The first day of the seventh World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue wrapped up in Baku on Tuesday (27 October), with President Ilham Aliyev highlighting Azerbaijan’s role in promoting peace and multiculturalism as global leaders explored the impact of AI and cultural cooperation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed European criticism of a maritime agreement between Türkiye and Libya, arguing that objections to the deal have no legal basis.
Kyrgyzstan doubled its petrol and diesel production in the first nine months of 2026, as disruptions at Russian oil refineries strained fuel supplies across Central Asia, highlighting the region’s reliance on Russian energy.
Jordan said its air force killed more than 20 Islamic State militants in strikes on southern Syria on Monday night.
The 7th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, themed “Dialogue for a Shared Future,” has opened in Baku, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressing participants on the importance of intercultural relations, religious tolerance, and social harmony.
Afghanistan says Pakistani military attacks have killed or injured 1,119 civilians since early 2022, most of them women and children. Pakistan rejected the allegations on Monday (26 October), defending its military operations as acts of self-defence against terrorism.
Iran hosted senior security and defence officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye in Tehran on Monday for rare four-way talks aimed at strengthening regional cooperation amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
A new $500 million private equity fund is being set up to support business growth across Central Asia and the Caucasus, with Uzbekistan joining five other institutions as a founding partner.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they had targeted Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline pumping stations and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, as regional tensions intensified. The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile heading towards the capital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tightening election race as his rivals struggle to find a clear path to power, despite polls previously suggesting he was heading for defeat.
Uzbekistan summoned Iran’s ambassador following claims by several Iranian diplomatic missions that the historical and architectural heritage of Samarkand belongs to Persian or Iranian-Islamic civilisation, Tashkent's Foreign Ministry said.
Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday demanding an independent commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack, three days before a national election.
Saudi Arabia religious leaders have condemned attacks targeting holy sites and civilians after authorities reported intercepting two ballistic missiles launched towards the Mecca and Medina regions, while Yemen’s Houthi movement denied targeting the two cities.
Israeli forces have maintained a tight closure on Hebron in the occupied West Bank for a second day, with Palestinian media reporting home raids, mass detentions and dozens of residents forced outside following a shooting incident the day before.
Foreign ministers meeting in Istanbul on Friday warned that renewed military strikes on Iran could deepen the regional conflict, urging diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court has extended hearings in a case seeking to ban five opposition parties, with proceedings now set to continue until 30 October. The court in Batumi will resume hearings on Monday, 26 October, after missing its original 23 October deadline.
Pakistan and the European Union have agreed to step up counterterrorism cooperation as security concerns over Afghanistan grow and tensions between Islamabad and Kabul persist.
The head of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) says Armenia has effectively withdrawn from the military alliance, despite not formally ending its membership.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Belarus are preparing to supply Tajikistan with weapons and military equipment by the end of 2026, as a series of violent incidents raises security concerns along its border with Afghanistan, according to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has approved a new alphabet, bringing the Latin-script Uzbek alphabet closer to other alphabets used in the Turkic world.
