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RELIEF ORGANIZATION MARKS FIRST SAUDI AMBASSADOR’s APPOINTMENT
On April 7, the Saudi-based International Islamic Relief Organization conducted a reception at the Hyatt Regency Hotel of Baku Saturday in honor of the first ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Azerbaijan Mr. Ali Hasan Ahmad Jafar, who had handed his letters-of-credentials to President Aliyev.
Speaking on behalf of the organization, the IIRO director Mr. Mahammad Aleid contratulated the Saudi ambassador on the occasion of the appointment. He also voiced his readiness to facilitate development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia. In response, ambassador Ahmad Jafar extended his appreciation to the organization for the relief work it has undertaken and for the initiative to organize the ceremony.
Also speaking at the reception were the chairman of the Caucasus Clerical office Sheik Pashazadeh and a spokesman of the state committee for refugees Mazanli.
IIRO, the biggest Islamic relief organization in Azerbaijan, has worked in the country since 1993, providing assistance to refugees and IDPs settled in Barda and Sumgayit.
SAY "YES" TO CHILDREN REFERENDUM
The Baku office of UNICEF has released a statement concerning a Say "Yes" to children referendum being conducted worldwide within the framework of Global Movement for Children. The purpose of it is to bring the call from people from all over the world for the better future for children to the attention of World Leaders who will convene in New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly special session on children's issues.
A press-conference organized by UNICEF Country Office was held in Baku yesterday, devoted to Global Movement for Children and Say "Yes" for children referendum to provide and exchange information on global, regional and Azerbaijan specific events.
NGO LEGAL AID CENTER LAUNCHED
A center of legal assistance to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) started functioning on the initiative of the NGO Forum in early April, according to the president of the legal center Aydin Karimov.
He said NGOs have enough legal problems arising from the law "On NGOs" adopted last October.
Mr. Karimov also stated that the Ministry of Justice has been making it difficult for NGOs to get registered. Emphasizing the importance of developing NGOs, A. Karimov said over 300 international NGOs in the world are licensed to provide legal aid to OSCE and UN.
SECOND STAGE OF SEA TRAINING PROGRAM THRU
The Caspian Environmental Program (CEP) and thematic center for "Effective Regional Assessment of Contamination Level (ERACL), established within the CEP and located in Iran, carried out second stage of the "At Sea Training Program" (ASTP).
One of the main focuses of CEP is identification of priority trans-boundary issues of the Caspian basin and production of a Trans-boundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) of Caspian. ASTP is the part of this program. Primary objectives of the second stage of ASTP are to conduct a limited regional contamination assessment in order to fill the gaps in TDA, monitoring and assessment of background pollution of Caspian.
A specialized vessel "Issledovatel' Kaspia" (Russia) took the crew to the deeper central and southern part of the Caspian Sea to monitor background pollution, define contamination levels, take samples of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), selected biota, Chlorinated Hydrocarbons CNC (DDT), Micro-metals (TM) and other, as well as water temperature measurement, electrical conductivity/salinity, data management etc. The total duration of studies took approximately 21 days. Sampling was made both at "hot spots" and at intermediate stations, along coastline of the Caspian. Specialists from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, as well as scientists from Monaco, Ukraine and Turkey participate in the expedition.
THE DEAF STRUGGLE FOR RIGHTS
The society of people with impaired hearing has asked the Mayor's office for assistance in resolving its problems. Chairman of the society Tahir Bagirov told vice-mayor Rauf Panahov Monday that members of the society had not received the 44 apartments, that the 5-hectare plot the society owns in the Nizami district of Baku had been appropriated by non-members. The society has also demanded that its 5 enterprises, currently at a standstill, restart work.
Deputy chairman of the Society Ali Maharramov told AssA-Irada Tuesday that vice-mayor pledged to look into the issues soon.
7,500 deaf people currently live in Azerbaijan, receiving disability allowance of AZM25,000 to 50,000.
10,000 CHECHEN REFUGEES IN AZERBAIJAN
More than 180,000 Chechens live outside Chechnya today, including 123,000 in Ingushetia and 8,000-10,000 in Azerbaijan. The rest of them have found refuge in Russian regions, says a spokesman of Russian ministry for federal, national and migration policy Igor Zadvornov.
He was speaking to a news conference at Russian embassy last Wednesday.
Mr. Zadvornov added that Russian government is currently executing an extensive program of restoration of their houses in Chechnya and provision of allowances to them. RR1 billion will be allocated for restoration of private houses in 2001 alone. RR14.3 billion has been allotted for economic and social rehabilitation in the Chechen Republic, he said and added that the assistance, however, would be provided only to those who return to Chechnya.
The main objective of Mr. Zadvornov's visit to Baku was to try to lobby for the return of Chechens who have settled down in Azerbaijan. Regarding a recent statement by the widow of the ex-president of Chechnya Alla Dudayeva that Chechens allegedly have hard time in Azerbaijan, Mr. Zadvornov said Russian and Azeri officials do not subscribe to this allegation.
"This is her personal opinion", he said.
Touching upon the problems of two million Azeris living in Russia, Mr. Zadvornov indicated that the government is working on an official migration program in an effort to ensure free residence to everyone choosing to live in Russia.
IRANIAN SCIENTIST SHARES DISCOVERIES WITH AZERI SCHOLARS
A renowned Turkologist from Iran, Hussein Sadig-Duzgun, visited Baku last week to deliver lectures at a number of Azerbaijan's science centers. His lectures largely concerned three literary and historical discoveries he had made.
The first one concerned the so-called Persian-origin Azeri language. Dr. Duzgun claims that such a language has never existed, while those saying the contrary try to prove that Azerbaijanis were ordinary settlers in their present homeland.
The second discovery is the 300-page work by Sheik Safiyaddin Ardebil "Mejmue mountain", written in Azeri Turkic in the late 15th century. The book, compared in value to "Kitabi Dada Gorgud", will be published both in Iran and Azerbaijan.
Dr. Duzgun regards his find of the collection of works by Azeri 15-16th century poet Beyrek Gushchuoglu as his third discovery.
Hussein Sadig-Duzgun, fluent in 5 languages, was born in Tabriz in 1945, received his doctoral title from ancient Turkic philology faculty of Istanbul University in 1983 and is author of 110 books. The last 2 discoveries had not been known to the scientific world.
While in Baku, he was conferred the title of honorary professor of the Institute of Literature and elected as member of the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan.
On an agreement with Baku State University, Dr. Duzgun will be teaching "Ancient Avesta" at the University's philological department.
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Issue No.15 (197), 2001
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