Rapporteurs of the Monitoring Group of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Andreas Gross and Martinez Kassan have completed their mission in Azerbaijan with a full visit program after holding planned meetings, including with opposition and human rights activists. The Monitoring Group is intended to oversee Azerbaijan’s commitments to the CE since its admission in 2000. Despite some expectations, especially from opposition minded politicians, the visit passed smoothly and the r...... полностью

The Presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Ukraine are making efforts to rejuvenate the GUUAM amid what many say are bad times for the organization following Uzbekistan’s suspension in the alliance and Moldova’s much skepticism about its future. The three Presidents attempted to give a new impetus to the organization in the Yalta summit in the Ukraine last week, initiating signing of agreements on security and economic cooperation. The GUUAM is a regional organization of the former Soviet r...... полностью

YOUNG FASHION DESIGNER third in int'l festival 13-year old Narmina Valiyeva has occupied third place in an international fashion contest in Moscow, President of Azerbaijan Fashion Association Zamir Huseynov told a news conference Monday. Representing Azerbaijan in the first international show of child fashion, First Step, N. Valiyeva offered a collection that got good feedback. Occupying first and second places were designers from Moscow and Saint Petersburg. PHOTO SHOW ON INVALIDS A p...... полностью

SOCAR ANNOUNCES GEOPHYSICAL TENDER SOCAR has announced an open tender for purchase of materials and equipment for geophysical operations at its own expenses. The company intends to purchase explosive shells in the first lot, 299 kilometer well logging cables in the second, spare parts for lifting cranes in the third, and three regional seismic stations in the fourth. Bidders may apply to the Department of Foreign Economic Relations of SOCAR after paying a participation fee of 100 to 200 dollar...... полностью

BAKU, TBILISI SIGN FOR ENERGY CO-OP President of Azerenergy joint stock company Etibar Pirverdiyev and General Director of Georgian Electrodispatcherization-2000 open joint stock company B. Kozhoridze inked an agreement "On exchange of electricity supplies between Georgia and Azerbaijan" Tuesday, as the visiting Georgian Minister for Fuel and Energy David Mirskhulava witnessed the signing. Under the deal, the two nations are to render mutual technical assistance in cases of power emergencies....... полностью

GOVERNOR OF EASTERN AZERBAIJAN, IRAN EXPECTED A governor of Eastern Azerbaijan, Iran Agai Subhanallahi is expected to pay an official visit to Baku in late June to mull further expansion of bilateral political, economic and cultural relations, according to the Iranian embassy in Baku. The timing of the visit is under consideration. CIS BORDER TROOPS COMMANDERS TO MEET IN TAJIKISTAN The 44th meeting of the CIS Border Troops Commanders is due in Dushanbe, Tajikistan Tuesday and Wednesday, as...... полностью

ALIYEV VISITING HIS NATIVE NAXCIVAN President Aliyev visited his native Naxcivan autonomous republic on Saturday, the National Salvation Day. The region, which has been in Armenian blockade for over 10 years, was assylum for Heydar Aliyev after he resigned his top Soviet post back in 1988. In the course of the visit President Aliyev performed the inaugural ceremony of an Olympic center, discussed with local executives the economic situation in the region and met with the public. Continuing h...... полностью

Japan 0-1 Turkey (BBC, June 18) - Turkey striker Umit Davala ended Japan's World Cup journey with the only goal of a disappointing match in Miyagi. Davala's header in the 12th minute proved enough to send Turkey into the quarter-finals, where they will meet Senegal in Osaka on Saturday. Philippe Troussier, who had hoped to take the co-hosts even further in this tournament, will now stand down as Japan coach. Turkey will enter uncharted territory when they meet their African opponents, with nei...... полностью

London Lord Mayor Michael Oliver visited Baku last week to explore ways of boosting business ties with Azerbaijan. "This visit aims to find out how London City can help develop mutually beneficial dealings with Azerbaijan", he commented. He highly appreciated Azerbaijan’s economic performance, ranking it among the most important and dynamic economies in the Caucasus. Leading a British delegation also comprising 10 businessmen, Mayor Oliver was speaking to a roundtable organized by the British ...... полностью

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Owners and TotalFinaElf S.A have signed an agreement, which would introduce the French company into the oil transportation project with a 5 percent shareholding. Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) is designed to take most of the Caspian hydrocarbons, or 'major oil', to world markets. BTC will be second major export pipeline following the recent start of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) operations in the northern part of the region. TFE has substantial interests in the Nort...... полностью

Inecotex fails to fulfill commitments The ministry of Economic Development has nullified an agreement with Inecotex, the winner of an investment tender for sales of shares in Bakusteel joint stock company after it failed to fulfill the commitments stipulated in the agreement. In total, AZM600.5 million has been spent to AZM1.5 billion as commitments. A new investment tender is planned to be held for the JSC, according to the ministry, which has conducted 23 investment tenders for sale of med...... полностью

Romanian companies keen on Azeri oil Romanian State Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Resources, Andrey Grigorescu and President of the Romanian State Oil Company Petrom, Fiorin Chakonele visited Baku on June 3. The two met with Azeri Premier Rasizadeh, SOCAR President Natig Aliyev and Vice-President Ilham Aliyev and other officials, according to Romanian ambassador to Azerbaijan Tassin Jamil. The participation of Romanian companies in development of Azeri oil fields was in the limeli...... полностью

Energy in focus By Lachin Mahmudlu Azernews Contributor Azerenergy joint stock company in association with the Ministry of Economic Development has worked out a program for the country's energy supplies by 2010, chairman of the JSC Etibar Pirverdiyev told a news conference at the headquarters of the New Azerbaijan Party Friday. According to him, the program envisions improving domestic energy supplies, reconstructing hydro and heating power plants, and will be forwarded to the government soo...... полностью

Contract for cleaner office air Vice-President of the International Eco-Energy Organization (IEEO) Mr. Blum said Wednesday that a pilot project had been drafted for cleaner air in offices and organizations in Baku. He was speaking to a news conference also joined by foreign scholars, who had come to participate in the sixth IEEO congress. The project aims to enhance work ability of employees in closed spaces. Air cleaning and ventilation facilities should be carefully purchased and installed,...... полностью

PFPA reform wing warns of third wing Executive of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Isak Avazoglu demonstrated to journalists Friday a videocassette displaying a meeting in the conference hall of the Azadlig newspaper's editorial office on April 28. He said the party's expelled members Gudrat Husseinguliyev and Arif Pasha met with 44 former and 2 present party members in the editorial office of the Azadlig newspaper on that day without prior announcement. Mr. Avazoglu said the gather...... полностью

PA CE Committee meets in Baku Chairperson of the Committee on Economic Issues and Development of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PA CE CEID) Zapfl-Helbling Rosemary in a Thursday meeting of the committee in Baku stressed the necessity of holding the event in Azerbaijan. According to her, investments in a great number are required to develop economy in Azerbaijan, a country rich in natural resources. She underlined the work done by the Azeri government and parliament in th...... полностью

Aliyev, Kocharian not to meet in BSECO summit Azeri and Armenian Presidents are not expected to meet in the Summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSECO) member states in Istanbul, Turkey on June 25, Azeri Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev told journalists Tuesday. He also denied reports on the second meeting of Azeri, Turkish and Armenian Foreign Ministers in Istanbul. The exact date and place of the next meeting was not defined in Reykjavik, he added. Moderate quake hit...... полностью

Clashes broke out between civilians and special police troops in Nardaran settlement, some 40 km north of Baku, Monday, leaving one dead and dozens injured. 200-300 local residents with stones, bottles of firing mixtures and cutlery and armed police with trained dogs confronted in what was like a real battle. The reason of the protests was arrests of four elders, who were allegedly invited to the local prosecutor office to coordinate in Nardaran's representation in the executive body. Local d...... полностью

The United States will respect any decision made by the coastal states on the status of the Caspian, the special envoy of the US President and Secretary of State on Caspian issues Steven Mann told a news conference Tuesday. He reiterated his country's attaching a greater importance to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Erzurum projects. The US President Bush stressed the importance of the Baku-Ceyhan during his recent visit to Moscow, he said.... читать

A member of the House of Lords promised to push the Garabagh issue into the UK parliament’s agenda in Baku. "One shouldn't be aloof from the sufferings of a million refugees and IDPs”, the British Lord told a meeting with Azeri President Aliyev Monday. Lord Ahmad was a member of the visiting delegation of the British Houses of Lords and Commons, which arrived in Baku Thursday to become familiar with the socio-political situation in Azerbaijan and discuss opportunities of expanding interparlia...... полностью

The 9th international exhibition conference Oil & Gas Exhibition & Conference incorporating refining and petrochemicals opened at Baku's sports and concert complex Tuesday. The event is organized by British Spearhead Exhibitions Ltd. and Azerbaijan's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Addressing the opening ceremony, Spearhead Exhibitions managing director Susan Crauch and President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Suleyman Tatliyev said that a bumper number of companies, 300 from Azer...... полностью

Azeri share in world oil output tipped bp is expected to invest $1.5 billion in the implementation of projects in Azerbaijan, bp Managing Director and Chief Executive of bp's Global Exploration and Production business Dick Oliver said in Baku last week. According to him, Azerbaijan will produce a tenth of the world's crude output after the projects are successfully accomplished. Oil pumping via North pipeline resumed Pumping of export oil through the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline was resume...... полностью

Baku to host int’l tourism show Azerbaijan is expected to host the first international tourism exhibition, AITF 2002, at the Exhibition and Conference Center Grand Europe Wednesday and Thursday. The Exhibition AITF 2002 is represented by the following sections: active and adventure recreation, tourist operators, tourist agents, cruises, educational tourism, organization of businesslike and intensive tours, organization and conduct of conferences, national tourist agencies, medical tours to san...... полностью

Immortal ideas Azernews correspondent Agajafar Hasanli has interviewed the leader of the Musavat party Isa Gambar on the upcoming Independence Day, May 28. - Mr. Gambar, what do you feel when you celebrate May 28? ” I feel proud of being a son of the Azerbaijani people, who created, for the first time in the Oriental and Islamic world, a democratic republic on May 28, 1918. I am proud of being a member of Musavat, a party formed by most of the founders of the first democratic republic. With t...... полностью

Azadlig demanding registration The Azadlig party picketed the Ministry of Justice last week, as 40 people came to demand registration. The resolution of the picketers reads that Azadlig was set up in 1995 and since than has repeatedly applied to the Ministry for registration, with the latest on April 10, again in front of the ministry. But, the party hasn't yet got a response. Nationalist party pushes for public trial of ex-minister About a hundred members of the Azerbaijan National Democra...... полностью

Defense Minister hoping for the last US say on conflict By Azernews Staff Azeri Defense Minister Safar Abiyev hoped for the US's last say on the resolution of the decade-long Garabagh conflict and its crucial role in eliminating the consequences of the Armenian occupation. Mr. Abiyev was meeting with a delegation of the European Command of the US Armed Forces led by special operations commander, Brigade General Lesley Fuller Wednesday. Also taking part in the meeting was assistant US ambassa...... полностью

President pardons 83 President Aliyev decreed Monday to pardon 83 inmates on the occasion of the Republic Day on May 28. The decree frees 73 convicts and halves the imprisonment terms of other 10. Among the pardoned are 17 coup plotters in October of 1994, 41 special police troopers charged with coup attempt in March 1995, 2 jailed for complicity in the formation of the puppet Talysh-Mugan republic, and 5 involved in illegal armed groupings. Also released was an Iranian national. Iranian a...... полностью

The United Opposition Movement's unsanctioned rally failed Sunday, as tough police cordons stymied the protesters, which were pouring into Baku's central Azadliq Square from different directions. The rally attempt came in spite of the mayoral offer to protest in three venues, in the auto-motor racing stadium, in front of the Galaba cinema, or the Azerneftyag plant. Some 100 violent protesters were arrested in clashes with police. 10 of them were sentenced to between 5 and 10 days in prison an...... полностью

Director of the Nato Partnership Coordination Group General Boleslav Izidorchik told a meeting with Azeri Defense Minister last week that the world community should influence and expedite peaceful solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict. The Azeri Minister Safar Abiyev called on the international community to urge Armenia's unconditional pullout from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. Armenia has been reluctant to making peace since a cease fire in 1994 and sponsors terrorism. Azerbaijan ...... полностью

The visiting chairman of the Russian Federation Council Sergey Mironov offered Russian military assistance to Azerbaijan. He said in Baku last week that the two countries could cooperate in military sphere, as Russia could render technical assistance to Azeri military units. He was speaking to Azeri MPs in the parliament Friday after meeting Azeri Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov, with whom he discussed expansion of inter-parliamentary cooperation, settlement of regional conflicts, security and other is...... полностью