Azerbaijani ecology minister has blamed the South Caucasus countries for polluting environment. “Georgia, Armenia and Turkey play a particular role in polluting the Kur and Araz rivers that flow through Azerbaijan, consequently causing the Caspian pollution,” Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyngulu Baghirov told the 6th international conference of ecology ministers held in Belgrade. Baghirov said that unlike Azerbaijan, the three countries had not joined yet the Helsinki Conv...... полностью

Baku has come out with protest against the report released by US-based environmental charity Blacksmith Institute in September. The World's Worst Polluted Places 2007 report suggested that Azerbaijan’s industrial town Sumgayit was one of the world's 10 most polluted regions. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said in a letter to the Blacksmith Institute that the data provided in the report had been taken from the articles published in the 1990s, Minister Huseyn Baghirov said. ...... полностью

The pollution caused by oil that is driving economic growth should be prevented on time, otherwise, it could turn out costly for the Caspian littoral states, a German official has said. The contamination of the basin, which stands out for its bio-diversity, poses a serious threat to the sea, Astrid Klug, State Secretary of the German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, told an international conference on “Strategies for Sustainable Development of the Caspian Sea...... полностью

Azerbaijan’s industrial town Sumgayit has been included in the list of the world's 10 most polluted regions. The institute identified sites in seven countries affecting some 12 million people as the areas with the worst pollution levels. Sumgayit was cited alongside such hotspots as Ukraine’s town of Chernobyl, which was hit by a horrendous industrial accident in 1986, as well as Russia’s towns of Dzerzinsk and Norilsk, in the World's Worst Polluted Places 2007 report released by US-based...... полностью

Azerbaijan and France will cooperate and render mutual assistance in the prevention of natural calamities and man-made disasters, under a five-year agreement signed by the two governments and ratified by the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani parliament) on Tuesday. According to the deal, which covers the fields of civil defense and security, the two countries will advise each other on ways of preventing the threats of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and forest fires, as well as accidents in the tran...... полностью

Turkish Minister of Environment and Forestry Osman Pepe arrived in Azerbaijan on Friday at the invitation of Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Baghirov. Pepe told journalists that he planned to meet officials to discuss the environmental situation in the region and ways of solving the outstanding problems. He stressed the need for cooperation between the two countries in this area. “The environmental situation in Azerbaijan is more tense than in Turkey due to its being an oil...... полностью

Georgian Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources David Teshiashvili has arrived in Azerbaijan to discuss prospects for cooperation and ways of solving environmental problems in the two countries. “I have started my first foreign official visit with Azerbaijan,” he told journalists. The Georgian official said cooperation in the field of ecology and preventing the pollution of the Kur River would be in focus during his meetings. Teshiashvili will meet with his Azerbaijani co...... полностью

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey will ink a final agreement on the major railway project to link the three countries in Tbilisi on Wednesday. President Ilham Aliyev is expected to attend the signing ceremony. Azerbaijan will allocate a $200 million 25-year loan to fund Georgia’s share in the project, while Turkey will finance operations in the section going through its territory on its own. The construction work is due to begin in the second quarter of 2007. The official opening ceremony will b...... полностью

A US-based environmental charity on Wednesday named the world's 10 most polluted places. The Blacksmith Institute identified sites in eight countries affecting a total of more than 10 million people as the areas where environmental degradation presents the worst long-term health threats and, at the same, an opportunity to reverse the problems. The group said three of the hotspots are in Russia - Dzerzinsk, Norilsk, and Rudnaya Pristan. The list also includes Ukraine’s town of Chernobyl, ...... полностью

The Azerbaijan Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the Danish Ministry of Environment signed a memorandum on cooperation in implementing Clean Development Mechanism projects and Climatic Changes on Wednesday. The document, which was earlier signed by Minister of Environment and Energy Connie Hedegaard on behalf of the Danish government, was signed by Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Baghirov on behalf of Azerbaijan. The memorandum envisions implementation of the K...... полностью

The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources is currently taking steps to establish new national parks and extend the areas of old ones. The areas of current reserves have been extended by 8% and national parks such as Shirvan, Hirkan, Aghgol, Ordubad and Altiaghaj established over the last two years. Moreover, work on setting up the Samur-Yalama National Park on the Caspian shore with support from the German government is underway. The projects on establishment of new national parks will be...... полностью

A two-day Caspian Environment Program Investments and Donors Forum, organized by the World Bank (WB) and the Azerbaijan Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources started in Baku on Friday. The event is attended by representatives of the Caspian states’ ministries of finance, economics, energy and ecology, the private sector and international organizations. On Friday the forum was chaired by the Azeri Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Husyen Baghirov. He said that environmental problems ar...... полностью

The World Bank (WB) and the Azerbaijan Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources will organize a two-day Caspian ecological investments and donors forum on Friday. The goal of the event to last till Saturday is to draw the attention of potential investors and donors to priority ecological investment demands of the region and raise funds for implementation of priority projects to solve environmental problems of the Caspian Sea, the Ministry told AssA-Irada. Representatives of the Caspian states’...... полностью

A conference of ecology ministers of the East European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries was held in Tbilisi, Georgia on October 21-22. Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Baghirov said that ecological tensions are caused by regional armed conflicts. Any cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia in addressing environmental problems will be impossible until the Upper Garabagh conflict is settled, Baghirov said. Pointing out the role of international conventions in resolving ...... полностью

The steering committee in charge of monitoring the hydrometeorology and environment of the Caspian Sea will hold its ninth session at the Gulustan Palace on October 27-28. The meeting will be attended by representatives from all the five Caspian littoral states. Restoration and improvement of the Hydrometeorology and environmental monitoring in coastal areas and river mouths, regional monitoring of pollution in the Caspian Sea and establishing a tracking system and ways of implementing a rel...... полностью

BP and its partners in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) project have announced that ACG Early Oil Project (EOP) Operations Environmental Management System of the ISO 14001 Standard has been re-certified by Moody International Certification. Kevin Osman, Moody International’s Board Director, told the presentation ceremony that BP, as operator of the ACG project, has managed to uphold the required environmental management standards over the three years. The existing scope of ACG EOP operations I...... полностью

Представители Международного Фонда Дикой Природы прибудут в Азербайджан 14-17 марта. Министерство экологии и природных ресурсов сообщило Асса-Ирада, что во время визита миссия проведет переговоры с министерством по внедрению ряда проектов, два из которых также будут обсуждаться. Это проекты по ситуации с озером Хасигабил и восстановлению Яламинского леса. Кроме этого, леса Мингечаура и Талыша также предполагается восстановить, а в Яламе планируется создать национальный парк. ... читать

Representatives of the International Wild Nature Fund will arrive in Azerbaijan on March 14-17. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has informed AssA-Irada that during the visit, the mission will hold discussions with the ministry over the implementation of several projects, two of which will be the focus. These are the projects on the situation with the Haciqabul lake and the restoration of Yalama forests. Besides, Mingacevir and Talis forests are also envisaged to be rehabilitated, ...... полностью

Департамент окружающей среды Форума Неправительственных Организаций и министерство экологии и природных ресурсов провели совместную встречу в Центре Ресурсов Неправительственной Организации для обсуждения проблем в окружающей среде, вызванных озером Гобу-ахмаз в районе Нефтечала. Глава департамента окружающей среды неправительственной организации Телман Зеймалов сказал, что озеро является летом главным источником малярии. Ранее, озеро Гобу-ахмаз использовалось для подготовки спортсменов по гр...... полностью

The environmental department of the NGO Forum and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources jointly held an undertaking at the UN Resource Center on Wednesday to discuss environmental problems caused by the Qobu-axmaz lake in the Neftcala District. Head of the NGO environmental department Telman Zeynalov said the lake represented a main source of malaria in summer. Though, earlier, Qobu-axmaz has been used for sculling sport training, but now threatens nearby residential areas by its anti-sa...... полностью

Секретариат и рабочие группы Комиссии по биоресурсам Каспия встретились в Баку во вторник для прояснение статистики прибрежных стран по биоресурсам и пересмотра норм на рыбу, сообщило министрество экологии и природных ресурсов. Комиссия обсудит черновик документа по консервированию и охране биоресурсов. На встрече в Баку присутствуют представители из Казахстана, России, Ирана, Туркменистана и представители AFAO, WCS,CITES, TACIS.... читать

The secretariat and working groups of the Commission on Caspian Bioresources convened in Baku Tuesday to clarify the statistics of the littoral states on the bioresources and reconsider fishing quota according to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. The commission is expected to discuss a draft on the preservation and utilization of the bioresources. Attending the Baku meeting are representatives from Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, as well as the FAO, WCS, CITES, and TACI...... полностью

Некоторые сообщения прессы связывают изменения температуры с работой радиолокационной станции Кабала на севере страны, которая предположительно увеличила уровень радиации. Однако, Национальная Служба Наблюдения министерства экологии и природных ресурсов опровергла всплески радиации в стране и их связь с изменением температуры. Организована наблюдательная экспедиция службы в Кабала и она вскоре начнет функционировать для установления полного наблюдения над районом. Сейчас определяется состав эк...... полностью

Some media have related the changing temperature to the operation of the Qabala Radio Location Station in the north of the country, which has allegedly raised the radiation level. However, the National Monitoring Service of the Ministry for Ecology and Natural Resources has denied any radiation booms and its connection with weather changes. A monitoring expedition of the service is being set up in Qabala and will come into functioning soon to ensure comprehensive checks in the region. ...... полностью

President of the Azerbaijan Society for Protection of Animals Azer Qarayev has aired a strict protest against those 'who litter electronic mails with anonymous messages against bp', terming them as 'hot air' and 'incompetent statements'. Incoming anonymous mails to bp sites call the company's efforts to save the Mediterranean tortoise 'the silliest move', as the authors believe there is no need to breed the species that is no longer a valuable one for Azerbaijan. Anonymous senders maintain ...... полностью

Президент Азербайджанского Общества защиты животных (АОЗЖ) Азер Караев выразил решительный протест авторам анонимных посланий, которые в последние дни заполнили электронную сеть. По его словам, большая часть сказанного в посланиях, "по меньшей мере, некомпетентные и популистские заявления". В анонимных посланиях реализуемая компанией bp программа cпасения средиземноморской черепахи названа "наиглупейшей", а средиземноморская черепаха, по их утверждениям, не является ценным видом для Азерб...... полностью

Drilling cuttings that are being delivered to the Qaradag Cement Works for utilization pose no dangerous radioactivity, bp environmental manager Ronnie Gallagher has told AssA-Irada. According to him, bp never takes action without regular surveys and researches and comments from independent experts. In this case, drilling cuttings have many times been under radioactivity tests, as eight different types taken from various locations proved negative. “Radioactivity is presumed dangerou...... полностью

В буровых шламах, поступающих на Карадагский цементный завод для утилизации, нет опасного уровня радиоактивности, сообщил в интервью корреспонденту агентства "АссА-Иpада" менеджер компании bp по окружающей среде Ронни Галлагер (Ronnie Gallagher). По словам менеджера компании, без регулярных проверок и обследований, отзывов независимых экспертов, bp не предпринимает никаких действий. Буровой шлам неоднократно подвергался исследованиям на радиоактивность. Образцы шламов были взяты из 8 различ...... полностью

A national work plan for protection of the Caspian and its coastal areas some 100 meters away from the sea was presented in a ceremony at the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources Wednesday. According to Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Bagirov, this preliminary project will be discussed in a special forum on July 8. A real strategic work plan for preservation of the sea will be developed on the basis of similar documents developed in all the five littoral state sand th...... полностью

В Министеpстве экологии и пpиpодных pесуpсов сегодня состоялась пpезентация Hационального Плана Действий (HПД) по защите Каспия и его пpибpежной полосы в pадиусе до 100 метpов. По словам министpа экологии Гусейна Багиpова, это пpедваpительный пpоект НДП, обсуждение котоpого после дополнений и наpаботок намечено пpовести на специальном фоpуме 8 июля. По его словам, на основе HПД всех 5 пpикаспийских стpан и пpоведенного тpансгpаничного диагностического анализа ожидается выpаботка pеалистичног...... полностью