Day: October 12, 2023
The meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) has just commenced in Bishkek, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan wrote on its page on X, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Trend.
Foreign Ministers will discuss issues of mutual interest that are high on the cooperation agenda of the CIS.
The post Meeting of Council of CIS FMs commenced in Bishkek appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.
“We strongly condemn and reject the unfounded allegations against Azerbaijan made by Catherine Colonna, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France during her speech at the French Senate on October 11,” according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting AzerTac, citing a statement by Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Contrary to the reports of international organizations and also the statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia dated September 21, the French Minister’s claims that the settlement of Armenians, who were voluntarily relocated from the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan without facing any force, was allegedly planned by Azerbaijan, demonstrates that France is interested in continuing its insidious and imaginary policy.
France’s narrative about justice and international law is unacceptable, taking into account its support to occupant Armenia both during its bloody colonial and mediation period.
Call for the adoption of a resolution against Azerbaijan by France, which has not taken any steps to ensure the implementation of four UN Security Council resolutions that demanded the liberation of the territories of Azerbaijan from occupation, the unconditional, complete and immediate withdrawal of the occupying forces, and the return of IDPs to their homes for almost 27 years, is an example of hypocrisy.
If France had guided Armenia in the right direction to stop illegal activities and withdraw the Armenian armed forces from our territories for the last three years after the 44-day Patriotic War, instead of coming up with unfounded UN Security Council initiatives, this would be a real contribution to peace and security in the region.
We remind France once again that speaking with Azerbaijan in the language of threat and pressure cannot give any result, and such destructive actions must be stopped immediately.
All steps against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country will be resolutely prevented,” the ministry added.
The post Foreign Ministry: We strongly condemn unfounded allegations against Azerbaijan made by Catherine Colonna appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.
The closing ceremony of the 3rd Korkut Ata Turkic World Film Festival has been held at the Heydar Aliyev Center as part of the “Shusha – the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2023”, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Qafqazinfo.
The festival, which started on October 8, was jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Heydar Aliyev Center, TURKSOY, Film Agency and Baku Media Center.
The event started with a video depicting the unity of the Turkic world. Speaking later, TURKSOY General Secretary Sultan Raev III “Korkut Ata” said that the Turkish World Film Festival is a clear example of our strength, unity, and brotherhood:
“When we are in Azerbaijan, we feel the power of this sacred land. Here we hear the spirit of Khurshidbanu Natavan, Nizami Ganjavi, Uzeyir Hajibeyli, Molla Panah Vagif, Gasim Bey Zakir, Bulbul.”
Sultan Raev said that he sincerely believes that the cinema field will bring the Turkish world and people together even ten years from now.
Later, People’s Artist Fakhreddin Manafova was presented with a special award of TURKSOY by Sultan Raev.
The chairman of the jury, People’s Artist Vagif Mustafayev, said that they had difficulty evaluating the films since: “One is better than the other.”
Hojagulu Narliyev and Mayagozel Aymedova, Serdar Gökhan, Metin Gunay, Hamida Omarova, Firdevs Abdulkhaligov, Azamat Satybaldi, Oktay Mirgasim, Orman Aliyev, Agasi Mammadli and Shahriyar Seyidli were awarded the “Contributions to Turkish World Cinematography” award.
Dosjan Janbotaev and Murat Pay received special awards from the jury.
The winners in the main categories are:
“Best Actor” – Ahmet Amandurdiyev (Turkmenistan)
“Best Actress” – Tahmina Rafaella (Azerbaijan)
“Best Script” – Abdulla Oripov (Uzbekistan)
“Best Director” – Asel Jurayeva (Kyrgyzstan)
“The best documentary film”
III prize
“My circle” (Uzbekistan)
II prize
“Argau” (Kazakhstan)
I award
“The Last” (Azerbaijan)
“Best feature film” – “Stardust” (dir. Ahmet Sonmez)
Arzu Aliyeva, head of the Baku Media Center, presented the award to Ahmet Sonmez.
It should be noted that IV “Korkut Ata” film festival will be held in Anev, Turkmenistan.
The post 3rd Korkut Ata Turkic World Film Festival wraps up in Baku appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.
-Analysis-
“Let’s not forget that there is no Wagner Group anymore,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had declared. “Such an organization, in our eyes, does not exist.”
The August 25 statement from came less than two days after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the infamous Russian mercenary outfit, as questions swirled about Wagner’s fate after its crucial role in the war in Ukraine and other Russian military missions around the world.
How could an independent military outfit survive after its charismatic founder’s death? It seemed highly unlikely that President Vladimir Putin would allow the survival of a group after had launched a short-lived coup attempt in late June that most outside observers believe led to Prigozhin’s private airplane being shot down by Russian forces on August 23.
“Wagner is over,” said the Kremlin critic and Russian political commentator Maksim Katz. “The group can’t keep going. There’s the possibility that they could continue in parts or with Defense Ministry contracts, but the group only worked with an unofficial agreement between Putin and Prigozhin.”
Yet barely a month later, and there are already multiple signs that the Wagner phoenix is rising from the ashes.
In recent days, fighters affiliated with Wagner have once again been spotted on the battlefield near Bakhmut in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, according to a Ukrainian drone operator. This confirmation supports earlier reports from Russian sources regarding the resurgence of Wagner mercenaries near the strategic city in eastern Ukraine.
This marks the first official confirmation of the Wagner Group’s reappearance in Ukraine. Prior to this, the Telegram channel “Rybar”, closely linked to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, reported on the presence of mercenaries in the area of Bakhmut.
According to Rybar, fighters who had “broken away” from the mercenary outfit after the Prigozhin-led rebellion are slowly returning to eastern Ukraine. These troops are reportedly under the command of Andrei Troshev, and they continue to recruit mercenaries from Belarus and Africa for operations in Ukraine.
Wagner has created a certain style of behavior.
On September 23, the Telegram channel “Gray Zone”, associated with Wagner, stated that a detachment of mercenaries “would now enter Bakhmut,” similarly emphasizing that this group comprised those who refused to participate in the rebellion.
Whether this distinct subset of mercenaries are still to be considered Wagnerites is unclear. Colin Clarke, Scientific director of the Soufan Group research organization, toldGolos amreiki that “The Russian Ministry of Defense could try to take control of the Wagner group in its entirety in order to integrate it into the Russian armed forces, but there are a number of problems.”
Among the problems, he explained, were that “Wagner has created a certain style of behavior .. and in the last couple of years has been practically in opposition to Ministry of Defense.” Thus the Wagnerites may resist integration into the Russian army.
August 24, 2023, St. Petersburg, Russia: A member of the Wagner group lays his patch on roses, honoring the memory of Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Artem Priakhin/ZUMA
For more than a decade ago, Russia has built up a system of independent mercenary groups that were deployed for covert military operations in various global hotspots. Though the best-know, Wagner was hardly the only such outfit. These groups have operated with a level of deniability for the Russian government, allowing Moscow to pursue its geopolitical interests without direct military intervention. Their activities spanned from Ukraine to Syria, Libya, and several African nations.
Earlier this week, a senior U.S. defense official told CNN that the US had not seen a withdrawal of Wagner forces from Africa “in any substantial or meaningful numbers.”
The US has also not yet seen a “decisive shift” in Wagner’s relationship with the Kremlin, or signs that Moscow has absorbed the group’s operations across the continent, the official said. This likely reflects the fact that the Kremlin is still unsure precisely what to do with the mercenary forces now that Prigozhin, is dead.
In the immediate aftermath of Prigozhin’s June uprising, well-vetted reports from Reuters in Syria indicated that the Russian military, along with the Syrian security service, interrogated various commanders of the Wagner unit in Syria, and tried to force all the Wagnerites to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
“As a result,” Kimberly Marten, Professor at Barnard College at Columbia University said, “several dozen of these mercenaries signed such contracts, and were taken by plane to Russia…But there are still several hundred of them in Syria. I wouldn’t be surprised if those who didn’t sign a direct contract with (the defense ministry) went to another private military company called Redut, formerly called Shield, and also located in Syria.”
Categories