Ankara and Berlin Speak of Strategic Partnership

Former German Chancellor reappears in Russia amid debate over future peace talks and a new wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine The appearance of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Moscow on the eve of the St. Petersburg International...

At the 79th Cannes Film Festival, politics once again proved inseparable from art. Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, whose films have long served as bleak moral portraits of contemporary Russia, received the Grand Prix for “Minotaur,” his first feature film in nearly a decade. Yet the defining moment of the evening was not merely the award itself, but the director’s speech addressed directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The 79th Cannes Film Festival is taking place at a moment when the global film industry continues to search for a balance between auteur cinema, commercial projects and the rapid rise of streaming platforms. This year, the festival once again confirms its significance not only as the leading venue for film premieres, but also as an indicator of broader cultural and social sentiment.

At the annual diplomatic reception marking “Europe Day” in Baku on May 14, as is customary for such ceremonial events, only positive aspects of relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan were discussed.