Baku hosts U17 World Wrestling Championships amid regional cooperation talks

The U17 World Wrestling Championships are being held in Baku, Azerbaijan from 27 July to 2 August, featuring both Greco‑Roman and freestyle competitions. Armenia’s Greco‑Roman wrestling team has arrived in the city to compete, and the official draws for the Greco‑Roman bouts have been released, listing athletes from Armenia, Iran, Egypt, Japan, the United States and other nations.

During the same period, Armenian officials met Iranian counterparts in Tehran, agreeing to expand Iranian natural‑gas exports through an Armenian transit corridor and to pursue joint infrastructure projects, including a refinery, a hydropower plant in Meghri and upgrades to the North‑South transport corridor. A second bridge over the Araks River was also discussed. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation to strengthen Armenia‑EU cooperation and support Armenia’s export opportunities.

These developments underscore how the sporting event is coinciding with broader diplomatic and economic initiatives among Armenia, Iran and European partners.