From Kyiv to the Caucasus, Security Fault Lines Shape Munich Talks

At a committee meeting in Baku on Monday, lawmakers agreed to advance a bill ratifying the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs, paving the way for a parliamentary vote on February 20. The decision, technical at first glance, offers a revealing insight into the shifting — and increasingly pragmatic — relationship between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe.

When Ilham Aliyev stepped onto the tarmac in Belgrade in mid-February, greeted by Aleksandar Vučić with full military honours, the picture looked familiar. What mattered was not the ceremony but the subtext: Serbia and Azerbaijan are building something more durable than diplomatic symbolism — an energy-centred partnership that could subtly alter the economic map of the Balkans.

Leaders of the Turkic world gathered in Budapest this week for the first informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), marking the first time such an event has been held in a European Union member state. The meeting highlighted both the strategic rise of the organization and the internal contradictions that persist within the bloc.

Leading international analytical firms have been actively sharing their research and forecasts regarding the EU's gas demand at various forums, taking into account the bloc’s strategy for a gradual transition away from fossil fuels. This approach contrasts with statements from the newly elected U.S. president, who has linked the expansion of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to trade tariffs on the EU.