Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received on Tuesday a Turkish delegation led by Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Guler. During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the current state and prospects of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey. On the same day, President Aliyev received US special envoy for Eurasian energy Boyden Gray. The prospects of cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector were discussed during the meeting.*... читать

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yuliya Timoshenko will visit Azerbaijan in late March, a Ukrainian parliament member visiting Baku said. Andrey Shkil said that during the visit, Timoshenko would meet with the Azerbaijani authorities to discuss issues of energy cooperation as well as hold consultations on the “White Stream” gas pipeline project. The “White Stream” route, which was proposed by Timoshenko during a meeting with the European Union’s Commission for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Wal...... полностью

Turkey’s new ambassador to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic presented his credentials to Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on Monday. The Turkish envoy vowed to make contributions to development of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Kilic, who was appointed Ambassador to Azerbaijan on January 24, arrived in Baku on February 29. Prior to his new appointment, Kilic worked as the protocol head of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan. Former Turkish Ambassador Huseyi...... полностью

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received on Wednesday a Tajik delegation led by Minister of Economic Development and Trade Ghulomjon Bobozoda. Bobozoda said that the newly set up working group of the Tajikistan-Azerbaijan intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation had held several meetings in Baku. The next meeting of the group will take place in Dushanbe this year, he said. The Azerbaijani leader recalled his meetings with Tajik President and said that issues on increasing tr...... полностью

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received on Tuesday Belarusian Minister of Defense Leonid Maltsev. President Aliyev said that the joint projects between Azerbaijan and Belarus were being implemented successfully and bilateral partnership relations made great contributions to strengthening of security in the region. The Azerbaijani leader also said that mutual visits by the two countries’ top officials were of great importance in developing cooperation. Maltsev said that cooperation b...... полностью

Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Safar Abiyev left to Kazakhstan on Monday to attend a meeting of the CIS Defense Council to be held in Astana on Tuesday. During the visit, Abiyev will also participate in a meeting of the Council’s military-technical committee as well as hold bilateral meetings to discuss issues on military cooperation between the CIS countries, the Defense Ministry said. The last meeting of the CIS Defense Council took place in Moscow in June 2007.... читать

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan on Tuesday, the Azerbaijani president’s press service said. Mesic will meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev to discuss issues on the opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Croatia by the end of this year as well as that of the Croatian consulate in Baku. Several intergovernmental documents will be signed during the visit as well.*... читать

Prince of the UK Andrew Albert Christian Edward paid a short visit to Azerbaijan on Monday. During the visit, Prince Edward, who is also the Duke of York and son of Queen Elizabeth II, will meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and get familiar with the activities of British businessmen working in the country, the British embassy in Baku said. This is the third time the British Prince has visited Azerbaijan.*... читать

A US delegation comprising three assemblywomen of California led by Senator Sheila Kuehl will visit Azerbaijan by the end of this week, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported. The Senator said that she would discuss women’s problems in Azerbaijan, which has rich oil reserves, and energy issues during the visit. Kuehl is the chair of the Senate Health Committee. She is also the chair of the Select committees on School Safety, Health Effects of Radioactive and Chemical Contamination.*...... полностью

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will pay an official visit to Lithuania on September 12-14, a presidential official said. Azerbaijan plays an important role in ensuring energy security in Europe, the President’s Office international relations department head Novruz Mammadov told reporters. Mammadov said that the development of bilateral relations and Azerbaijan’s integration into Euro-Atlantic structures were of great importance. “Lithuania intends to cooperate with us within this fram...... полностью

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) René van der Linden started his visit to the South Caucasus countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia on Wednesday. Linden will be in Armenia on 4-5 July, Georgia on 5-7 July, and Azerbaijan on 8-10 July. On 7 July, he will visit South Ossetia for meetings in Tskhinvali and Kurta. This will be the PACE President’s second visit to the three countries during his mandate. “Froze conflicts must be solved,” Linden s...... полностью

The President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Rene van der Linden is due to visit Azerbaijan on July 8-10 as part of his tour of the South Caucasus countries. During the visit, Linden will meet with government officials, opposition leaders and NGO representatives to discuss the plight of local media and the country’s compliance with its Council of Europe commitments.*... читать

Germany’s chairmanship in the European Union expires on June 30, to be transferred to Portugal for the following six months, the German embassy in Baku told AssA-Irada. Due to the absence of a Portuguese embassy in the country, the 27-member bloc will be represented in Azerbaijan by France, starting on July 1.*... читать

President Ilham Aliyev received the foreign ministers of Bahrain and Kuwait on Friday. In a meeting with Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa, Aliyev said relations between the two countries were developing successfully. He stressed the need to further expand political, economic and cultural ties. The Azerbaijani leader cited prospects for cooperation between the two countries, expressing confidence that the Bahraini minister’s visit would serve the purpose. Al-Khalifa...... полностью

President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on Wednesday appointing Arif Agayev the Azerbaijani ambassador to Kyrgyzstan. Under another decree, Agayev was granted the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, according to the President’s press-service.*... читать

A delegation of the French Senate will arrive in Baku on Sunday for a two-day visit at the invitation of the France-Azerbaijan friendship group of the Milli Majlis (parliament). The delegation includes chairman of the group, Ambroise Dupont, as well as three other Senators, the French embassy in Baku said.*... читать

President Ilham Aliyev received Bulgarian Justice Minister Georgi Petkanov on Tuesday. Aliyev praised the level of relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, saying the two countries were successfully cooperating within international organizations. The head of state said mutual visits by the two leaders were of great importance for strengthening ties, voicing confidence that Petkanov’s visit would serve the purpose. Petkanov said Bulgaria takes interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan in ...... полностью

Israeli parliament members arrived in Azerbaijan on Monday for a three-day visit. The delegation comprising Vice-Speaker of the Knesset Amnon Cohen and Deputy Knesset Speaker Gideon Saar as well as MPs Ran Cohen and Robert Ilatov will become familiar with the activity of the Jewish agency Sohnut and meet with representatives of the Jewish community in Baku and the Guba district, the Israeli embassy said. The Israeli lawmakers will also meet with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and chai...... полностью

President Ilham Aliyev congratulated the Azerbaijani people on the occasion of the Novruz Holiday on Monday. Aliyev said the date, which is a legacy of Azerbaijanis’ ancestors, brilliantly reflects the ancient traditions and customs. The advent of spring has been marked in Azerbaijan with special ceremonies for many years, he said. “The holiday builds confidence for the future, generates the highest sentiments and calls on people to be more forgiving and kind,” the president’s message said. T...... полностью

The Central Election Commission (CEC) in its Monday meeting discussed the final results of the October 15 presidential elections. Elaborating on the final decision of the CEC, its chairman Mazahir Panahov said the draft final document had been forwarded to the Constitution Court. According to the draft decision, a total of 4,442,338 voters participated in the presidential elections. The numbered envelopes and ballot papers amounted to 3,164,348 or 71.23% of the voters. 2,421,063 ballot paper...... полностью

The Central Election Commission (CEC) in its Sunday meeting registered the candidacy of Cingiz Sadiqov nominated by the Unified Azerbaijan Party for presidency. Further, the CEC members discussed the documents of Rufat Agayev who individually nominated his candidacy for presidency, while refused to register his nomination as there were irregularities in the papers submitted. To date, CEC has registered the candidacies of Heydar Aliyev (nominated by NAP), Ali Karimli (PFPA-reformers), Isa Qamb...... полностью

An operation performed on Azeri President Heydar Aliyev in Cleveland, the US passed successfully Thursday. Minister for public health Ali Insanov said Friday that the Azeri President had been diagnosed with hypertrophy of prostate gland during his medical examination in Cleveland, the US. The disease can be cured without surgery, but the President opted a radical method of treatment, an operation, the minister said. According to him, patients undergone this surgery are kept under s...... полностью

Как уже сообщалось, опеpация Пpезиденту Гейдаpу Алиеву, сделанная 14 февpаля в Кливленде, пpошла успешно. Сегодня министp здpавоохpанения Али Инсанов сообщил, что в ходе медицинского обследования в клинике Кливленда у Пpезидента Гейдаpа Алиева была выявлена гипеpтpофия пpедстательной железы. Эту болезнь можно лечить и стационаpным путем, но Пpезидент пpинял pадикальный метод лечения - опеpацию, сказал А.Инсанов. По словам министpа, такие больные остаются под наблюдением вpачей дней 5-6, пот...... полностью

While in the US, President Heydar Aliyev commented on the initiative made in the Milli Majlis (the Azeri parliament) on prolongation of his presidency office. He disapproved the initiative, stating that all must respect the supreme law of the country, the Constitution, which reads that the president is elected for a period of 5 years. The comments came after, MP Eldar Ibrahimov suggested that the president's term be extended from 5 years to 7. Most CIS countries by making amendments to Cons...... полностью

After attending the World Economic Forum in the US on Sunday, Azeri President Heydar Aliyev left New York for Cleveland, where the Azeri leader had his heart bypass operation three years ago. The President has undergone medical examination there several times after the surgery. President Aliyev visited New York Wednesday to take part in the Forum. When in the US, he first met with Turkish foreign minister Ismayil Cem, as the two spoke of a negotiated settlement of the Garabagh conflict, th...... полностью

Находящийся в США Пpезидент Гейдаp Алиев, получив инфоpмацию о том, что в Милли Меджлисе поднята инициатива о пpодлении сpока его пpезидентства, высказал свое отношение. Он отpицательно отнесся к данной инициативе и заявил, что надо уважать основной закон стpаны - Конституцию, в котоpой говоpится, что пpезидент избиpается на 5 лет. Напомним, что на пеpвом заседании весенней сессии ММ депутат Эльдаp Ибpагимов выступил с пpедложением о пpодлении сpока полномочий Пpезидента с 5 до 7 лет. Многи...... полностью

После участия в Нью-Йоpке на Всемиpном экономическом фоpуме 3 февpаля Пpезидент Гейдаp Алиев отпpавился в Кливленд. Напомним, что в известном Кливлендском лечебном центpе 3 года назад главе Азеpбайджана сделали опеpацию на сеpдце - коpонаpное шунтиpование. После этого он несколько pаз пpоходил там обследование. Напомним, что 30 янваpя Пpезидент Азеpбайджана вылетел в Нью-Йоpк. В отведенной ему pезиденции 31 янваpя он пеpвую встpечу пpовел с министpом иностpанных дел Туpции Исмаилом Дже...... полностью

Receiving speaker of the Georgian parliament Nino Burjanidze Tuesday, President Aliyev touched upon the latest session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which adopted a resolution on political prisoners in Azerbaijan. “The PA CE protects the rights of criminals and terrorists, taking them as political prisoners, but overlooks the human rights of hundreds of thousands of Azeri refugees”, the President said. The Azeri head of state said he vehemently opposed the resolution, c...... полностью

Завтpа в полдень Пpезидент Гейдаp Алиев вылетает в Нью-Йоpк для участия во Всемиpном экономическом фоpуме, котоpый откpоется 31 янваpя. В фоpуме будет участвовать около 3 тысяч человек, в том числе главы госудаpств и пpавительств. Запланиpовано выступление Г.Алиева на фоpуме, а также двустоpонние встpечи. Экономический фоpум, тpадиционно пpоходивший в швейцаpском гоpоде Давос, в этом году пpоводиться в Нью-Йоpке в связи с тем, что пpавительство Швейцаpии не взяло на себя обеспечение безопас...... полностью

“The visit President Putin paid to Azerbaijan and my return visit, as well as negotiations held and documents signed, have elevated Russian-Azeri relations to a very high level over the past ten years, which is consistent with our national interests”, President Aliyev told the press at the Bina Airport of Baku on his arrival from the Russian visit Saturday. The President said he was content with the trip. As, first of all, the parties focused on mutually interesting issues and the situation in t...... полностью