Nation

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 this direction. The committee centered Thursday on the economic progress in the country and its development in the context of Europe and the world.

Also addressing in the meeting were head of the Azeri parliamentary delegation to the PA CE Ilham Aliyev, Minister for Economic Development Farhad Aliyev and Finance Minister Avaz Alakbarov.

Mrs. Rosemary and SOCAR Vice-President Ilham Aliyev held a joint news conference following the meeting. Mrs. Rosemarry said the Committee is interested in the economic situation in Azerbaijan and a report, which is to be submitted this month, is being prepared.

Asked what steps the Council of Europe is taking to settle regional conflicts that impede global projects such as the revival of the Great Silk Road and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Erzurum pipelines, she said the situation in the region is dangerous not only for the region itself but also for the world. "Therefore we all should settle these problems with combined efforts", she stressed.

On which country will be chosen to transport the surplus of oil after launching the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Romania, Bulgaria or the Ukraine, Mr. Aliyev said Azerbaijan would extract much oil for the BTC to export. Azeri oil is currently being transported via the Baku-Supsa and Baku-Novorossiysk pipelines and it will be possible to bring its capacity to 30 million tons after some work. "We might think over other oil pipelines in prospect", he underlined.

He downplayed possible economic cooperation with Armenia, which is an aggressor that occupied Azeri lands. "Azerbaijan won't cooperate with Armenia until the conflict is resolved and Armenian armed forces withdraw from the occupied lands", Mr. Aliyev stressed.

Ex-Interior Minister to testify for new trial

Ex-Interior Minister of Azerbaijan Isgandar Hamidov agreed to testify again in his new trial Thursday.

Court hearings of the case of the ex-interior minister, who was imprisoned to 14 years in jail for abusing powers and appropriating state property, started Wednesday at the Gobustan close penitentiary, a prison house where most alleged political prisoners are kept.

Witnessing the trial are US, OSCE and CE representatives and media. The re-trial of the ex-minister, who leads the far-right National Democratic Party, Boz Gurd (Grey Wolf), came after the demand of the Council of Europe, which sees Mr. Hamidov as a political prisoner.

The trial started with public prosecutor Nusrat Nusratov reading an indictment consisting of four episodes, in which the ex-minister is charged with abusing powers from April 16, 1992 till May 16, 1993 and embezzling state property in large quantities. However, the defendant objected to the charges, saying he had been dismissed as the Interior Minister on April 14, 1993. Defense attorney Elton Guliyev handed in to the judge an appeal signed by opposition leaders, who wish to take part in the trial. Mr. Hamidov's legal counsel demanded that witnesses and sufferers for episodes the ex-minister is charged for be summoned. They also stated that there is no article on embezzlement of state property in the Criminal Code, while the defendant's imprisonment terms on other charges have already expired.

The court is resuming Wednesday.

British embassy celebrates Queen's 50 years on throne

The British embassy in Baku organized celebrations on Queen Elizabeth's 50 years on the throne at the Crescent Beach Hotel of Baku Saturday. This all day event included children's face painting, football and volleyball matches and show of collections of Azeri designer Sabina Husseinova. All events have been generously sponsored by some companies and the proceeds from the day will go to charity. Tickets were to be bought in advance as they were not on sale on that day. Tickets costed $25 per adult and $10 per child at the Lancaster Gate Pub, O'Malleys bar, Fisherman's Wharf, John Patterson (Intervest) and Helen Nehring (TISA), while children under 5 entered free. On the initiative of the British embassy, British Airways brought its hot air balloon to Azerbaijan. It was tethered at the Crescent Beach Hotel Saturday and Bakuvians had opportunities to see the balloon. The citizens of Ali Bayramli and Sumgayit were also able to see it flying over the towns on June 2 and 3.

Family of the deceased urge compensation

Hearings on the tragic death of 28-year-old Ilgar Javadov in a police precinct started at a Garadagh district court under chairmanship of Judge Rahsadat Agayev Friday, as the Javadovs filed a suit against the Ministries of Internal Affairs and Finance. The family blames the death on police, but wants to get compensation from the Ministry of Finance, as the Interior Ministry is a budgetary office. The Javadovs demand AZM200 million in compensation for the moral damage inflicted, two orphaned children and a gravestone of I. Javadov. The hearings were adjourned till Monday due to default of the defendants. Ilgar Javadiv died in the early hours of May 13, 2001 in the 9th police precinct of Sabayil district in Baku, where he was kept for not possessing any identification documents. Police alleged that I. Javadov died after throwing himself through the window in an attempt to escape.

OSCE holds roundtable on security in Azerbaijan

The Conflict Prevention Center of the OSCE in close cooperation with the OSCE Office in Baku and the Azeri Foreign Ministry conducted a roundtable "Implementation of the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security and the Confidence and Security Building Measures: View from the Caucasus" in the Caspian Room of the Hyatt Regency Hotel of Baku on June 3-4. The focus of the roundtable was on the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, which was adopted at the OSCE Budapest Summit in 1994. The importance of the Code lies in the fact that it reaffirms the guiding principles of the Helsinki Final Act, as well as other OSCE commitments relating to political and military aspects of security. The roundtable brought together over 30 participants from Azerbaijan representing various government bodies that deal with security issues. The roundtable is envisioned as a regional initiative, therefore the forum in Baku will immediately be followed by analogous roundtables in Tbilisi and Yerevan.

First int'l tourism show in Baku

Azerbaijan's first international tourism fair, AITF-2002 opened at the Exhibition Complex of the Europe Hotel in Baku Wednesday. The three day show was organized by British ITE Group PLC and its exclusive partner in the Caucasus, Iteca Caspian Ltd.

Over 35 companies from 10 countries, including Turkish Abacus Tourism and Skylife Travel, Azeri Ateshgan and AzAL, French GGTT and France Tour, Russian Super Avia, the Austrian Tourism Office, Italian Viaggi, were taking part in the show. 14 companies had participated in a Tbilisi conference four years before. The minister explained the high number of participating companies with the interest in Azerbaijan.

Also addressing the conference, assistant general secretary of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) Alexander Shlefkov said that this is the first experience for Azerbaijan to draw the attention of domestic and international communities to the country's tourism potential. According to him, tourism may become an important source of wellbeing, income generation and regional revival.

The AITF-2002 is held in various sections, including active and adventurous recreation, tourism operators, travel agents, cruises, educational tourism, organization of intensive tours and conferences, national travel agencies, recuperation tours to health centers, ecological tourism, etc.