live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
Azerbaijan has proposed creating a joint Start-up and Innovation cooperation platform to strengthen regional collaboration and accelerate technological development across member countries.
This was revealed by the country's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov at a ministerial meeting of the Organization of Turkic States in Baku on Friday.
Azerbaijan has been actively advancing its startup and innovation ecosystem as part of its broader strategy to diversify the economy and foster new-generation entrepreneurship.
Addressing the 2nd meeting of the Ministers of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Jabbarov emphasised that startups and innovation are central to enhancing economic competitiveness and developing the non-oil sector.
He pointed to successful national initiatives such as the “Sabah.hub” innovation centre, which connects young professionals, startups, and investors, supporting them from idea generation to commercialisation.
The related Sabah Venture Fund has been investing in local innovation projects and building a new wave of technology companies, reflecting Azerbaijan’s long-term commitment to embedding innovation into its economic model.
The Minister’s proposal to establish the “Turkic States Startup and Innovation Cooperation Platform” aims to create a unified framework for collaboration among member countries.
According to him, the platform would coordinate efforts in innovation, digital economy, and startup development, while enabling the exchange of expertise, technological resources, and best practices across the Turkic world.
He added that such a mechanism would accelerate innovative growth and open new opportunities for young entrepreneurs to develop and scale their projects within the region’s expanding markets.
Jabbarov also called for the creation of a “Turkic Patent Organization (CTPO)” under the OTS Working Group on Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, describing intellectual property cooperation as vital to scientific and industrial progress.
He further highlighted the previously proposed “Turkic States Metrology Organization (TÜRKMET)”—an initiative first raised at the OTS Summit in Astana in 2023—as another key step toward deepening regional economic integration and enhancing technological and research capacity.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
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