Azerbaijani weightlifters left Armenia

On January 8, President Ilham Aliyev received Magdalena Grono, the European Union’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, according to the Azerbaijani President's press service. Grono expressed condolences over the AZAL plane crash and expressed hope that all the causes of the crash would be thoroughly investigated. Noting that Azerbaijan is an important partner for the European Union, Grono emphasized that the EU is interested in ensuring sustainable stability in the South Caucasus region. She highlighted the importance of dialogue between the EU and Azerbaijan, noting Azerbaijan's significant contribution to Europe's energy security.

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, responded to the statements made by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the day before. In an interview with Armenpress, he stated that Baku is trying to "legitimize" the escalation in the region. Aggressive statements are being made with the expectation that Yerevan will respond aggressively, which would allow them to "justify" a new escalation in the region.

Azerbaijan raised the issue of the return of Azerbaijanis to their historical lands in Armenia 10 years ago. However, until the problem of liberating the occupied territories was resolved, this topic was not actively pursued, the head of state, Ilham Aliyev,  said in an interview with local TV channels on January 7. “This was our legitimate desire, and now it is time to seriously address this issue,” he said, adding that the community of Western Azerbaijan had established contacts with international organizations, and this issue had already been brought to the international agenda.

Relations with Iran remain uncertain, and there have been no meetings with the new Iranian leader yet. Head of State Ilham Aliyev said this in an interview with local TV channels on January 7. After the Second Karabakh War, the Iranians began to supply fuel to Karabakh.Baku demanded to stop this, however, the demand was ignored.