Audit of Reconstruction in Liberated Territories: Funds Are Not Used Efficiently

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have been awarded the 2026 Gernika Prize for Peace and Reconciliation, a symbolic recognition of their efforts to advance negotiations between two countries that have remained in conflict for decades.

Azerbaijan’s institutional and governance indicators in the first quarter of 2026 point to gradual improvements in public administration, digitalisation and service delivery, although disparities in implementation and lingering structural risks continue to weigh on overall effectiveness.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting in Azerbaijan is becoming increasingly institutionalised, with first-quarter data pointing to a gradual shift from voluntary disclosure to a de facto requirement, driven by investor expectations and the legacy of global climate negotiations such as COP29.

Iran has delivered a proposal to the United States that could reshape the trajectory of the prolonged conflict in the Middle East: reopen the Strait of Hormuz and move toward a long-term ceasefire — on the condition that discussions over its nuclear program be postponed. The report was first published by Axios, citing sources familiar with the negotiations.