British Minister for Europe gives a speech in Baku

Part of my day today. Other highlights - visiting the Presidential dacha for the first time.. I didn't catch a glimpse of the man himself, but I can report that there's an impressive number of chandeliers in the entrance hall, and the Azeri sweets they serve in the waiting area are very tasty!

It was a miserable grey day in Baku today. Not cold but drizzling for a good part of the day - a reminder that November is not far away. Still. It could be worse. Many parts of the former Soviet Union get extreme winters. In Baku we saw a couple of weekends of snow last winter. Admittedly one was so heavy that it broke power lines and some areas (thankfully not mine) had no power for two days, but in general we get off pretty lightly when it comes to winter - the UK had a more severe winter last year.