Latest news in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, summary. Live

● The Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will be held in the city of Gabala on October 6–7. Local media report that the presidents of Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have confirmed their participation. The theme of the summit is “Regional Peace and Security,” focusing on developing multilateral cooperation within the organisation.

● Activist Nidjat Ibrahim, sentenced to six years and six months in prison, told the appellate court that he has been on hunger strike for more than two weeks, protesting what he calls his unjust arrest. Ibrahim was detained in September last year on charges of stabbing a local resident, which he categorically denies, calling the case politically motivated. He claims that someone suddenly attacked him on the street, pushed him to the ground, and staged a knife incident, with police officers appearing on the scene immediately. A week before his arrest, Ibrahim reportedly tried to leave the country with his family but was prevented from doing so. He then called the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ emergency hotline and said he would set himself on fire in front of the ministry building if not allowed to leave. Earlier, in July 2020, Ibrahim was detained while preparing a protest demanding the resignation of President Ilham Aliyev and sentenced to one year and three months in prison on charges of spreading the coronavirus.

In recent years, several civic and political activists in Azerbaijan have been arrested on similar street-stabbing charges, including former diplomat Emin Ibrahimov, Popular Front Party members Zamin Salaev and Kenan Zeynalov, Confederation of Trade Unions “Ishchi Masasi” chairman Afiaddin Mammadov, and Yoldash Media founder Ahmed Mammadli. All deny the accusations.

● State budget revenues from the oil and gas sector in the first half of the year exceeded the same period last year by 16.7%. The main growth came from oil extraction and oil and gas service sectors. Revenues from payments in the extractive industries increased by 20.4% and 30.7% in the first and second quarters, respectively, compared to the same periods last year.

● In Kalbajar, the foundation has been laid for a high-altitude wind power plant as part of a major investment project implemented by the Azerbaijani-Turkish partnership Baltech Green and Clean Energy Invest. The project was launched in November last year during the international COP29 Climate Forum held in Azerbaijan. The wind plant is being built at an altitude of 3,100 meters and is expected to be operational in early 2028 with a final capacity of 600 MW. According to the state program, eight industrial solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of about 2 GW will be built by 2027. By 2030, Azerbaijan aims to reach 6 GW, of which 4 GW are planned for export. The implementation of these plans will increase the share of green energy in the national energy system to 32.6%, save 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas annually, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the press release.

● The Baku International Arts Festival (BIAF) has been announced for October 31 – November 16, 2025, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture. “The main mission is to bring world-class art to Baku and present local talents on an international platform […] These investments in art strengthen Baku’s image as a dynamic, modern capital at the crossroads of East and West,” the press release says.

● About 510 kilograms of narcotics smuggled from Iran across the Caspian Sea have been intercepted. The Border Service reported the arrest of an organized criminal group whose members are citizens of Iran and Azerbaijan.

Photo by JAMnews: a market in the Sabunchu settlement on the outskirts of Baku

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 29 September-3 October, 2025