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Azerbaijan

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Azerbaijan. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Baku

Head of State

President Ilham Aliyev

Head of Government

Prime Minister Ali Asadov

last updated:

29 November, 2024

South Korea

Jeju Air, Azerbaijani jet crashes mark deadliest year in aviation since 2018

The spike in fatalities marks a reversal from 2023, which became the safest year ever in aviation with no deaths among large passenger planes.

31 Dec 2024 - 12:14PMvideocam

Aviation accidents

‘I thought the plane was going to fall apart’: survivors recall Azeri jet crash

28 Dec 2024 - 9:20AMvideocam

Russia

Azerbaijan, US officials: plane that crashed may have been hit by weapons fire

28 Dec 2024 - 7:41AMvideocam

Central Asia

Azerbaijan plane crashed ‘due to physical and technical external interference’

Four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of the investigation had said Russian air defences had mistakenly shot it down.

27 Dec 2024 - 9:19PMvideocam

Rescuers carrying a passenger wounded in a Azerbaijan Airline plane crash in Kazakhstan, arrive with a medical plane at an airport outside Baku. Photo: EPA-EFE

Aviation accidents

Azerbaijan Airlines hails ‘heroism’ of dead pilots for saving 29 lives in crash

The carrier’s president said the crew’s ‘prioritisation of human life have immortalised their names in history’.

27 Dec 2024 - 1:17PMvideocam

Kazakhstan

Azerbaijan believes missile downed plane, Russia warns against ‘hypotheses’

38 people died in Wednesday’s crash in Kazakhstan. Azerbaijani source said Baku expects Russia ‘to confess’ to shooting down the plane.

27 Dec 2024 - 1:04PMvideocam

Aviation accidents

Azerbaijani plane crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 and injuring 29

The aircraft, which was carrying 67 people, was diverted from an area of Russia that Moscow recently defended against Ukrainian drones.

26 Dec 2024 - 1:26PMvideocam

A drone view shows the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. Photo: Reuters

Climate change

Opinion | Cop29 can work with the Belt and Road Initiative for a greener future

Aligning climate action with major economic initiatives is essential to cutting emissions while promoting sustainable development.

20 Nov 2024 - 4:30PMvideocam

Climate change

Cop29 host tries to calm waters after diplomatic turmoil

The UN climate talks are in disarray after a French minister cancelled her trip and Argentina withdrew its delegation.

15 Nov 2024 - 2:14AMvideocam

Climate change

Cop29 host Azerbaijan hits out at West in defence of oil and gas

He singled out the US, the world’s largest historic carbon emitter, and the EU for particular criticism, accusing them of double standards.

13 Nov 2024 - 4:12PM

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev speaks at the opening ceremony of the United Nations climate change conference Cop9 in Baku, Azerbaijan on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

China, US officials set to talk climate change amid fears over Trump’s policies

Ahead of Cop 29 in Azerbaijan, policymakers fret that the once and future president could stall efforts to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.

8 Nov 2024 - 10:56PMvideocam

Climate activists project a message onto Tower Bridge in London, England, bearing a silhouette of US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of climate talks in the British capital on November 7, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Climate change

Opinion | Cop29 is Azerbaijan’s moment to step into the global sunshine

The UN climate conference will shine a spotlight on the major oil producer’s energy transition, peace efforts with Armenia and geocritical location.

3 Nov 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

China's military weapons

Can China’s military jets find favour in arms markets dominated by US, Russia?

From Central Asia to Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Chinese-made warplanes offer an alternative to an increasing number of nations.

2 Oct 2024 - 10:29PMvideocam

Formula One (F1)

Hamilton not disappointed by Formula 1 star designer Newey’s move to Aston Martin

The Ferrari-bound multiple champion says it would have been an honour to work with his fellow Briton but ‘he had to do what was best for him’.

13 Sep 2024 - 9:30PM

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton had said Adrian Newey was the person he had most wished to work with in Formula One. Photo: AFP)

Formula One (F1)

McLaren to introduce team orders to help Norris’ bid to win Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Team principal Andrea Stella says the team will abandon a policy of non-interference in their quest to overtake Red Bull, Max Verstappen.

12 Sep 2024 - 10:30PM

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri (left) and Lando Norris are fourth and second, respectively, in the standings ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo: Reuters

Formula One (F1)

Verstappen, Red Bull seek to rebound, McLaren hope to strike as F1 heads to Baku

Red Bull’s supreme domination, which has lasted for more than two years, will end if McLaren outscore them by nine points on Sunday.

12 Sep 2024 - 11:44AM

Bonds

Kazakh giant eyes Hong Kong’s dim sum bonds to fund cable project

The company’s telecoms unit Freedom Telecom plans to spend 107 billion tenge (US$236 million) until the end of 2027 on two projects in Kazakhstan.

12 Sep 2024 - 4:15PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | How Azerbaijan’s strategic reach for Brics will benefit China too

Baku’s strategic position and aspiration to diversify its economy aligns with Beijing’s vision for Eurasian connectivity.

8 Sep 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

People walk along a Caspian seaside promenade, with the Flame Towers in the distance, in Baku, Azerbaijan, in April 2019. As Azerbaijan moves to join Brics, it must strike a cautious balance between its multipolar ambitions and existing connections with the West. Photo: EPA-EFE

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV start-up Rox Motor to push overseas expansion

Shanghai-based carmaker aims to grow sales channels in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia as price war at home erodes margins.

2 Sep 2024 - 1:14PMvideocam

China-EU relations

Russia and China peace missions prompt EU members to seek ways to punish Hungary

Right-wing leader Viktor Orban accused of ‘100 per cent abusing’ bloc’s rotating presidency for pursuing Moscow-friendly foreign policy.

9 Jul 2024 - 6:18PMvideocam

China trade

‘This has come naturally’: China’s new Caspian Sea trade route sidesteps Russia

Despite its choppiness, the world’s biggest inland body of water has rapidly become a more desired journey for shipments than one through Russia or the Red Sea.

5 Jul 2024 - 9:30PM

President Xi Jinping made a state visit to Kazakhstan this week and met President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the capital Astana (pictured). Photo: Shutterstock

Central Asia

Xi Jinping holds talks with Vladimir Putin on SCO sidelines in Kazakhstan

In meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi backs Astana’s membership in Brics bloc.

4 Jul 2024 - 3:16PMvideocam

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the 2022 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The pair met for the second time in less than two months on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Tourism

Dupe travel: how to find cheaper, quieter alternatives to holiday hotspots

Santa Barbara, California, as a stand-in for the French Riviera, Albania instead of Greece – travel experts offer their tips on alternatives to popular destinations that are less tourist-infested and not as pricey.

25 Jun 2024 - 11:15AM

Taiwan

Taiwan drones unlikely to hasten US ‘hellscape’ against mainland Chinese attack

Taiwanese defence ministry’s plan to add hundreds of AI-equipped devices to its arsenal this year remains challenging, experts say.

18 Jun 2024 - 3:43PMvideocam

Asia travel

Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, where Asian and European cultures collide

The vibrant culture of Baku, Azerbaijan’s biggest city, reflects influences from the Islamic world, Soviet Russia and Europe. Bad traffic, pollution, and the price of hotel rooms may put off some visitors.

15 Jun 2024 - 8:18AM

Old and new architecture in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo: Sundeep Kumar

Russia

Armenia to leave Russia-led security alliance, PM says

The leader of Armenia declared his intention to pull out of a Russia-dominated security alliance of several ex-Soviet nations as tensions rise between the two allies.

13 Jun 2024 - 11:35AM

A police stun grenade explodes during a rally against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, Armenia on Wednesday. Photo: Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure via AP

Russia

Kremlin says Putin’s aircraft ‘very reliable’ after crashes killed leaders in Iran, Malawi

A Kremlin spokesman commented on aviation accidents that claimed the lives of Iran’s president in May and Malawi’s vice-president on Monday.

12 Jun 2024 - 12:21PM

Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | How the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor can help revive Asia-Europe trade

As disruptions send shipping costs surging and trade volumes slow, the overland Trans-Caspian International Transport Route offers a cheaper, more sustainable option through Kazakhstan.

5 Jun 2024 - 8:30PM

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