Azerbaijan signs Digital Cooperation Organization charter, names AI a priority

Azerbaijan signed the charter of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on 5 October 2026, formalising its membership in the Riyadh-based bloc after Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev met DCO Secretary-General Deemah Al Yahya in Baku, Trend.az reported. Azerbaijan had been admitted to the DCO on 1 September 2026, the ministry said.

What officials said

• "We discussed digital transformation, artificial intelligence, innovation, cybersecurity, the development of digital skills and the expansion of joint initiatives," Nabiyev wrote, Trend.az reported.
• Membership lets Azerbaijan benefit "from the experience of member countries in e-government, artificial intelligence and smart solutions for the digitalization of public services," the ministry said, per Trend.az.
• On 6 October, Prime Minister Ali Asadov met Al Yahya; the Cabinet of Ministers told APA that officials cited "artificial intelligence," digital infrastructure and cybersecurity work as practical results of the government's digital policy.
• The same day, the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) and the DCO announced a Joint Action Plan after a session with about 30 Azerbaijani startup and ICT companies; IDDA Chairman Farid Osmanov addressed "Azerbaijan's priorities in digital development and artificial intelligence," IDDA said.
• Azercell Telecom also briefed the DCO delegation on 6 October; CEO Zarina Zeynalova said the operator's focus "extends beyond connectivity to digital services, data analytics and artificial intelligence solutions," per Trend.az.

Why it matters

Azerbaijan is one of eight countries the DCO approved for membership on 29 August 2026, a step that would take the organisation from 16 to 24 member states representing close to 980 million people, according to Arab News's account of the DCO announcement. The charter signing turns that accession into a working relationship: artificial intelligence was named in all four readouts from Baku this week, alongside cybersecurity and e-government, rather than in a single standalone statement.

What it means for Azerbaijani companies

None of the four statements gave a timetable, funding figure or named project under the IDDA-DCO Joint Action Plan, so no obligation under the AI Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2025–2028 or the EU AI Act attaches to it yet. For Azerbaijani ICT and AI-adjacent firms, the near-term opening is IDDA's stated plan to connect local startups to the DCO's international network and member-state markets; exporters should track how the plan is implemented rather than treat this week's signings as market access in themselves.