Energy & Europe: SOCAR is stepping into Italy’s fuel-price squeeze by moving to cap petrol and diesel prices at its Italiana Petroli (IP) stations from 28 September, following Eni’s similar cap and Italy’s push to protect households. Caspian Gas Investment: TotalEnergies, SOCAR and XRG have taken the Final Investment Decision for Absheron full-field development, targeting gas output of 6 bcm/year and condensate at 47,000 bpd, with start-up expected in 2029 and exports to Turkey via existing infrastructure. AI as a growth bet: Oracle’s vice president says AI is a top investment theme in Azerbaijan and signals interest in partnering locally to expand initiatives. Finance & banking ties: Azerbaijan’s Central Bank met Citigroup to discuss correspondent banking, money-market development, FX reserve practices and ways to deepen the partnership. Trade facilitation: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye are pushing to simplify transit and cut border waiting times through customs standards and transport infrastructure upgrades. Regional connectivity & investment pipeline: At AIIF 2026, 26 investment contracts worth $10.8bn were signed across AI, energy and manufacturing, with infrastructure dialogues also drawing major global investors. Security & consular update: Azerbaijan will repatriate the body of citizen Abbas Abbasov, killed in a Kyiv drone strike; several other Azerbaijani citizens were injured.