Nation

WOT TO OPEN UP BROAD TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES FOR AZERBAIJAN

A World Organization of Tourism delegation led by its regional spokesman for Europe Andrey Shlevkov arrived in Baku to meet with the minister for youth, sports and tourism Abulfaz Garayev and other government officials, as well as heads of travel companies. The group is also expected to take part in a seminar dedicated to tourism development in Azerbaijan and give recommendations.

Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev received the World Organization for Tourism assistant regional spokesman for Europe Andrey Shlevkov Tuesday, as the latter informed the minister of the WOT work, its plans, as well as some tourism cooperation proposals with Azerbaijan.

Min. Guliyev underscored the important role the Organization plays, stressing that the Azeri party attaches particular importance to cooperating with the WOT. He voiced Azerbaijan's readiness to apply effort toward improvement and developing mutually beneficial bilateral relations. The minister went on to say that such collaboration would open up broad tourism opportunities for Azerbaijan given the country's prospects in this area.

The visit will last till June 14.

EUROPEAN CUSTOMS EXPERTS TO HOLD SEMINAR IN AZERBAIJAN

Experts from the European Customs Office Liam McGrad and Evelyn McPaltin are conducting a 10-day seminar for Azeri customs officials, "Control over customs evaluation". The lectures will concern various methods of customs evaluation.

The seminar is part of the cooperation program between the Azerbaijan State Customs and the European Customs offices.

8 SETTLEMENTS TO BE SET UP FOR IDPs

Projects of setting up 8 IDP settlements in the liberated territories of Agdam and Fuzuli provinces have been prepared. 100, 150 and 200 families are expected to inhabit the settlements, the vice-premier of the Azerbaijan government, chairman of the State Committee on Refugees Ali Hasanov told the head of the Asian Development Bank in Azerbaijan Marco Gatti.

The parties also spoke about the Bank's financing the restoration of schools and the "Kur" Olympic Center in Mingachevir, which are currently home to the displaced.

In a meeting on Friday with the head of the UNHCR office in Azerbaijan Didier Lay, Ali Hasanov highlighted the growing need for a new organization determining the status of refugees, the Committee told Azernews Thursday.

POLITICAL PRISONERS: HOW MANY?

The society of human rights of the inmates held a news conference at the Human Rights Resource Center Friday and released a letter signed by 37 alleged political prisoners.

The letter says that the list forwarded to COE experts by human rights activist Saida Gojamanli, which includes names of 213 prisoners, is inaccurate.

Chairman of the Society Shahriyar Rasulov said it was commendable that the number of human right organizations is growing, though they tend to divide prisoners in groups. It was underscored that Gojamanli's does not include some participants in the Ganja coup attempt and those arrested in Nakhchivan for their political beliefs.

GARABAGH DISABLED SOCIETY DEPRIVED OF OFFICE SPACE

A Binagadi district police department demanded Monday morning that the abolished Society of the Garabagh Disabled vacate the premises it is leasing on 1 Binagadi Highway, a source from the Society told Azernews Monday.

According to the society, the decision was provoked by the rally scheduled by the Society's Human Rights Committee for June 16 to demand immediate release of the 6 members of the Society arrested in February.

WOMEN POLITICIANS CLAIM LEADERSHIP

The Dilara Aliyeva Society for women's rights held a roundtable, "Role of women in politics", Tuesday, as female politicians from the Yeni Azerbaijan, Musavat, PFPA (both wings), PNIA, ADP, the Civil Solidarity, and Adalat parties focused on the role women play in the country's political life, their problems and concerns.

Women spoke of the importance women represent on political scene. Chairperson of the Society of women's rights Novella Jafarova said if women are entrusted the mission of educating children in a family, they could also be active in political affairs. She called upon all women's organization to unite around this idea.

GERMAN GOV’T DIGNITARY IN BAKU

A German federal government spokesman for human rights and humanitarian aid Herd Poppe started his tour of the South Caucasus with a trip to Azerbaijan's ancient city of Shaki, where Mr. Poppe met with heads of local human right groups. He then traveled to refugee camps in Fuzuli and Imishli.

On Monday, the German official met with the vice-premier, chairman of the state committee on refugees Ali Hasanov and the minister of justice Fikrat Mammadov.

Mr. Poppe is scheduled to meet with foreign and interior ministry officials, representatives of human right organizations and political leaders.

UNPF, AZERI GOV’T SIGN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROJECT

On 6 June, the Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Health on behalf of the Government of Azerbaijan signed a project document on "Reproductive Health Services for IDPs, Refugees and Residents in Regions with High Density of IDPs and Refugees", jointly produced by UNFPA, Azeri and British governments.

The project with a total budget of $430,000 of which $330,000 and $100,000 are respectively contributed by the British Department for International Development and UNFPA, will allow to build a multilateral approach in addressing health and development issues in the Republic of Azerbaijan. In particular, it will target designing and pilot testing of reproductive health programs for refugees and IDPs, expansion of reproductive health services and development of models of program interventions targeting this particular population group and the establishment of a supervisory system for reproductive health services.

Within the framework of the new project, UNFPA will work closely with the Ministry of Health and international NGOs in addressing the reproductive health and family planning concerns of the population in such refugee/IDP-populated areas as Beylagan, Terter, Fizuly, Imishly, Mingachevir, etc.