Azerbaijan - 2021 (The article one)

At a time when public services, banking operations, and everyday life are moving ever deeper into the digital sphere, Azerbaijan is undertaking its most significant cybersecurity reform in recent years. President Ilham Aliyev has approved the charter establishing the National Cybersecurity Agency, a new institution designed to become the principal coordinator of the country’s digital infrastructure protection.

Corruption has remained one of the central topics of public debate in Azerbaijan for many years. In recent years, local and international media outlets have widely reported various allegations of corruption and illegal assets involving senior officials, members of their families and former state officials. These reports have not only highlighted the existence of corruption risks, but have also drawn attention to broader systemic governance problems.

In early 2026, Azerbaijan — long regarded as relatively stable in terms of internal security — began to show signs of a deeper and more complex transformation. Despite an overall decline in crime, one category is moving in the opposite direction: drug-related offenses are steadily rising.

The crime profile in Azerbaijan in the first quarter of 2026 indicates a continued decline in the overall number of offenses, despite a gradual shift toward more complex and technology-driven crimes faced by law enforcement agencies, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and reconstructed estimates based on comparable reports.