Eurovision 2026: Where did it all go wrong for the South Caucasus?
Eurovision Song Contest once again proved how unpredictable its outcome can be, with Bulgaria’s Dara turning a late surge into a...
Large-scale military actions between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2025 are unlikely happened, but clashes along the borders remain a distinct possibility. It is highlighted in the first public report from Armenia‘s Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS).
“In the absence of a peace treaty and established interstate relations, the risk of localized tensions and border escalations persists,” – the report noted, while progress in the delimitation and demarcation of borders between the two neighbouring countries “could help reduce these risks.”
The report, titled “On External Security Risks to Armenia,” placed significant emphasis on the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and said that bilateral negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan will remain “the most effective” this year following to frequent high-level talks and communication around the peace agreement, border delimitation, humanitarian and other issues.
Based on its assessment of developments in 2023 and 2024, FIS predicts that Azerbaijan will continue strengthening its military capabilities through new arms acquisitions and military infrastructure, “working on the transition to more mobile units.”
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti, announced that the country will have a record-breaking military budget for 2025.
“This amounts to approximately five billion dollars. We have no choice. At least 60 percent of this sum would not have been spent if these threats did not exist. We would have allocated it to rebuilding Karabakh, social benefits, and other needs. But we are compelled to do this, and we will do it.”
Aliyev added that he considers the arms race a destructive path: “I believe this is a harmful course. First of all, Armenia cannot sustain an arms race with us, even though they receive the majority of their weapons from the West for free or on credit, which will, of course, eventually be forgiven. But even under these circumstances, they cannot keep up with us.”
At the same time, both sides “significant progress” made on the peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with 15 out of 17 articles already agreed upon.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
At least eight people have died and 32 others were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday (16 May), triggering a fire that quickly spread through the vehicle.
U.S. President Donald Trump says China's Xi Jinping agreed Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran prepares a new shipping mechanism. Tensions over the U.S. blockade and stalled nuclear talks continue to disrupt global oil supplies.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has held a series of high‑level meetings with world leaders and delegations on the sidelines of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku, with discussions focusing on energy, economic cooperation and international partnerships.
Thousands of displaced families in Gaza are facing growing infestations of rats and insects as worsening sanitation conditions and mounting waste deepen the humanitarian crisis across overcrowded camps, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Uzbekistan has launched a nationwide environmental initiative titled ‘Day Without Cars’, which will take place twice a month as part of efforts to improve air quality and reduce vehicle emissions.
The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum will open in Baku on Sunday, bringing together government representatives, city leaders, urban planners, international organisations, businesses and civil society to discuss the future of sustainable urban development.
Matiul Haq Khalis, Director General of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency, has travelled to Baku to attend the 13th World Urban Forum, where climate change and safer cities will be discussed.
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