Author: Tamazi Donauri

Since the beginning of 2023, passenger traffic at Heydar Aliyev International Airport has been steadily growing. During January-September of this year, the total passenger flow of Baku Airport increased by 25 per cent and reached more than 4,325,000 people. For the same period last year, this figure was 3,223,000 passengers. The share of foreign air carriers accounted for 58.6% of passengers transported to international destinations. During the reporting period, these airlines transported more than 2,214,000 passengers, which means an increase of 39 per cent compared to the same period last year. Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) performed the remaining part of passenger…

Germany has floated that the United Nations could take control in Gaza once the Israel-Hamas war is over, according to a document seen by POLITICO. However, both the Palestinians and some EU diplomats have serious doubts about the feasibility of the idea, with a senior Palestinian figure in Europe calling it “unacceptable.” Israel has been striking the densely populated Gaza Strip in reaction to an attack by Hamas on October 7, during which the militant group killed around 1,200 Israelis. According to data from the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians.   Discussions are ongoing about how to…

Today, the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding on mutual cooperation was held between “AzerGold” CJSC, “Azerbaijan Investment Company” OJSC (AISH) belonging to the Ministry of Economy, and the Indian company “Devngi Innovations LLP,” Azernews reports. At the ceremony held at the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry, the memorandum was signed by Zakir Ibrahimov, Chairman of AzerGold, Ulvi Mansurov, Executive Director of AISH, and Sanat Nareshkumar Vaviya, authorized representative of Devngi Innovations LLP. The main purpose of signing the Memorandum of Understanding is to study the possibilities of building the synthetic (artificial) diamond industry and natural diamond processing infrastructure in Azerbaijan,…

On Wednesday, Georgia was told that it should officially be named as a candidate to join the bloc once it addresses shortcomings, including in the fight against corruption and election deficiencies. This doesn’t mean that it will start accession talks soon. The country will have to clear more reform hurdles before that can happen. But despite this, many in the former soviet country celebrated the news.  “This day belongs to everyone,” Salome Zourabichvili, the president of Georgia, said on Wednesday. “This valiant love nourishes our past and our future. This is our response to Russia, our response to occupation” Paata Zakareishvili,…

Frankfurt, Atlanta (23/11 – 10) Potatoes are a serious matter. The lowly potato does in fact have a lengthy and exotic history, being grown as a food crop, or domesticated, around the border of Peru and Bolivia over 7000 years ago. Maybe you just purchased some of those 7500-year-old taters and wondered why they taste funny. The potato was brought to Europe in the 16th Century, following other such appealing imports as bananas, cacao, tomatoes, maize, corn and squash. Ask an average European and he or she would likely claim these as native to their country. A wholesome tuber rich in…

Georgia will not participate in the regional cooperation meeting bringing together three regional and three South Caucasus states, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) cited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The so-called “3+3 platform” was initiated by Moscow and Tehran and is supposed to bring three regional powers – Iran, Russia, and Turkey – together with three states of the South Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. “Georgia is not participating in this meeting, and it has never participated [in this format],” – the MFA Press Office told the GPB. According to the Iranian state agency IRNA, Tehran will host the second 3+3 platform meeting…

The death last week of a woman, allegedly at the hands of her husband, a former top-ranking official in Kazakhstan’s government, is sparking fresh public calls for more to be done to combat spousal abuse. Over the weekend, a court in the capital, Astana, ordered that Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a 43-year-old whose meteoric rise through the ranks was cut short by a corruption scandal in 2018, be held in jail for at least two months pending investigations. The exact circumstances around what Bishimbayev may have done remain murky, not least as he appears to have engaged in a coverup in the immediate wake…

The moment of collective celebration in Georgia over a tentative permission to start queuing for membership in the European Union was brief. Before long, Georgia was back to its cat-and-dog domestic politics, snubbing European requests to work toward national reconciliation. Taking time out of their feud, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and President Salome Zourabichvili on November 8 congratulated their nation on the occasion of the European Commission recommending Georgia for the much sought-after status of membership candidate. In their remarks, the head of government and the head of state may have made rivaling claims on the success on the European integration front…

The price of Azeri LT CIF Augusta increased by $0.68 amounting to $92.39 per barrel on October 25, Azernews reports. Moreover, the price of Azeri LT FOB Ceyhan grew by $0.58, as compared to the previous price, and amounted to $90.32 per barrel. Azerbaijan calculated the average price of one barrel of oil from 60 US dollars for the state budget in 2023. It should be noted that the lowest price of “Azeri Light” oil was recorded on April 21, 2020 (US$15.81), and the maximum price was recorded in July 2008 (US$149.66). Source : Azernews

The International Geological and Mining Forum, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev has started its work in Baku. The forum was organized by the State Agency for the Use of Mineral Resources and Geological Exploration, the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, AzerGold CJSC, and the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration of Turkiye, Azernews reports. At first, a minute of silence was observed to honor the memory of the national leader and the heroes who fell for our territorial integrity. Then a video clip showing the activity of national leader Heydar Aliyev in the mining sector…