio talks, Northern Cyprus festival and Turkmen desertification centre.
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