On 26 December 2025, the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) held a press conference dedicated to the outcomes of its activities over the past year.

Chairman of the Board Farid Shafiyev highlighted that, as in previous years, the Center continued to focus on its core areas of expertise, including analyzing key developments in Azerbaijan, the South Caucasus region, and the broader international arena, producing high-quality research, reports, and publications, and effectively communicating the Republic of Azerbaijan’s perspectives to international public, political, and academic audiences.

“The Center published 12 bulletins providing objective and concise overviews of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy agenda. In 2025, one book was published in Azerbaijani. “The Armenian Diaspora in the Middle East”, authored by Lala Khalilzade, a staff member specializing in the Arab world and the Middle East, explores the historical, political, social, and cultural activities of the Armenian diaspora, its spheres of influence, and potential capacities across five countries in the region where Armenian communities are most widely represented.

I would like to emphasize that, as our primary goal is to provide foreign audiences with objective and accurate information, our publications are predominantly produced in English. In total, six books have been published in English, and the brochure “Ilham Aliyev: Foreign Policy Successes, 2003-2023” has also been translated into English.

I would like to draw attention to a number of books and reports prepared in accordance with the priority areas of our strategic agenda, including “CICA: How to Advance Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship”, “Azerbaijan-U.S. relations: Charting a New Course For Strategic Partnership”, “France’s Role in the Armenia–Azerbaijan Conflict: Historical Perspectives And Modern Dynamics”, “Global South: How Azerbaijan Can Benefit.”

In addition, in cooperation with ADA University and with the support of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), we prepared a report titled “Coping with Landmines Problems in The Liberated Territories”, addressing the primary challenge faced during the reconstruction process, namely, the threat posed by landmines.

In addition, a total of 214 bulletins, analytical papers, and reports were published in Azerbaijani, Russian, and English. Articles by the Center’s staff appeared in reputable outlets such as Commonspace, Modern Diplomacy, The Liberum, Yeni Şafak, Anadolu Agency, Eurasia Review, and other well-established publications. Over the course of the year, 168 articles were published in international media, while 30 appeared in local media outlets.

Overall, the Center organized or actively participated in 49 events. Among these, I would highlight the 7th Political Forum on the theme “Facing the New World Order”, international conferences on “France and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict” and “Islamophobia in Focus: Unveiling Bias, Shattering Stigmas”, meetings of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Expert Councils, as well as the panel discussion titled The Middle Corridor: A New Geopolitical and Economic Lifeline?”, jointly organized with GLOBSEC.

In addition, the Center organized the 13th session of the CICA Think Tank Forum, the Organization of Turkic States’ Think Tank Forum, the First U.S.-Azerbaijan Think Tank Forum, and the First Azerbaijan-Türkiye Think Tank Forum.

The Center also organized a number of events abroad. On December 9-10, in cooperation with partner organizations in Türkiye, four joint events were held, bringing the total number of collaborative events throughout the year to five. In April, a briefing dedicated to humanitarian mine-clearance activities was organized jointly with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations. Additionally, joint events took place in Prague, Cairo, and Vienna.

At the same time, the Center’s staff actively participated and delivered presentations at events organized by partner institutions in the United States, Austria, Morocco, Egypt, Singapore, and China.

Over the course of the year, the Center has expanded its academic activities and advanced joint projects by signing Memoranda of Understanding with six partner institutions: Spain’s Ágora Diplomática platform, Hungary’s Danube Institute, Italy’s Anteo Edizioni publishing house, Egypt’s Hivar Center for Political and Media Studies, the Center for Strategic Studies Center at the University of Jordan, and the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Farid Shafiyev stressed.

The press conference was followed by a question-and-answer session.