News digest

PRESIDENT ALIYEV TO LEAVE FOR SOCHI

Today President Aliyev is expected to leave for Sochi to attend an informal CIS summit, according to the president's press-service. The CIS presidents are expected to focus on how the agreements reached during the previous summit are being implemented and prospects of developing cooperation within the Commonwealth. H. Aliyev will also hold a number of bilateral meetings.

GEORGIAN PRESIDENT's VISIT PUT OFF

Georgian President Eduard Shevrdnadze’s visit to Baku, originally scheduled for Friday, has been put off. A source from the President's office has told Azernews that the postponement follows the murder of a renowned journalist from Georgia’s Rustavi-2 TV channel Georgiy Sanaya in his own apartment in Tbilisi Friday. During the visit, the parties were expected to sign an intergovernmental agreement on early Shah-Daniz gas transit via Georgia to Turkey. Senior advisor to the US secretary of state on Caspian basin energy diplomacy Steven Mann arrived in Baku for the purpose and met with President Aliyev Thursday.

AZERI EXPERTS ATTEND CONFERENCE IN ARMENIA

A 4-people delegation of Azeri experts led by the director for conflicts and migration department of the Institute of Peace and Democracy Arif Yunusov has attended a conference "Peace settlement of the Garabagh conflict" in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia, on July 24-25. The conference was sponsored by German Fridrich Naumann Foundation.

In his news conference at the Human Rights Resource Center on Tuesday, A. Yunusov said Azeri experts made three presentations. Following extensive discussions, it was agreed that the parties should resuscitate the search for peace on the basis of a stage-by-stage peace plan proposed by the Minsk Group. Mr. Yunusov added that after the conference he was interviewed by Armenia's A1+ television channel and answered numerous questions concerning the settlement of the Garabagh conflict and future relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

AZERBAIJAN TO BE ADMITTED TO ITO

The session of the World Tourism Organization general assembly, due in Seoul on September 23, is expected to focus on Azerbaijan's full-fledged admission to this organization, minister for youth, sports and tourism, Abulfaz Garayev, told a news conference Tuesday. In this connection, the minister is preparing special shows, promotion publications and Internet sites. Azerbaijan will take a regular part in international tourism fairs and exhibitions three times a year. According to the minister, tourism expenses should be fixed as a separate item in the state budget. He also said that the "Azerbaijan Review" magazine will start coming out in September, which as he believes will promote tourism in the country.