Artsakh
An international conference dedicated to the preservation of Artsakh’s cultural heritage took place at the San Tommaso d’Aquino Pontifical University in Rome on November 18. The event, titled “Preserving Sacred Sites for Unified Christian Service,” focused on the protection of religious sites and cultural heritage in Artsakh. The conference was organized by the Apostolic Delegation of the Armenian Apostolic Church to the Holy See and the Istituto di Studi Ecumenici dell’Angelicum, under the patronage of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Supreme Pontiff.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan will increase defense and security expenditures in its 2025 state budget, raising the total to 8.396 billion manats, up from an initial 6.658 billion manats, in response to Armenia’s “militarization policy.” The funding will be supported by a 1.7 billion manat transfer from the State Oil Fund. Key allocations include 2.665 billion manats for the armed forces, 467.9 million manats for national security and 540.3 million manats for the border service, with 4.717 billion manats set aside for other defense-related activities.
Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a recent meeting with commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, called for readiness in the face of a potential large-scale conflict. “Preparing for war prevents it. If you want to prevent a war, you must demonstrate your strength and declare your readiness for both war and defense. This will avert conflict. Any sign of weakness, showing you’re unprepared, will force war upon you,” he said. Araghchi also condemned recent Israeli actions against Iran, describing them as yet another act of aggression and reaffirmed Iran’s right to retaliate.
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree approving an updated nuclear doctrine, stating that nuclear weapons are a last resort for defending the country’s sovereignty. The new doctrine expands the list of states and military alliances subject to nuclear deterrence and outlines specific military threats that could trigger nuclear retaliation. Notably, aggression by a non-nuclear state, if involving a nuclear power, will be considered a joint attack on Russia. Additionally, Russia may use nuclear weapons in response to critical threats, even in the event of conventional attacks, such as an assault on Belarus or mass airstrikes crossing Russian borders.
Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that Turkey denied Israeli President Isaac Herzog permission to use its airspace for his trip to Azerbaijan to attend the COP29 climate summit. As a result, Herzog’s office canceled the visit, citing “security concerns.” This move comes amid ongoing tensions between the two countries in light of Israel’s war in Gaza. Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Israel but has not severed diplomatic ties. Israeli news agencies reported this week that Ronen Bar, head of Israel’s Shin Bet, secretly met with Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın in Ankara to discuss the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Turkey and Israel maintain economic ties and ongoing intelligence cooperation.
