Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, top stories this morning

●  A video dedicated to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s keynote speech at the eighth congress of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party on 2 October has been posted on his social media accounts. It includes excerpts from his remarks on the importance of Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 Second Karabakh War and the liberation of territories that had been occupied by Armenia for more than 30 years. However, the main message is the importance of peace and justice. “There is no place for emotions in politics. If we had given in to emotions, we would probably have erected a third Victory Arch in the centre of Yerevan by now,” Aliyev says in the video. More on Aliyev’s speech, including his tough foreign policy statements, here.

●  A conference titled “From the Shusha Declaration to the Organization of Turkic States” was held in Baku at the weekend, with guests from Turkey, Uzbekistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Representatives of Turkic states’ embassies, MPs and activists also took part. The forum focused on exchanging views on the shared historical and cultural values of the Turkic world. 3 October is observed as the International Day of Cooperation among Turkic States.

●  A private residential building under construction collapsed in the Bakhар settlement of Baku’s Surakhani district, killing one person and injuring another. An investigation has been launched.

●  Baku hosted the “Taste of Europe” culinary festival at the weekend, marking 30 years of partnership between the European Union and Azerbaijan. The festival was organised by the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan and opened by EU Ambassador Marijana Kujundžić. Representatives of the Belgian, French, German, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Croatian, Austrian and Estonian embassies took part.

●  Azerbaijani judoka Ahmed Yusifov won the world championship in the 60kg category in Baku. He defeated Kazakhstan’s Sherzod Davlatov in the final.

●  Azerbaijan recorded its first win of the current UEFA Nations League season, beating Lithuania 1–0 in Baku. The result moved Azerbaijan to the top of the group with five points from three games.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 28 September-2 October, 2026