Miscellaneous

Azeris marks World Refugee Day
The World Refugee Day, June 20, was for the first time marked in Azerbaijan.
Among the various undertakings were meetings with refugee and IDP communities, a series of seminars and a painting contest for refugee children held by the Norwegian Refugee Council  in the city center.
An official ceremony with a concert program and dinner-party was arranged at the Cultural Center of Azersun Holding on Friday on the initiative of UNHCR.
On the same day, a conference was held at the International Eurasian Press Fund to mark the occasion.
The event, attended by representatives from the State Committee on Refugees and NGOs, as well as UNHCR representative in Azerbaijan Mr. Bohdan Nahajlo, was addressed by chairman of the Eurasian Fund Umid Mirzayev, who underlined the importance of the undertaking for the Azerbaijan which has more refugees and IDPs than most other world nations.
Then taking the floor, UNHCR representative underlined that along with the Azerbaijani refugees, those deported from other nations have also been settled down in Azerbaijan. He noted that UNHCR had supported the people, who became refugees as a result of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Upper Qarabag, in rebuilding their community lives.

Only one in three with status
The head of government Department for Refugee and IDP Problems and Migration Mr. Qurban Sadixov says the United Nations has granted only 300,000 people with refugee status so far, in spite of the fact that more than a million refugees and internally displaced persons have been registered by the government of Azerbaijan.
Of the million plus refugees and internally displaced persons, 250,000 are those who were deported from Armenia between 1988 and 1993; 50,000 are Meskheti Turks who came to Azerbaijan following Fargana massacre in Uzbekistan in 1990; 60,000 were forcibly driven out from Upper Qarabag region of Azerbaijan, as well as 600,000 IDPs from seven districts adjacent to Upper Qarabag and 100,000 deported from the territories bordering Armenia. Azerbaijan joined the UN Convention "On Status of Refugees" in 1993.

Siemens offers opportunities for young talent
Siemens Mobile Company is implementing a new project in Azerbaijan with a view to select talented youths, stimulate their creative activities, as well as express a great respect to Azerbaijan's wealthy music culture. The "Sing Your Song" song contest started on Monday was supported by local Space TV, Azercell, Zero Music Company, Tumer & Tumer Production, as well as Akhundoff Network and a set of Anadolu restaurants, Siemens spokesman was talking to a news conference at the Hyatt Park of Baku on Monday.
According to the organizers of the contest, amateur singers aged between 18 and 35 may take part in the competition. The works to be introduced to the event should be in pop genre and the authors of the songs mentioned. Moreover, the presented works should be original and performed either in solo or in groups of 6 people within 120 to 240 seconds. The participants in the contest may also present foreign songs with new words written for them. The participating songs will be sounded on Space TV within 6 weeks. Afterwards, the jury comprising professional musicians and poets will select 8 finalists who will be announced on Space TV on August 11.
The winner of the final stage of the competition that is to last until September 27 will be determined by Azercell subscribers, as well as the television audience through dialing 976869. The winner of the "Sing Your Song " contest will be announced in a final concert to be held on September 23.
Siemens intends to use the winner's name and song as a logo on mobile phones in prospect. The organizers will sign a two-year contract with the winner and offer facilities for participation in international festivals.
Those willing to join the contest are required to fill in application forms in telephone shops with "Wellington Heights" and "Sing Your Song" logos and submit them to the organizers of the contest no later than July 27.
Taking part in the news conference were Director of Siemens Mobile Shopping Ahmet Damgacioglu, spokesman of the Tumer & Tumer Production for Istanbul Burak Tumer and General Director of Siemens Baku Office Hans Bethke.
The event was followed by a dinner-party at the "1033 club".

Azeri, Turkish women sign agreement
Nine Turkish woman leaders have been on a visit to Baku from June 16 to 23 under the project Development Of Women NGOs In Azerbaijan: Turkish election experience and study of mechanisms ensuring women's active participation in elections.
The project is part of the East-East program of the Open Society Institute - Assistance Foundation (Soros Foundation), carried out by the Azerbaijan Society for Women Rights after Dilara Aliyeva.
During a week-long visit, the Turkish guests paid tribute to the Cemetery of Martyrs, met the media representatives, as well as newspapers editors to discuss the impact of media on defining the role and place of women in politics and compare the media's attitude towards women in Azerbaijan and Turkey.
At a meeting with "1325 woman coalition for peace" the Turkish woman leaders put an accent on the important role of women in maintenance of peace and resolution of conflicts.
The visitors also met chairman of the State Committee on Woman Problems Zahra Quliyeva, Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova, as well as women MPs to outline joint activities of the two countries' women.
The Turkish women also visited the internally displaced persons from the Agdam District and presented them gifts from the Azerbaijani Culture Circle active in Turkey.
After the meeting with the Azerbaijani leader women actively involved in public and political life of the country, as well as the intellectuals and leaders of parties included in the Democratic Congress, they went to Samaxi to meet with women of the region.
A memorandum stipulating future activities of Turkish and Azerbaijani leader women was signed on the last day of the visit, on Monday.
Under the project the Azerbaijani women leaders are also expected to pay a visit to Turkey in September.

Exxon-Azerbaijan builds two schools for refugee children
The US humanitarian organization Relief International has completed construction of two schools for schoolchildren from Beylaqan and Barda refugee communities with the financial support from the Exxon-Azerbaijan Operating Company. 
A company source has told AssA-Irada starting from September approximately 300 pupils, who went to carriage-schools earlier, will study in the new classrooms. 
Originally scheduled for May, opening of the school building has been postponed for the new academic year due to torrential rain, which inundated the tents of the refugees, making them to shelter in the new school building.

Women journalists prize founded
The Woman Public Association, Leader, in association with the Yeni Azerbaijan newspaper held a roundtable "Woman problems in Media: problems, realities and duties" at the International Press Center on Monday with financial support from the Baku Office of the UN Population Fund (UNPF).
The speakers at the gathering with executives of woman public associations and media representatives touched upon the problems that the Azerbaijani women are currently facing. The participants in the roundtable held discussions on "Politician women and Media" and "Women of Media". Then addressing the event, chairperson of the Woman Public Association, MP Malahat Hasanova stated that a prize after journalist Salatin Asgarova, which will be awarded to women journalists distinguished with their selfless activities on public opinion, has been constituted.
Several media representatives were awarded with the Salatin Asgarova prize.
Correspondent of the Azerbaijani Youths newspaper published in Russian, 28-year old Salatin Asgarova was brutally murdered by the Armenian terrorists together with Russian militaries accompanying her from Lacin to Susa in February of 1991, while she was on her business trip to write a series of reportage on the Qarabag realities.

CCIC donates tents to IDPs
The pipe-lay contractor of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export oil pipeline, Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCIC) made a donation of 2,300 tents to IDPs settled down in camp #1 in Sabirabad District on Friday. Addressing the donation ceremony, General Manager of CCIC Juan Boulos said the Company had donated 2,500 tents to the State Committee on Refugees (SCR) so far, distributing them among the refugees and IDPs settled down in Saatli, Imisli, Yevlax and other Districts.
Mr. Boulos went on saying that CCIC will further donate to the SCR 2,700 tents to make an overall donation of tents 7,500 at a cost of 300,000 US dollars.
Having provided different humanitarian assistance to refugees and IDPs, CCIC intends to further render similar donations.

New surprise from Azeronline
The Internet provider Azeronline is planning to present one more summer surprise for those not using this company's network. Giving fantastic opportunities for first time-users of Azeronline network, the company will offer them as a gift, the amount of Internet-packages they acquire.
Thus, users buying 10-hour Internet-package Azeronline will get 10 additional hours and those buying 25-hour Internet-package Azeronline obtain additional 25 hours to use the Internet.

Azeri chef elected Vice-chair of int'l organization
Director of the National Culinary Center Tahir Amiraslanov has been elected Vice-chairman of Food Committee under UNESCO's National Activities Organization, its chairman Alexander Vokel has sent an official letter to the Center in this respect, Mr. Amiraslanov has told AssA-Irada. 
The Food Committee mainly deals with the preservation of national cuisine and cultural heritage.
Tahir Amiraslanov, was elected Presidium member of the UNESCO National Activities Organization in 2000 and its Executive Committee in 2002.