The Muslim Holy month of Ramadan started on Wednesday, 18 February. For Muslims across the world, the holy month of Ramadan is a time for religious reflection, increased worship, charity and community. Observant Muslims abstain from all forms of food and drink between the hours of dawn and sunset whilst trying to reconnect with their faith. Islam adheres to the lunar calendar. This means that the month of Ramadan begins when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted  The lunar calendar is 10 to 11 days shorter than the modern 365-day Gregorian calendar, which is based on the Earth's rotation around the sun. This difference means Ramadan begins on a different day each year.  In Muslim-majority countries, dedicated state committees check for the crescent moon and officially announce the start of Ramadan. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and several other Gulf countries claimed to have sighted the crescent moon on 17 February and declared 18 February as the first day of Ramadan. However, Egypt, Turkey Jordan and some other countries said the crescent moon was not sighted and therefore announced that Ramadan would begin on Thursday 19 February. This means that the month of fasting will likely end on either Wednesday 18 March or Thursday 19 March, as there are either 29 or 30 days in a lunar month. As a result, Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, is likely to fall on either Thursday 19 March or Friday 20 March. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. Muslims tend to celebrate Eid with a small breakfast and give to charity before Eid prayers in congregation.

"Vance’s visit did more than consolidate a peace process – it began rewiring the South Caucasus through energy, AI, and infrastructure. The region’s future alignment may well be determined less by traditional security blocs and more by who controls the region’s transport routes, builds its reactors, powers its data centers, and lays its fiber-optic cables", writes Vasif Husseynov, in this op-ed for commonspace.eu Vance’s February 9–11 visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan marked a structural turning point in the South Caucasus. Unlike previous high-level engagements of the United States that generated rhetorical alignment but limited follow-through, this visit embedded the region into long-term American economic, technological, and strategic frameworks. Taking place on the heels of the latest agreement (January 14) between Washington and Yerevan on the implementation framework for the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), the visit served to consolidate the American influence in the region and taking it to higher levels. The consequences are unfolding along two axes: domestically, within Armenia and Azerbaijan’s political economies; and geopolitically, in the region’s recalibrating balance between the United States and Russia, with Georgia seeking entry into the new configuration. (click the image to read the op-ed in full).

For many years, the international community was telling the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to prepare their populations for peace. Instead, they prepared them for war, which eventually came in 2020, followed by a period of uncertainty. In the last year the two sides turned the page. In March 2025 they agreed the elements of a peace agreement. On 8 August, at a historic meeting in the White House, this agreement was initialed. Since then, the two sides have taken huge, unprecedented steps to achieve peace and reconciliation. On 13 February, twenty Azerbaijani civil society experts walked across the border with Armenia, presented their passports at an Armenian border checkpoint and entered Armenia, to be welcomed by 20 Armenian counterparts, with who they spent the next two days discussing future regional peace and co-operation. The symbolism and importance of this event is huge. Even if you accept that this was a tightly choreographed affair, managed by the two governments, its importance is unquestionable. There will now be a “return” event. The 20 Armenians involved in the process will go to Azerbaijan. The arrival of the large Azerbaijani group in Armenia was in the framework of the “Peace Bridge”, which started taking shape in October of last year. This has two characteristics, which make it special, relevant and ground breaking. The first is that the initiative not only has government backing, but has two important “patrons” – presidential adviser in Azerbaijan, Hikmet Haciyev; and Armenian National Security Council Secretary, Armen Grigoryan. These two men did most of the heavy lifting behind the scenes to get the peace process on the right track. So there is a bit of a haze between track 1 and track 2, but in this case it is all for the better. The second important element, is that this is an all-local initiative. There is no foreign funding; no external NGO, or any other outside involvement. This is hugely significant and important. One also needs to commend the transparency of the process. The names of those participating on both sides were published.There is no conflict anymore between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenians and Azerbaijanis, at official level, and at civil society level, are talking directly to each other without intermediaries. This is something to be celebrated. That part of our work is done, and we should be happy and satisfied. We contributed as much as anyone so that the sides could reach this point. Now its time to move on. (click image to read the full Monday Commentary)