President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan ended 2025 as a year of peace, security and stability, stressing that unity between the people and the government remained the main factor behind the country’s achievements.
In his address to the nation on the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and the New Year, Aliyev said he was confident that 2026 would also be successful and that all state tasks would be fulfilled as planned.
The president marked the fifth anniversary of Azerbaijan’s victory in the Patriotic War, saying the outcome permanently ended 30 years of Armenian occupation and restored the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and national dignity. He said the victory would remain forever and that the Azerbaijani people would always take pride in it.
Aliyev said the Armed Forces have significantly strengthened their capabilities over the past five years, citing new weapons, modern equipment, expanded special forces and the creation of commando units consisting of thousands of soldiers and officers. He said the army is now capable of carrying out any assigned task.
The president said Azerbaijan is not preparing for a new war and that wars are in the past for the country. However, he warned that global conditions require vigilance, saying international law no longer functions effectively and that many countries now operate under the principle that “whoever is strong is right.” He pointed to a global arms race and said Azerbaijan must always be ready to defend its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independent choices.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan consolidated its military victory on the international and political stage, adding that the world now recognises the outcome of the Patriotic War. He said the OSCE Minsk Group, mandated to resolve the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict, has been consigned to history and that the Karabakh issue has been removed from the international agenda.
As a victorious country, Aliyev said Azerbaijan extended a hand of peace to Armenia, describing this as a manifestation of far-sighted policy. He said Baku has no territorial claims against other states and acted within the framework of the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions to restore its sovereignty.
The president said the peace agreement initialled with Armenia five years after the war demonstrated the wisdom of Azerbaijan’s policy. He added that the country has lived in de facto peace conditions for nearly five years and said the victory was sealed internationally, including in the presence of the U.S. president at the White House.
Ilham Aliyev said large-scale reconstruction and development works are now underway across the country, including in the formerly occupied territories. He said Azerbaijan’s international standing has strengthened and that leading global actors have put forward proposals for cooperation.
Turning to foreign policy, Aliyev described Azerbaijan’s approach as multi-vector. He highlighted the country’s accession to the D-8 organisation as its first new member in nearly three decades and Azerbaijan’s election as a full member of the Central Asian consultative framework, calling both developments signs of international trust.
The president also noted that Azerbaijan hosted a number of major international events in 2025, including the ECO summit in the liberated city of Khankendi and the summit of the Organisation of Turkic States in Gabala.
On the economy, Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s foreign currency reserves exceeded 80 billion dollars, reaching a historic record, while external debt declined to 6.3 percent of GDP. He said international rating agencies upgraded Azerbaijan’s credit rating to investment grade with a positive outlook.
Aliyev said the “Great Return” programme continues, with nearly 70,000 people now living, working and studying in 32 towns, villages and cities in the liberated territories.
Marking the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis, the president said Azerbaijanis worldwide should know that a strong Azerbaijani state stands behind them, regardless of where they live. He said events in 2025 once again showed that the fate of every Azerbaijani is important to the state and that Azerbaijanis are united by shared history, language, roots and culture.
He concluded by wishing peace, stability and happiness to Azerbaijanis and citizens of Azerbaijan around the world.
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Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
Iran and the U.S. exchanged threats on Tuesday, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Tehran to expect the “most intense day" of attacks so far. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said “anyone who entertains the illusion of destroying Iran knows nothing of history."
The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of global concern as tensions rise following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Tehran has threatened to block the strategic waterway, raising fears of disruption to global oil shipments and energy markets.
Reports of so-called “acid clouds” moving from Iran towards Central Asia are not supported by scientific data, national hydrometeorological services in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan say, adding there is no threat to the region.
Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
Iran and the U.S. exchanged threats on Tuesday, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Tehran to expect the “most intense day" of attacks so far. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said “anyone who entertains the illusion of destroying Iran knows nothing of history."
The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of global concern as tensions rise following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Tehran has threatened to block the strategic waterway, raising fears of disruption to global oil shipments and energy markets.
Reports of so-called “acid clouds” moving from Iran towards Central Asia are not supported by scientific data, national hydrometeorological services in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan say, adding there is no threat to the region.
A senior delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has been holding meetings with Georgian government officials, opposition leaders and security authorities this week, as international observers attempt to gauge the country’s political climate following last year’s contentious elections.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Masoud Pezeshkian, his Iranian counterpart, that violations of Turkish airspace by Iran could not be justified “for any reason whatsoever.”
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