The UK and Azerbaijan are working to finalise a strategic partnership framework covering political, economic and defence cooperation, the new British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Duncan Norman said on Friday.
The partnership was announced during a visit by the UK's Europe Minister Stephen Doughty to Azerbaijan in August 2025, and was reaffirmed on Friday by Norman.
Earlier this week, President Ilham Aliyev received Norman’s credentials as the newly appointed UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan on 18 August, 2026.
AnewZ's Orkhan Amashov spoke to Ambassador Duncan Norman about the scope of the strategic partnership and the future of defence ties between the two countries.
Orkhan Amashov, AnewZ: We know that back in August 2025, when the UK's Europe Minister was here, he announced the decision, the aspiration, to upgrade relations to strategic partnership level. And whilst presenting your credentials to President Aliyev a couple of days ago, you said you're working on the new strategic partnership. How will the new strategic partnership that you're working with your Azerbaijani partners be different to the existing one?
Duncan Norman, UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan: Just to avoid any confusion, it is the same strategic partnership. It was announced that we were upgrading our relationship to strategic partnership when the minister was here. And what we're doing is working up that document, which covers a wide variety of areas, including the political relationship, the economic relationship, and the defence relationship, and others. And we are working on that with the Azerbaijani government. And once we have that document completed, then that will be signed and come into effect.
Orkhan Amashov, AnewZ: We know that back in March 2025, the UK government sent its first Resident Defence Attaché to the UK embassy base here in Azerbaijan. And also, we know that in October 2025, you lifted the arms embargo in relation to Azerbaijan and Armenia after the 8 August breakthrough. Could you please elaborate on that defence component more specifically?
Duncan Norman, UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan: It's a really important thing, the defence relationship. It's also, of course, very new. And like every new relationship, you have to start small and let it grow, and that's what we're doing. But we're already providing, training opportunities in the UK. We're talking about how we might be able to help with, in the future, with equipment and supplies and those sorts of things in the future. I think it's really exciting, and I think it's something that over the next three to four years will really grow. I see it as one of the growth areas in our relationship during my time here.
Pope Leo arrived in Peru on Wednesday for an emotional homecoming, the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catho...
Iran will not let a single particle of its enriched nuclear material leave the country, and any new U.S. attack...
Pakistan is pushing for urgent global action and greater climate funding as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends COP31 in Türkiye, warning th...
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first formal talks in nine months. They did so with no agreement on what a ceasefire would be tied to or who gets to keep the land currently under Russian control.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
At least 17 people have been reported killed in an explosion at a steel plant in western Türkiye, after a crane collapsed during maintenance work. The disaster has prompted a criminal investigation into what went wrong at the industrial facility.
Armenia could lose its voting rights within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on 11 November after failing to pay membership fees for more than two years, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes the Russian President is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations began trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 10 November.
Pakistan is pushing for urgent global action and greater climate funding as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends COP31 in Türkiye, warning that melting glaciers, devastating floods and extreme heat are putting millions of lives and livelihoods at risk.
Armenia has lost its voting rights and the ability to nominate officials for certain posts within the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The decision was taken at a summit in Moscow on 11 November, amid years of strained relations between Yerevan and the alliance.
Heavy rain and strong winds have flooded around 70,000 tents across Gaza, leaving displaced Palestinian families exposed to cold, hunger and worsening living conditions as winter approaches, according to local authorities.
Trade along the Middle Corridor is accelerating, opening new opportunities for Central Asia and the South Caucasus as countries strengthen transport links between China and Europe. Cargo volumes reached around 4.7 million tonnes in 2025, up from less than one million tonnes in 2021.
Kazakhstan says the North Aral Sea’s water volume has risen by 24 per cent since 2022, reaching 23.4 billion cubic metres. The figures were unveiled at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, as the country outlined ambitious plans to accelerate restoration.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment