Nation

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 his visit Monday, the President toured a military unit in Sahbuz, becoming familiar with military machinery and housing and social conditions of soldiers.

Addressing columns of officers and soldiers, President Aliyev recalled Azerbaijan and Armenian were still at war and stressed the need for a strong army. The President noted that strengthening the army was a priority for the state and said he would soon meet his Armenian counterpart Kocharyan to negotiate a peaceable solution to the Qarabag conflict.

The Azeri President was expected to tour a war lyceum in Naxcivan.

Unverified reports suggested that President Aliyev might visit the Turkish town of Igdir to meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

AZERI-ROMANIAN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS TURN 10

Ambassador of Romania, a second country to recognize Azerbaijan's independence on December 11, 1991, in Baku Tasin Camil held a news conference dedicated to the tenth anniversary of diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan at the Romanian embassy Monday.

Mr. Camil said that bilateral political, economic and cultural ties started to take shape in 1995 after President Aliyev visited Bucharest. The relations were further strengthened following Romanian President Illiescu's visit in 1996, President Konstantinescu's two visits in 1998 and signing of 16 treaties. Romania's embassy was opened in Baku in 1998, while Azerbaijan's in Bucharest in 2001.

On Monday, the Azeri and Romanian Academies of Science signed an agreement in Bucharest and Romanian President Ion Illiescu met with President of the Azeri Academy of Science Mahmud Karimov.

There are two Romanian-Azeri friendship societies, which the Mayoral Office of Bucharest granted an office in the city's prestigious part, T. Camil said. He regretted Azerbaijan's delay to register the Azeri-Romanian friendship society involving renowned poets Baxtiyar Vahabzada and Nabi Xazri, writer Cingiz Abdullayev, and other Azeri intellectuals. "But, Justice Minister Fikrat Mammadov and Prosecutor General Zakir Qaralov have pledged to tackle the issue", the Romanian diplomat noted.

B. Vahabzada was the only Azeri to have been awarded Romania's highest honor, the Order of Dignity.

Touching upon economic relations, Mr. Camil said bilateral trade turnover reported 21m dollars in the first three months of 2002 to 5m last year. 4m dollars worth of Romania manufactured furniture was imported into Azerbaijan, and agreement was reached with Semaitex Ltd. Baku to distribute and service ARO's Jeeps from Romania in the South Caucasus.

8 Azeri students are studying in Romania at the expense of the Romanian government. Also thriving are cultural ties, as Romanian writer Michai Sebastian's Nameless Stars will be staged in a Saki theater later this month, while Baku has recently hosted an exhibition of Romanian artists.

NARDARAN NATIVES MEET PRESIDENTIAL OFFICIALS

Chiefs of the Presidential Office departments Ali Hasanov, Yusif Humbatov, Salman Jafarov and Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalibov met with 12 elders from Nardaran settlement outside Baku in the executive body of Sabunchi district Wednesday. Deputy chairman of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan Haji Hajiaga Nuriyev told a news briefing of the Union of Pro-Azerbaijan Forces via telephone that the meeting was held in a warm atmosphere with overall discussion of the developments and demands. The Presidential officials have said the information they received in the meeting differs from what they and President Aliyev have. The three are expected to report on the meeting to President Aliyev, who, as they say, is keeping the issue in his limelight. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Monitoring Group held an all-nation meeting at the Press Club of Baku to focus on the developments in Nardaran settlement outside Baku. Participating human rights activists and political parties denounced the arrest of Nardaran elders, who were invited to an executive body as if to discuss outstanding problems and removal of police posts in the settlement. The participants proposed to set up a public investigation commission and established a human rights committee for Nardaran residents.

WOMEN - VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRADE

A roundtable "Trade in women and kids: global threat for new millennium" organized by the UN Population Fund (UNPF), the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and Azeri parliament was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel of Baku Friday.

It focused on a joint project, underway since December 2001, of the UNPF, IOM and USAID, "Researches into trade in people in Azerbaijan", which aims to cooperate with governmental and non-governmental organizations to fight human trade.

Also partaking was Director of Migration Management Services Department in International Organization of Migration (IOM), headquartered in Geneva, Irena Omelaniuk. Addressing the roundtable, she touched upon development of international cooperation in migration and regulation of labor migration and intensified fight against trade in people. She asked Azeri parliamentarians to consider ratification of the UN Convention on Combat against Illegal Migration, which Azerbaijan signed in a Palermo conference in Italy, together with 84 nations.

Also speaking were MPs and government officials.

Following the roundtable, Mrs. Omelyanuk with IOM representative in Azerbaijan Iost Van Der Aalst told a news conference at the IOM headquarters in Baku that illegal migration and trade in humans were assuming internationally dangerous proportions and the IOM was concerned over growth in related crimes. Every year a total of 700,000 people worldwide fall victims to job dealers, whose incomes exceed 8m dollars a year.

Mr. Van Der Aalst unveiled the IOM researches that illustrate it is predominantly women aged between 19 and 40 that are victims of human trade in Azerbaijan. Also alarming is involvement of teenagers. 650 Azeri women engaged in prostitution were deported from Turkey in 1996-1999 and 900 prostitutes were arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2001-2002, a Turkish Interior Ministry report showed.

Human trafficking was high on agenda last week when US Secretary of State Colin Powell divulged a black list of nations contributing to trade in people, which also involved Armenia.