Official news
The President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan sent a letter of condolences to his Bulgarian counterpart President Georgi Parvanov whereby the Head of Azerbaijani State expressed deep condolences on death of his countrymen as a result of the wreckage of a boat sunk during a sightseeing tour of Macedonia's Ohrid Lake.
President Aliyev expressed sympathy and consideration on the tragedy victims, wishing sooner recovery of the injured.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed the decree to approve a new law "Education".
The Cabinet of Ministers is charged to submit proposals on unification of legislative acts on education in accordance with the law to the President upon the decree within 3 months.
A new law "Education" was approved at the spring session of the Milli Majlis.
On September 7, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliev visited the Heydar Aliyev Center, located in the Narimanov district of the capital.
The Head of State was informed that the construction of the Heydar Aliyev Center in total covers an area of 15.25 hectares and that the concrete work in the car park, as well as electrical work was completed. Construction of the center's main building began in early 2008, and work still continues. Concrete work in the main building was completed at 85 percent. Works in the basement of the center are completing.
The ceremony of laying the foundation of the Heydar Aliyev Center was held on Sept. 10, 2007 with the participation of President Ilham Aliyev.
The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter of condolence to his Macedonian counterpart Gjorge Ivanov over a human loss after a sightseeing boat sank on Lake Ohrid.
"The news of a human loss as the result of boat sinking was a source of great sorrow to me" the letter says.
"I offer sincere condolences to you and families of the dead", the Azerbaijani leader stressed
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today inspected reconstruction progress of the Baku roads.
Beginning from Yusif Safarov street, including Uzeyir Hajibeyov and Pushkin streets, Azadlyg avenue, all roads have been surfaced with the two-layer asphalt.
President Ilham Aliyev was told that the French-made paint used for road surface marking is durable. The sidewalk along the road has been paved with granite for the first time in Baku.
The President learnt that external appearance of buildings is being restored by using national facade decoration.
Reconstruction is also in progress on the Zarifa Aliyeva street, Neftchiler, Parliament and Huseyn Javid avenues.
Reconstruction work is being carried out by the Baku Mayor's Office in line with President Ilham Aliyev's instructions.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter of congratulation to the President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Chen Ir, and the Tajik President, Emomali Rahmon, on their national holidays on September 8, AzerTaj state information agency said on September 8.
The Azerbaijani President congratulated the Korean President on National Foundation Day. In his letter of congratulations, the Azerbaijani President expressed the hope that relations of friendship and cooperation between countries would continue to grow in future for the welfare of both peoples.
The Azerbaijani President congratulated his Tajik counterpart on Independence Day. Azerbaijani President expressed his confidence that the development of traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan and joint efforts to expand comprehensive relations would ensure welfare of both peoples, as well as peace and security in the region.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev wished the Korean and Tajik Presidents sound health, success, welfare and prosperity to the peoples of both countries.
On September 9, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva got familiarized with a draft of overhaul and recovery operations to be held in the Azerbaijani State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
A draft of the first stage of recovery operations to be held in the theatre was submitted to the President.
Azerbaijani President gave instructions to fulfill high quality recovery operations and in time.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva visited park near the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences after repair-reconstruction operations on September 9, AzerTaj state news agency said.
Azerbaijani President was informed in details about operations held in the park.
Reconstruction operations were carried out on the basis of a unique project in the two hectare-park. National architecture and the international practice are combined with high professionalism.
Overhauled park has original image. Walking paths of the park are fully reconstructed. They were lined with slabs of granite and white marble. This area exceeds 950 square meters. Trees were planted in the territory of 870 square meters. Over 10,000 decorative flowers imported from Holland create various compositions.
Twenty-four-diameter fountain was placed in the center of the park. It gives the park special uniqueness. Water pump of a fountain operating automatically was made in Germany and Italy. The newly established irrigation system of the park also works in automatic mode. It pumps from a fifty-five meter-well to water trees and provide the fountain with water.
Modern lighting system and new benches were installed in the park.
Azerbaijani President gave additional instructions and recommendations after visiting the park.
On September 9, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev expressed condolences to his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul.
"I was deeply grieved upon hearing the news on heavy human loss and destructions caused by large-scale natural calamity in Your country," the message said.
"I share your sorrow in connection with this disastrous event, and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my behalf, I extend my profound condolences to You, the families and natives of the victims, the whole fraternal Turkish people, and wish quick recovery of the injured," the State Head said.
On September 9, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed the decree to call up for active service from October 1-30 and to transfer military men of urgent active service to the reserve.
All Azerbaijani citizens born in 1991 and aged 18 by the day of call-up, as well as citizens born from 1974-1990 under 35 years old, having no right for draft deferment in the armed forces and other armed units envisaged by the legislation are called up for active service from October 1-30, 2009 upon the decree in accordance with the law 'Foundations of call-up for military service in the Azerbaijani Republic' to recruit armed forces and other armed units envisaged by the legislation.
Soldiers, sailors and praporshiks completing the service envisaged by the law on 'Military service' are transferred to the reserve from October 1-30, 2009.
The Cabinet of Ministers and local executive agencies were charged to fulfill actions envisaged by the legislation to implement the decree.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on 9 September received Gianluidji Masha, Italian ambassador to Azerbaijan, on completion of his diplomatic mission.
President Aliyev reminded his fruitful trips to Italy, the meetings with the Prime Minister and President of Italy, expressing hope for further mutual cooperation between the two countries.
The Head of State noted Ambassador's worthy contribution to the development of bilateral relations and wished success to Gianluidji Masha in his future diplomatic activity.
Italy gives special importance to relations with Azerbaijan, Ambassador of Italy said, expressing confidence for development of bilateral ties even more. The Ambassador expressed gratitude for high estimation given to his activity in the country.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on making amendments and additions to the Decree "On the improvement of the education system in the Republic of Azerbaijan", and "On Approving the Statute, structure and number of employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan".
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree appointing Suleymanov Panah the President of the Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on awarding honorary titles and awards of the Academy of Public Administration, the state news agency Azertaj reported on Thursday.
Order awarded the honorary title "Honorary Worker of Science of the Azerbaijan Republic" to Nuriyev Huda Ali oglu, the title "Honorary Teacher of the Azerbaijan Republic" to Bayramov Amirkhan Akif oglu, Mammadov Jabir Aliaga oglu and Rasulov Tofig Ali oglu.
Another decree of the Head of State awarded medal "Tereggi" to:
Abdullayevа Zeinab Hasanbala qizi ,
Azad Gasanhan Eldar oglu
Aliyevа Roza Ali gizi,
Iskenderov Namaz Mustafa oglu,
Mehdaliev Agamehdi Ibadulla oglu
Mehraliyev Eybeli Gara oglu,
Mamedova Sevil Imamverdi gizi,
Salimov Sadig Mamedzaman oglu.
Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev signed a decree to strengthening logistics base of educational and preschool facilities, the AzerTag state new agency reported.
The order envisages allocating 2 million manat to the Education Ministry from the Azerbaijani President's Reserve Fund to accelerate the execution of the "State Program on Development of Vocational Education in Azerbaijan Republic (2007-2012)", as well as to repair and reconstruct vocational education facilities.
Another decree of the head of the state envisages allocating two million manat from the Azerbaijani President's Reserve Fund to reconstruct pre-school institutions.
Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, left for Kazakhstan on Sept. 11.
The Prime Minister, Artur Rasizade, the Head of the Presidential Administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev, and the Head of the Baku City Administration, Hajibala Abutalibov saw off the president at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has ended today his visit to Kazakhstan on Friday.
At the Aktau International Airport, the Azerbaijani President was seen of by top Kazakh officials.
The same day, President Ilham Aliyev returned to Baku.
At the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the Head of State was welcomed by Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Chief of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov.
Elections
The Azerbaijani Central Election Commission (CEC) is not satisfied with the percentage of women represented in election bodies.
"In Azerbaijan the reality is that women's status in their lives contradicts their status in state agencies and election bodies. Azerbaijani women participate in every aspect of life almost as actively as European women," CEC Chairman, Mazahir Panahov, told journalists on Sept. 7.
Azerbaijan will hold municipal elections in mid-December. There is only 2 percent of women among the municipality chairmen.
Panahov said the reason for low representation of women in the election bodies is connected only to themselves. "It would be unjust to say that there are obstacles for women representing themselves in the election bodies. I urge women to widely represent themselves in the municipal elections and to actively participate in the elections," the CEC chairman said.
As a result of research, it has been revealed that only 41 percent of operating municipal chairmen have higher education, head of department in the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration said.
"Only 34 percent of municipal members have higher education. Women make up 4 percent of the total number of municipalities and there are 2 percent of women among the chairmen. It is necessary to make efforts to remove these shortcomings during the next elections," head of the Department of Regional Administration and Local Self-Government of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Zeynal Nagdaliyev, said at a special course on election law for chairmen of district election commissions on September 7.
He said that at present, one of the main tasks is to achieve quality organization of the staff of district election commissions. "It is necessary to try to establish their staff as capable to work well and who have higher education. It is also necessary that the election commissions include people who speak foreign languages", Nagdaliyev said.
Another important task is to prepare the permanent electoral lists. Local executive organizations are participating in the implementation of this process, the head of the department said. "We are preparing factual electoral list in Azerbaijan thanks to the work done several years ago. Shortages were revealed in many election stations during the last elections. Chairmen of district election commissions, together with heads of executive agencies, must try to avoid such shortcomings in the upcoming municipal elections," he said.
Nagdaliyev said that new buildings have been built for district election commissions and 46 buildings have been renovated and equipped with modern equipment. "The local executive agencies will fulfill their tasks in conducting the upcoming municipal elections. Open and closed places will be set up in the territory of each municipality for campaigning. Special boards for campaigning materials will be also be prepared," the head of the department said.
The head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Department believes the problem of citizen registration, required for all elections, must be solved.
"Registering citizens is a common problem in all elections in Azerbaijan. A voter must live at least 6 months in this or that area in order to be included in the electorates' list. It is impossible to create a permanent or temporary living database for citizens in Azerbaijan, which has 4.5 million electorates," said Shahin Aliyev, the Head of the Legislation and Legal Examination Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, while talking about the election right for training constituency chairmen.
Aliyev said that only one address can be written on a citizen's ID card. "But this does not mean that the citizen lives at this address. This problem must be solved. One of the possible way outs from this problem in future could be placing e-chips in ID cards when they are changed. These chips could include the relevant information," the head of the department said.
The head of the department said that municipal elections are very important for the country. "The municipal elections are more a complex process, which hold more responsibility than the presidential elections and referendums. All over the world municipalities are seen as the schools of the state establishment. Each politician begins his political activity in municipalities. I want the citizens to approach the municipal elections with this in mind," Aliyev said.
Aliyev said the number of candidates in the municipal elections is too large and this makes the process difficult. "And in this regard, the number of complaints is too large, as well. It is difficult to balance the number of complaints with the number for other elections. If anybody has a proposal to improve the process of examining complaints in the constituencies, he/she can apply to us," the head of the department said.
On Sept.7, Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan launched a specialized training on election law for the chairmen of the constituencies.
According to the presidential decree on approval of National Action Plan for the protection of human rights in Azerbaijan, the goal of the training is to strengthen electoral enlightenment, as well as improve professional training of chairmen of constituencies.
The CEC Chairman, Mazahir Panahov, Heads of the Presidential Administration's departments Zeynal Nagdaliyev and Shahin Aliyev, Director of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Seyfeddin Gandilov, and other officials attended the opening ceremony of the trainings.
Chairman of the Constitutional Court, Farhad Abdullayev, Chairman of the Supreme Court Ramiz Rzayev, Department Head of Presidential Administration, Ali Hasanov, Chairman of the Parliamentary Permanent Committee, Arif Rahimzade, Deputy Interior Minister, Oruj Zalov, officials of the Justice Ministry and Prosecutor's Office, the CEC members and heads of departments, as well as Chairman of the National Association of the City Municipalities will deliver lectures during the trainings which will last by Sept12. After the completion of the trainings, the chairmen of constituencies will receive certificates.
The specialized trainings on electoral law for members and chairmen of constituencies will be held on Sept.23-25.
The municipal elections in Azerbaijan will be held in a competitive and stable atmosphere, believes Ali Hasanov, the Head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Socio-Political Department.
"I believe that the elections will take place with an active participation of political parties and candidates. The Azerbaijani voters will elect members of municipalities and form a municipality, which they need. The candidates to be elected must ensure the rights of voters of local self-government," Hasanov told journalists on Sept. 10.
Hasanov believes that the unification of municipalities reflects the demands of the existing reality. "The unification of municipalities will bring dynamism in their development and increase the efficiency of large municipalities, as well as create conditions to develop and improve the municipality," he said.
The Head of the Presidential Administration Department believes that all political parties will participate in the municipal elections. "A political party that will not take part in these elections has no prospects. How can this political party take part in the presidential and parliamentary elections?" Hasanov said.
Azerbaijan takes measures to ensure security on the eve of the municipal elections.
"Instruction on protection of public order were given to prepare for the municipal elections. The police strenthened security for all facilities of national importance and other ones. Necessary prophylactic measures are taken to prevent possible terrorist attacks," Deputy Interior Minister, Oruj Zalov, said at the specialized courses on electoral law for chairmen of district election commissions on September 11.
According to Zalov, a plan of actions, necessary to be implemented on the eve of the municipal elections, has been already prepared.
"Providing of candidates to the municipalities with security, prevention of violation of public order and carrying out unauthorized or inconsistent mass actions for provocation, revealing and withdrawal of illegally weapons, conducting a comprehensive inspection of buildings, where electoral commissions and others are placed are envisaged upon the plan," Deputy Minister said.
The participation of the internally displaced persons (IDP) in the municipal elections is a problem, the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Mazahir Panahov, said.
"Municipalities are formed of people living on these territories. Due to the fact that IDP are living in different areas, they do not have opportunities for the formation of own municipalities. Although we are working to resolve this problem," Panahov told journalists on Sept.11.
Azerbaijan has over one million refugees and IDP. Some 250, 000 of them are ethnic Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia in 1988-1992, 600,000 - from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, 100,000 - from the border regions of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Azerbaijani municipal election is scheduled for mid December, 2009.
Conducting training in Azerbaijan for the chairpersons of constituencies is very important for solving problems arising during the elections, Mazahir Panahov, chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan, briefed the media on September 11.
On September 7, the CEC launched a specialized training on election law for the chairpersons of the constituencies. On September 11, the last day of the training, participants were given certificates. During the training, reports were made by directors of departments of the Presidential Administration, the Deputy Interior Minister, members of the CEC and representatives of other state institutions.
According to Panahov, as a result of similar events in recent years, progress has been achieved, and the work of electoral bodies sufficiently improved. "This, in turn, gives a guarantee that the next elections will be held at a high level," he said.
Citizens having lost their identity cards will be able to participate in the municipal elections in Azerbaiajn.
"A form No 7 will be given for these citizens to participate in the elections."
Citizens who have lost their identity cards, will be able to get a form No 7 three days prior the elections by paying 5 manat as state duty, or 1 manat if there are more than three days prior the elections.
People having lost their identity cards, must pay a fine of 15-20 manat", Deputy Interior Minister, Oruj Zalov, said at the specialized courses on electoral law for chairmen of district election commissions on September 11.
Zalov said that at present, about 99.5 percent of the population have identity cards in Azerbaijan. "About 1,618 people are registered in Azerbaijan but live abroad, more than 113,000 temporarily work outside Azerbaijan, 14,475 people are under 16. This information is as of September 1," deputy minister said.
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe plans to monitor the process of preparation for the upcoming municipal elections in Azerbaijan, Ian Micallef, the President of the Congress, who is on an official visit to Baku, said on September 12.
According to him, for this purpose, a mission will be sent to Baku to monitor the situation before the elections, but only after the invitation of the Azerbaijani government.
"I urge the government to hold future elections democratically that would meet European standards. I hope that all political parties will participate in the upcoming elections, unlike the recent municipal elections," said Micallef.
He said that the municipal authorities in Azerbaijan should receive adequate funding, to the greatest extent must be autonomous for making political decisions.
"Today, the local self-government structures in Azerbaijan are limited in authority, management, financing. I believe that local authorities should be fully independent and separate from any government agency," said Micallef.
According to him, Congress also intends to monitor the situation with freedom of speech, expression in Azerbaijan. "Also we will watch how Azerbaijan fulfils its commitments before the Council of Europe," said Micallef.
According to him, the main purpose of his visit to Baku is to assess the situation before and after the March referendum (on March 18 a referendum was held on amendments to the Constitution of Azerbaijan).
Ian Micallef's official visit to Baku started on September 10 and will end on September 14. During the visit, he held meetings with the Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev, Deputy Minister of Justice, Deputy Foreign Minister, Vice-Speaker of Parliament, the Azerbaijani delegation to the Council of Europe, opposition parties, NGOs.
Parliament
The "Domestic Violence" Bill, which is under development, is faultless, the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee said.
"When the bill on "The Prevention of Domestic Violence" was discussed for the first time, I was against it," the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Rabiyat Aslanova, said in an interview with the ruling New Azerbaijan Party's official website.
According to statistics, every year about 4 million of women are subject to violence, 170, 000 of which are pregnant. Laws are being adopted to prevent such incidents in society and are aimed at eliminating domestic violence - governmental bodies and NGOs are constantly engaged in this problem.
Similar laws have already applied in the CIS for several years. For example, in Ukraine, Moldova and neighboring Georgia cases of domestic violence decreased by 20-30 percent after such laws were adopted.
Foreign countries' experience also provides grounds to say this. For example, this law was passed in Switzerland in 1998, Germany passed it in 1996, Finland in 1996 and the United States in 1994.
In Azerbaijan, such violence only covers some Azerbaijani Criminal Code articles. These articles only outline one type of violence - physical. Other forms of violence remain free from legal regulation and responsibility. For this reason, the "Prevention of Domestic Violence" has been developed.
According to Aslanova, the major protests against the previous bill were not connected with the philosophy of the law, but with some stipulations that do not meet the reality. "I did not believe that all of the scheme will be carried out in real life. I cannot vote for something that I do not believe." Our main desire is that the adopted law must be applied," Aslanova added.
Aslanova thinks that over time the bill has been totally completed. "The current bill is completely different from the previous one and is a faultless legal document. However, this does not mean that work on this document will cease. Of course, requirements will change after some time and this law will be amended accordingly," Aslanova added.
Over the past 10 years, Azerbaijan has adopted 30 laws concerning municipalities.
"The legislation, which outlines the improvements of activities and the status of municipalities, is almost ready," said Arif Rahimzade, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee on Regional Issues on Sept. 7.
Azerbaijan will hold municipal elections in mid December. Municipal elections were held in before, in 1999 and 2004.
Under the adopted law, the number of municipalities in Azerbaijan was reduced from 2,757 to 1,766.
Rahimzade said that after holding the referendum on amendments and additions to the Constitution in March, it was necessary to amend the law on municipalities.
"The municipalities are one of the key institutions that form a civil society. Some municipalities can successfully fulfill their duties in this regard. But there are municipalities that do not fully use their capabilities," said the chairman of the committee.
As to unifying the municipalities, the MP said it was a very successful solution. "Previously it was possible to create a municipality in a territory with a population of five people. In foreign countries, there are serious limitations for this. For example, in Poland a territory inhabited by less than a thousand people is prohibited from forming local governments. In Greece, this figure is 2,500 and in Turkey it is 5,000," said Rahimzade.
The chairman of the committee believes that forming municipalities in territories with small population does not justify itself. "They have had problems in the formation of the budget. Taking into account these and other reasons, the law on the "Unification of municipalities" was passed, said Rahimzade.
As a result of the unification of the municipalities, after the next local elections, it will be possible to further improve the municipalities' activity, Rahimzade said.
Azerbaijani MP Asim Mollazade will participate in the XIX Economic Forum to be held in Poland.
"The meeting, which is to start on September 9, will be held within the new CE neighborhood policy and 'Eastern Partnership' program," the Milli Majlis (Parliament) told Trend on September 8.
The forum aims at studying means of integrating Eastern and Western Europe from both a political and economic point of view. Economic and political issues, as well as Europe's international and energy security, will be discussed at the forum.
"The Azerbaijani MP will make an address at the meeting concerning the geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus," the press-service said.
The autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will not discuss any issues relating to Azerbaijan.
"No issue related to Azerbaijan will be included in PACE's autumn session agenda. The issue of Azerbaijan's obligations will be discussed only at the EU Monitoring Committee meeting, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE and PACE Vice-President, Samad Seyidov, told Trend on Sept.8.
The autumn session of the PACE will be held by late September.
Azerbaijan has taken some obligations while entering CE in 2001 The Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe observes the implementation of these obligations.
According to Seyidov, the main reason why the issue on Azerbaijan will not be submitted for discussion at the autumn session, that the reports of the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee are not ready.
Azerbaijan is devising a bill on municipalities' submitting reports to the Azerbaijani Parliament.
"As a result of the March referendum, the item on which local authorities are required to submit a report to Parliament was injected into the Constitution. A forthcoming bill will reflect the mechanism and rules of the submission of the report," Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Issues, Arif Rahimzade, said in his interview with the official website of the governing New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) on Sept. 10.
As a result of the unification of some municipalities in Azerbaijan, their number declined from 2,760 to 1,720. Under the existing law, the municipalities do not provide a report on its activities. The experts believe that the municipality must submit a report for the transparency.
Rahimzade said if the development of the paper finishes in the near future, it will be submitted to the Parliament for discussion during the autumn session
The Aktau meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is of great importance in terms of future cooperation of the Caspian countries, believe the members of the Azerbaijani Parliament.
"The Aktau meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is important for the future cooperation between the Caspian countries," Member of the Political Council of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) and Azerbaijani Parliamentarian, Aydin Mirzazade said.
On Sept. 11, Aktau hosted an informal meeting amongst the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. During the meeting the heads of state discussed bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Mirzazade said at the summit, mainly, focused on the future cooperation of the Caspian littoral countries of the CIS.
"The discussions include joint projects, and the development of relations in the trade and economic spheres. The Presidents said the meeting did not discuss the issue, regarding the status of the Caspian Sea. Perhaps, this will be the topic of discussion at meetings to be held with the participation of all littoral states. Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan have come to a common decision on the status of the Caspian Sea and signed this contract. By taking this step, the states set an example to other countries," said the parliamentarian.
The Presidents' meeting will enable to reach a consensus on outstanding issues, Parliamentarian, Zahid Oruj said to Trend .
"The current problem regarding the sharing of the Caspian Sea has represented a kind of risk for the region. This meeting shows that the Caspian states are seeking ways to solve this problem. I believe that the adoption of the model, chosen by Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea, is very important for peace and security of the Caspian Sea. Without Azerbaijan's policy, the Caspian could become the second of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem," he said.
Azerbaijan will raise the global problem of migration before the European countries.
"During the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, at tha Committee of Migration, I will make a report on "Tendencies of migration in Europe" a member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, MP Gultekin Hajibeyli, told Trend on September 12.
According to the information provided by the public union Center for Migration of Azerbaijan, in the world every 35 and in Azerbaijan every eight people are migrants. According to the statistics of the center, currently the number of migrants worldwide is 200 million people, and in Azerbaijan - about one million. Azerbaijan ranks the first in the world for the number of internal migrants. Approximately 48 percent of the world's migrants and 53 percent of Azerbaijan are women. Despite that in the world 97-98 percent of the migrants are citizens of other countries, in Azerbaijan 70 percent of migrants are internally displaced persons as a result of the occupation of territories. If the migrants who have settled in other countries do not belong to the local nation, in Azerbaijan more than 90 percent of migrants are Azerbaijanis.
According to Hajibeyli, the main reason for the flow of migrants into Azerbaijan is improvement in the economic indicators of the country. "The solution of social problems, as well as the implementation of infrastructure projects directly affect the migration. While ten years ago, because of problems with unemployment, people migrated from Azerbaijan to Europe, mainly to Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, now the process is going on vise-verse. Above-mentioned countries faced with problems associated with the economic crisis, while Azerbaijan did not particularly feel its impact and the country continues to grow steadily," said Azerbaijani MP.
Azerbaijan is an attractive country for migrants from Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq, said Hajibeyli. "The number of cases of migration of citizens of these countries to Azerbaijan both legally and illegally has increased. I emphasize again that this is due to the economic successes of the country," said Hajibeyli.
She said that if ten years ago Azerbaijan was considered a source of migration to Europe, now it has become a country to which migrants come increasingly. "Undoubtedly, this indicator provides a basis to say that Azerbaijan is a leader in the region," said Hajibeyli.
Foreign policy
The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov received the Italian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Gianluigi Masha in connection with the end of his diplomatic mission in Baku, said the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported on Sept. 8.
At the meeting, the Ambassador expressed his satisfaction with the activities in Azerbaijan, said that during his diplomatic mission in the country, he made every effort to promote bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy.
The Minister wished the ambassador success in his future activities.
Monitoring was held on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces on Sept. 9 after a mandate by the special envoy of the OSCE chairman.
The monitoring near the Gapanli village of Azerbaijan's Agdam region proceeded without incident on Sept. 9, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.
The monitoring will be held on the Azerbaijani side by OSCE Chairman-in-Office Personal Representative field assistants Pieter Ki and Irji Aberli.
The monitoring will be held on the opposite side, which the international community recognizes as Azerbaijani territory, by OSCE Chairman-in-Office Personal Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk's field assistants Imre Palatinus, Vladimir Chountulov and Jaslan Nurtazin.
The OSCE regularly holds monitoring on troop's contact line to secure ceasefire.
Jan Lucas van Hoorn will be the Netherlands' first ambassador to Azerbaijan. The embassy will be officially set up in the mid. of October, the Netherlands' consulate to Azerbaijan told Trend .
The Netherlands' foreign minister Maxime Verhagen addressed with a proposal to set up the embassy.
The embassy will deal with cooperation in power engineering and support Dutch enterprises.
The Netherlands' ambassador will work in close contact with EU other ambassadors to Baku, as well as embassies in Tbilisi and Ankara. A candidature of ambassador has been already approved by the Azerbaijani side.
Before, Jan Lucas van Hoorn worked as director of South and Eastern Europe department of the Dutch Foreign Ministry.
Dutch Secretary General Ed Kronenbourg is expected to participate in the official opening ceremony of the embassy.
The Azerbaijani embassy to the Netherlands was set up in 2007. Ambassador is Fuad Iskenderov.
Turnover between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands hits $17.8 million in January-April 2009.
President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Council of Europe Ian Micallef called on Azerbaijan to follow the example of other countries of South Caucasus and make elected the post of mayor of capital, but not appointed, the official statement by the Council of Europe says.
''I reiterate our calls on the Azerbaijani authorities, to have the Mayor of Baku elected and not appointed. This will serve to reinforce local democracy in the country,'' Micallef said prior to his visit to Azerbaijan.
Election of mayor of Baku will be consistent with the spirit of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which Azerbaijan ratified in 2002, said Micallef.
Micallef's visit will last from 10 to 14 September. The purpose of the visit is to assess the democratic situation in the country after the constitutional referendum held on March 18.
Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan expressed concern that official Tehran was not invited to the meeting of four heads of Caspian states in Aktau, but said that Iran was assured that the meeting will not focus on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.
"Kazakhstan, as the organizer of the meeting, assured Iran that the legal status of the Caspian Sea is not a topic of discussions at this meeting and talks on this issue are possible only between all five Caspian states," Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohammad Bagher Behrami told Trend .
On September 11, the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan held an informal meeting in Aktau. The Heads of States discussed the development of bilateral and multilateral relations.
Behrami said that according to the Kazakh side, the meeting in Aktau discussed the development of economic relations of the four countries of the CIS, conducting sports tournaments and other events.
He noted that negotiations on the status of the Caspian Sea without the participation of Iran contradict the national interests of this country. "Upon the previous agreements, documents not signed by all five Caspian littoral states, will not be valid," said Iranian diplomat.
Behrami reminded that the next Caspian summit will be held in October in Baku.
The Iranian ambassador also emphasized the inadmissibility of "any military steps".
Behrami added that the sides should make efforts to ensure that the Caspian Sea remains the sea of peace and the Caspian states contribute to security in the Caspian Sea. "Thus, we do not allow any military ships to appear on our water space," said the Iranian ambassador.
Behrami considers it wrong the sail of a ship under the flag of any state in the Caspian Sea, except the Caspian countries. According to him, the agreement on the passage of ships on the Caspian Sea was reached between the countries in Tehran in October last year.
Political movements
An Azerbaijani left party is going to take part in the municipal elections independently.
At a meeting of the party's Central Council a decision was made that socialists in the most constituencies would take part, The Azerbaijani People's Socialist Party (APSP) said.
Azerbaijani Parliament adopted a law on the unification of municipalities. Under this law, the number of municipalities decreased from 2,757 to 1,766.
At the meeting of the Central Council, the party again announced that the left will not create any bloc in the elections. The APSP has determined the representatives which have been authorized to take part in elections in the regions, the party said.
An opposition movement, which unites six parties, has made a decision on participating in the municipal elections.
"We will attend the elections as serparate electoral blocs within one political bloc," Sardar Jalaloglu, the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Democratic Party, which is represented in the Civil Movement for Karabakh and the Republic, told Trend on Sept.9.
According to Jalaloglu, the initial agreement lets each party represented in the Movement to participate with its own candidate in the election. "However, under the other agreement there will a single list will be compiled on the basis of the total number of candidates nominated by various parties. This means that the parties will nominate candidates as a group, in which they offer each other alternatives," Jalaloglu added.
The quota for all parties will be determined in accordance with the total number of municipalities in each area. "If a party does not nominate a candidate, another party will provide a nomination," the chairman added.
The Civil Movement for Karabakh and the Republic was established on the eve of the referendum held on March 18. The Popular Front of Azerbaijan, the Citizen and Development Party, the Liberal Party, the Democratic Party and the Musavat and Umid parties, as well as a number of public organizations, are represented in the group.
Azerbaijani opposition party established regional election headquarters due to the municipal elections.
"Central election headquarters were instructed to create lists of authorized representatives, lawyers and consultants of candidates, to participate in the municipal elections, and observers at the meeting of the party's presidium," press-service of the Liberal-Democratic party told Trend on September 11.
Azerbaijani municipal elections are scheduled for December 2009 Municipal elections were held twice in 1999 and 2004.
Number of municipalities was reduced from 2,757 to 1,766 in Azerbaijan as a result of unification process.
Chairman of the party instructed representatives of central and regional election headquarters to check lists of voters.
Members of headquarters will periodically hold monitoring of voters' lists in election commissions.
"If there is any unclearness in voters' lists, appeals will be made for the Central Election Commission to liquidate them," the message said.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
On Sept. 8, the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire at Azerbaijani troops from areas outside the Kangarli village in the Agdam region at 05:00-05:10, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.
The Azerbaijani troops answered their fire. No causalities were reported.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Robert Bradtke today appointed as new American co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group, Trend correspondent was told by sourse in department for the Europe and Eurasia, U.S. State Department. "The United States understands the critical importance of achieving a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and hopes that the appointment of Ambassador Bradtke continue the peacemaking policy and the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group", - said a source in the State Department.
According to the source, Robert Bradtke - experienced diplomat, including in the sphere of conflicts. Bradke was involved in Balkan issues for long time, the U.S. relationship with NATO and the OSCE from 2001 to 2004, he and former U.S. co-chair Matthew Bryza served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
According to State Department spokesman, the Government of Azerbaijan and Armenia have already informed about Bradtke's appointment. Ambassador is currently getting familiar with the new position and intends to visit the region in coming weeks.
Secretary Clinton has indicated to the two presidents her strong interest in the Minsk Group's ongoing efforts to bring the process to a fruitful conclusion, and the Obama Administration is committed to doing everything possible to support this goal, said at State Department's internet site.
On Sept.8, the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire at Azerbaijani troops from the nameless heights, areas outside the Gorgan,Horadiz and Ashagi Abdulrahmanli villages in the Fuzuli region at 19:00-20:30 and near the Yusifjanli and Javahirli villages in the Agdam region at 08:50-08:55 and on Sept.9, at 02:53-03:15, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.
The Azerbaijani troops answered their fire. No causalities were reported.
On Sept. 9, the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire at the Azerbaijani troops near the Gulchuluk state farm of the Agdam region. The Azerbaijani troops answered their fire. As a result of shooting, 5 Armenian militaries died and 3 injured, the Karabakh bureau of Trend reported.
The shooting also injured the Azerbaijani Army soldier, Parviz Yusubov,(19), enlisted by the Guba region military commissariat.
According to recent reports of Karabakh bureau of Trend , although the intense exchange of fire lasted for two hours, until the evening periodically has been renewed firing Azerbaijan controlled territories from Armenian forces' side. Enemy troops were firing at our village, located close to the line of confrontation, as well as the positions of Azerbaijani troops of large and small-caliber weapons. At the same time there was an active movement of trucks and ambulances in enemy territory, indicating significant losses.
Since March 2008, the Armenian Armed Forces lost 15 soldiers in total during attacks on the Azerbaijani Army.
On Sept. 11, the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire at Azerbaijani troops in the Agdam village of the Tovuz region at 20:40-21:35. The shots were fired from the Mosesgah village in Armenia's Berd region.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that the Armenian soldiers fired at Azerbaijani troops from the nameless heights in the Goygol region at 14:00-14:30, from areas outside the Kuropatkino village in the Khojavand region at 23:10-23:15 and from positions near the Yusifjanli village in the Agdam region at 23:15-23:30.
The Azerbaijani troops answered their fire. No causalities were reported.
A 19-year-old soldier of the Azerbaijani Army, Shaban Murguzov was wounded as a result of the violation of the ceasefire on the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian Armed Forces in the Terter region, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry's Spokesman, Teymur Abdullayev told Trend .
The Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the afternoon on yesterday. Murguzov was taken to the military hospital in the Agdam region and his state is medium-serious. He was enlisted by the Military Commissariat in the Azerbaijani region of Tovuz.