Here are five major events bringing sport, cinema, literature and the arts to Baku this October, as Azerbaijan’s capital welcomes international talent and visitors for a packed cultural calendar.
Baku is welcoming filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts for the 17th edition of the Baku International Film Festival (BIFF), bringing together Azerbaijani and international productions. The festival began on Wednesday and will run for six days.
Armenian officials have visited the southern Syunik region to advance plans for a U.S.-backed transit route linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, although construction is now expected to begin no earlier than 2027.
Azerbaijan's economy is forecast to grow by 1.7 per cent in 2026 and 2.3 per cent in 2027, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while growth across the wider Caucasus and Central Asia region is expected to slow.
Around 40 international travellers from 13 countries explored Azerbaijan’s Garabagh region, visiting historic and religious sites and witnessing reconstruction, infrastructure development and mine-clearance efforts.
Minilateralism has become an increasingly relevant form of diplomacy, especially with the shifting of the global order toward multipolarity and the rise of middle powers that seek ways to achieve their goals and resolve their specific issues in a more efficient manner.
From the Strait of Hormuz to the Caspian and Black Sea, the world’s energy, transport and digital networks are becoming strategic targets. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to develop a new model of regional infrastructure security.
Azerbaijan and Georgia are targeting more than $2 billion in bilateral trade as the neighbouring countries strengthen energy partnerships, expand transport links and pursue new investment opportunities.
Azerbaijan exported $23.45 million worth of goods to Armenia between January and September 2026, according to data released by the State Customs Committee on 19 October.
More than 200 U.S. business leaders have joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Uzbekistan as Washington steps up efforts to turn closer diplomatic ties with Central Asia into trade and investment deals.
Thirty-five years after restoring independence, Azerbaijan's economy has more than tripled in real terms. Official data reveal how investment, manufacturing, private enterprise and digital development have reshaped the country's economic landscape.
The AnewZ documentary “Counterpoint: Two Centuries of German-Azerbaijani Shared History” investigates the story of German settlers who arrived on Azerbaijani lands around two centuries ago and established communities that left a lasting mark on the country’s cultural heritage.
Armenia is looking to turn shared environmental challenges into opportunities for regional cooperation, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlighting the potential for stronger ties with neighbouring countries through biodiversity protection.
From international tourism and major reconstruction projects to a film premiere and political developments, Garabagh’s transformation takes centre stage in the AnewZ Daily Brief for 16 October 2026.
Uzbekistan's freight volumes along the Middle Corridor have doubled in five years, highlighting the growing importance of Azerbaijan and the Port of Baku as key links in its trade routes to Europe.
Azerbaijan has taken over the chairmanship of a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) labour and social protection council, as it prepares to introduce a sixth package of social reforms in 2027.
Azerbaijan exported 18.4 billion cubic metres of natural gas in the first nine months of 2026, with Europe taking the largest share, according to operational data shared by Baku’s Energy Ministry on Thursday.
Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) has been extended until 2028, as leaders gather in Baku for the organisation's seventh summit to discuss regional security and cooperation.
Azerbaijan is hosting the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku on Thursday, 15 October, following agreements that could extend the country's leadership of the Asian security forum until 2028.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, met on 14 October to discuss bilateral ties and key regional and international issues.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is in Baku for the seventh Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit on 14–15 October, as Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan seek to turn stronger political ties into deeper economic cooperation.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has departed for a six-day tour of Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria, a visit that underscores Beijing's steady effort to build relationships and trade corridors in parts of Europe that often sit outside the spotlight of major power diplomacy.
As leaders arrive in Baku for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), one issue linked Azerbaijan with guests from Southeast Asia more than trade, diplomacy or regional politics: the long and costly legacy of landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign and ratify their peace agreement as soon as possible, calling it a crucial step towards securing his country's long-term stability.
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