Azerbaijan, an oil-rich country nestled between Russia and Iran, is hosting the first-ever European Games.
The mini-Olympics in Baku are a pet project of its autocratic president, Ilham Aliyev.
He’s also the president of the National Olympic Committee.
He reportedly invested $10 billion in the infrastructure that will host 6,000 athletes from 50 nations, competing in 20 sports, starting this weekend.
Some 1,300 international journalists are coming to cover the even...
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.