News digest

GARABAGH ISSUE TO BE RAISED IN SECURITY COUNCIL

The Azerbaijan government has asked Ukraine, which has assumed rotating presidency in the UN Security Council, to raise the Upper Garabagh issue and enforcement of 4 UN resolutions on unconditional withdrawal from the occupied Azeri lands, foreign minister Vilayat Guliyev told journalists Tuesday.

According to him, Ukraine has agreed in principle and the issue will be included into the agenda of a UN SC session.

PRESIDENT TO VISIT ISTANBUL LATE APRIL

A regular Turkic summit is due in Istanbul April 26-27 with President of Azerbaijan going to take part, according to Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev.

The summit will focus on prospects of political, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation among Turkic countries.

COE MONITORING GROUP EXPECTED IN APRIL

The COE monitoring group is expected to arrive in Baku late April, says MP, a member of the Democratic Bloc Alimammad Nuriyev. The group is expected to follow up on Azerbaijan's progress with the COE commitments record.

According to Mr. Nuriyev, a special emphasis will be placed on issues of human rights and political prisoners. The MP thinks some of the political prisoners may be released in the wake of the visit.

While in Baku, the COE delegates are to meet with the authorities, opposition and human rights activists, he said.

US TO PROVIDE $34MLN IN AID

US government is expected to provide $34 million worth of assistance to Azerbaijan in 2001, or $2 million over 2000.

The assistance will be distributed through the USAID and target investment programs in agriculture, small enterprise development, education of Azeri students in the USA, and needs of the border guard, a source close to the US embassy told Azernews Monday.

BAKU TO HOST BSEC PA MEETING

Baku is expected to host a Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly meeting in June, to be attended by representatives of 12 countries.

Speaker of the Milli Mejlis Murtuz Alasgarov said Friday Azerbaijan would do its utmost to hold the meeting on a high level.

AZERI EMBASSY TO OPEN IN ROMANIA

The Milli Mejlis approved a draft bill on establishing Azerbaijan's embassy in Romania Tuesday. Chairman of the permanent commission on international relations and inter-parliamentary contacts S. Seyidov told journalists that President Aliyev had given his consent for the opening of the mission and approved the draft.

Under the law, the head of state will appoint the ambassador. Afterwards, Foreign Ministry will execute other necessary procedures.

For the time being, Azerbaijan has 16 embassies in 16 countries.

PUMPING STATIONS REBUILT WITH SWISS GRANT

Swiss government has allocated a grant of $5.4 million to the Absheron Regional Water Joint Stock Company. The means are being spent on reconstruction of 322 pumping stations, according to the head of the company Ogtai Asadov.

He said the work is expected to improve water-supply for 400,000 residents of the capital. The grant agreement was signed during a visit to Baku of the Swiss Finance Minister in January.

NEW WEB-SITE ON AZERBAIJAN

A new English-language site on Azerbaijan has appeared on the web lately (www.rational.boom.ru). Individuals, government and non-governmental organizations can send data on Azerbaijan to the site, according to the president of "For rational society" NGO Tofiq Mehdiyev.

AZERCELL RENEWS AWARD PROGRAM

As part of Azercell's Awards Program, all the award points collected by subscribers will be annulled since April 1, 2001. Gifts won before the deadline may be collected before May 1 at 25 Azerbaijan Avenue, says an Azercell Telecom JV news release.

Azernews

AzadInform