Day: October 20, 2026

Azerbaijan has been expanding its cooperation with Eastern countries over the past 6–10 years, which indicates a “pivot to the East” in the republic’s foreign policy, Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Board of the Center of Analysis of International Relations and Multiculturalism, said at the opening of the event “The Middle Corridor and its Prospects: The Future of Transport Links between Azerbaijan, South Korea, and Eurasia”, Report informs.

“Over the past six, and perhaps even ten years, we have been observing what I call a pivot to the East in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. This is manifested in the country’s participation in international platforms and organizations,” he noted.

In this context, Shafiyev recalled the hosting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Azerbaijan on October 15, as well as the country’s participation in other international events.

Shafiyev also emphasized the growing importance of the Middle Corridor against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in the region.

“Amid the growing demand for stable and secure communication between Asia and Europe, this topic is particularly relevant. We see two military conflicts to the north and south of Azerbaijan that have not yet been resolved. At the same time, Azerbaijan and other countries located along the Middle Corridor offer stable transport connections,” he stated.

TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (MNA) – The UN Food Agency has cut humanitarian aid to more than 700,000 Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid funding shortages.

As much as 5,400 MW of new power generating capacities have been created in Azerbaijan since 2003, Report informs referring to an article by Baba Rzayev, Chairman of the Board of Azerenerji OJSC, published in the Xalg gazeti newspaper.

According to him, the total installed capacity of power plants in the Azerenerji network is 9,395 MW.

“From 2003 to the present day, 5,400 MW of new generating capacities have been created. Of these, 3,000 MW are provided by completely new power plants built over the last 7 years. These figures reflect the scale and pace of energy infrastructure renewal, and also demonstrate the potential created to meet the country’s growing demand for electricity,” he noted.

Baba Rzayev emphasized that improving the technical condition of existing power plants is also a priority.

“Since 2019, 1,300 MW of generating capacities have been restored. In addition, the Shimal-2 power plant with a capacity of 400 MW, the Gobu power plant with a capacity of 385 MW, and the 8 November power plant with a capacity of 1,880 MW have been commissioned. The main task is not only to build new stations but also to use existing capacities as efficiently as possible. The economic efficiency of electricity production directly depends on fuel consumption, the technical condition of equipment, the organization of repair work, and the management of production processes. Therefore, reducing specific fuel consumption is an important indicator,” he stated.

According to the head of Azerenerji, specific fuel consumption for electricity production decreased from 284 to 232 grams per kWh in 2018–2025.

“This means a decrease of 48.32 grams, or approximately 17%. Such dynamics are essential for a more economical use of fuel resources, optimizing production processes, and reducing the cost of electricity,” he added.