News in brief

NEW TURKISH AMBASSADOR ARRIVING

New Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Unal Cevik is expected to arrive in Baku Wednesday. Mr. Cevik had worked as head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry department for South Caucasus before the assignment, the Turkish embassy said.

The Turkish diplomat, who is succeeding Gadri Ecvet Tezcan on the expiry of his diplomatic tenure, is expected to hand in his credentials to President Aliyev.

GUUAM OBSERVER STATUS BEING SET UP

A meeting of national coordinators of GUUAM member states (Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova), due in Tbilisi in January of 2002, is expected to center on draft regulations on the observer status as part of the organization. According to a diplomatic source, the coordinators will also discuss draft regulations on establishment of a GUUAM information center. Both drafts will be approved at the meeting.

Azerbaijan will be represented by deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov.

GREEK DIPLOMAT TO VISIT BAKU

On November 19-22 deputy foreign minister of Greece Mr. Georgious Magriotis is expected to pay a working visit to Baku. The Greek diplomat will hold meetings with his Azeri counterpart Kh.Khalafov and government officials to discuss cooperation issues, according to a diplomatic source.

A number of documents are expected to be signed as part of the visit.

CIS INTERNAL MINISTERS' MEETING PUT OFF

The meeting of the CIS Council of interior ministers, originally scheduled for November 23-24 in Tbilisi, has been postponed till December. The postponement came after a request by the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs to CIS internal ministries asking to put off the meeting due to the dissolving of the Georgian government, a competent source told Azernews Friday.

The meeting would center on cooperation in combating terrorism, drug-trafficking and organized crime.

MPs BLASTING BUDGET DRAFT

The draft 2002 state budget came under fire in Tuesday's meeting of parliament, as MPs Fikrat Sadigov, Gultakin Hajiyeva and Isgandar Guliyev lambasted the bill for its alleged lack of investment expenses, irrational use of the country's material resources, an erroneous price policy, etc.

Commenting on the criticism, the minister for finance said the solution to these issues, as well as indexes for public deposits will be included into a 2003 budget draft.

AZERI JOURNALISTS TO VISIT EGYPT

A team of Azeri journalists from "Echo", "7 Gun" newspapers, Space TV channel and Trend agency left for Egypt Sunday. The trip is organized by the Technical Foundation of Egypt and Egyptian embassy in Baku and will last till November 20.

The journalists will meet with the political circles of Egypt and focus on the opportunities of cooperation with their Egyptian counterparts under a special cultural program.