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 According to the presidential orde,r 5 thousand AZN aid allocated for 38 daily newspapers and information agencies will be effectively paid, Chairman of the Press Council Aflatun Amashov told APA. He said a number of media organizations addressed him on this issue and he called the Ministry of Finance on Thursday. “The ministry said there was no problem with this issue and the money would be transferred to the bank accounts of the editorial offices. The media organizations must to show their bank accounts to the ministry”. The president issued an order for financial aid to 38 daily newspapers and information agencies amounting to 5 thousand AZN for each of them. The Press Council has prepared a list of media organizations. |
 BP said exports of Azeri oil to Turkey via Georgia has resumed after repairs to the $4 billion Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline damaged by a fire two weeks ago. BP-Azerbaijan spokeswoman Tamam Bayatly told APA-Economics that oil is being test-pumped through the pipeline at present. “We decided to test the repaired pipeline. This is some limited and intermittent flow of oil through the pipeline before a move to full operation,” she added. Due to the disruption, the BP-led Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oilfields in the Caspian Sea had cut output to about 250,000 bpd from about 850,000 bpd before the BTC link was damaged. The BTC line has been out of action following the explosion and fire that occurred on August 6 in the line’s Turkish sector. The export rate through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is in the capacity of delivering one million barrels per day (approx. 50 million tonnes per year). |
 New waistcoats will be distributed among journalists in Azerbaijan. Chairman of Azerbaijani Press Council Aflatun Amashov told APA that new security clothes had been made for the journalists basing on joint project of the council and OSCE. Amashov said the waistcoats would be distributed among the media outlets early in September. The clothes will be more modern and have differentiating signs. “Russian journalists have such clothes. The number of such clothes will be about 200,” he said. Chairman of the Press Council said about 400 waistcoats had been distributed among editorial offices earlier. |
 Voters’ signatures collected for the registration of Umid (Hope) Party’s presidential candidate Igbal Agazadeh have been submitted to Central Election Commission. The party’s press service told APA that over 45,000 signatures had been collected, but 1000 signatures were considered invalid during the control in the party’s election office. Therefore there were signatures of 44,000 voters in the sheets submitted by the party to the Central Election Commission. |
 Chief of Azerbaijani Committee against Torture Elchin Behbudov finished monitoring the temporary detention facilities of police offices in Azerbaijan’s regions and cities. The Committee chief told APA that he had monitored temporary detention facilities of police offices of Hajigabul, Kurdamir, Ujar, Aghdash, Shamkir, Goygol, Aghdam, Goranboy, Terter, Berde, Agjabadi, Lachin, Zerdab regions, Mingachevir, Ganja and jail #3 in Gandja. The Human Rights Defender said no one appealed to him in connection with the fact of torture during the monitoring. There were facts on detention for over 48 hours in some police offices. |
 Central Election Commission (CEC), Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) have today held training for the employees of election constituencies responsible for applications and complaints on the theme “Rules of considering applications and complaints”, APA reports. Chairman of Central Election Commission Mazahir Panahov said the citizens had the right to appeal for any matter in connection with the election process. He said all appeals of the citizens’ should be analyzed transparently and fairly by the election commissions and the appeals should be replied within the period allotted by the law. Deputy Head of OSCE Office in Baku Alexis Chahtahtinsky said that OSCE seriously approached the issue on considering the appeals and complaints in Azerbaijan. |
 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Presidnet of Romania Traian Basescu held a large meeting attended by the delegations on August 21. Azerbaijani leader said the countries rapidly developed bilateral friendly relations and partnership in the political, economic, cultural and energy fields and successfully carried out the regional cooperation. President Ilham Aliyey stressed the stability as an important factor in the region and said recent tensions caused big concern. Romanian President Traian Basescu said Azerbaijan was an important country in the region and played very strong role in the regional issues. He said Azerbaijan was playing important role in the European energy security. “It is reality and bilateral relations between our countries are in a high level”. |
 The Azerbaijani Press Council hopes that the President will pardon three arrested journalists. “We applied to the President with the request to pardon journalists in July. This appeal is in force and remains on agenda. The issue will be examined at a meeting of the Press Council’s Board of Directors to be held in few days and we want the arrested journalists to be set free soon,” Aflatun Amashov, the chairman of the Press Council, told Trend News on 21 August. Pardon decree is expected to be signed by the presidential elections to be held in Azerbaijan on 15 October. The meeting of the Pardon Commission at the President was held during the last two weeks. |
 An interview with Rashad Rzaguliyev, president of the Azerbaijani Social Projects Fund. - The comments regarding the Russian-Georgian relations filled all information areas. What is about your vision on the issue? - At early millennium most analysts and experts forecasted beginning of the war era. The forecasts, as we see, are justified. The world repartition begins. Force becomes the main issue for development of world rather than devalued international deals. As for the incident… Georgian’s attempts to restore constitutional area in its uncontrolled territories by force caused conflict of interests with Russia, where Russian citizens reside. |
 The changes to the Bill on Freedom of Assembly of Azerbaijani Citizens are quite positive, Sergey Kuznetsov, representative of Secretariat of Venice Commission said to TrendNews on 21 August. The Bill on Changes and Supplements to the Bill on Freedom of Assembly of Azerbaijani Citizens was adopted at the summer session of Milli Majlis (parliament) of Azerbaijan. The amendments have been coordinated with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. “Bill on Freedom of Assembly of Azerbaijan has undergone positive changes and we have noticed it,” Kuznetsov said. “Even if there are shortcomings in the Bill, the success of the assembly depends on the will of the participants. If the participants of the meeting want their assembly to be success, they will make every effort for this,” he said. |
 The Embassy of United States in Azerbaijan will take an active part in observing presidential elections to be held on 15 October. “The Embassy will cooperate with the organizations who will observe elections and their opinion will be taken into consideration as a final assessment of elections,” Johanna Hanson, the adviser of the US Embassy in Azerbaijan on political affairs said during her meeting with the representatives of the Elections-2008 coalition of NGOs on 21 August. Coalition of NGOs Elections-2008 was established to achieve more active participation of voters in the presidential elections. The coalition was founded by Inam pluralism center, Center of Multimedia Information Systems and Technologies, International Press Fund of Eurasia, members of board of directors of Press Council Umud Rahimoglu and chairman of KASKFEN Azar Hasrat. |
 23 August will be yearly marked as professional holiday of the staff of State Special Security Service in Azerbaijan. The decision on this was reflected at the order of the President of Azerbaijan, signed on 21 August. The President signed this order, taking into consideration the zone of the scope and the complexity of the authorities, carried out by personnel of State Special Security Service, role in the protection of statehood, the faithfulness, worthy and irreproachable service to Azerbaijan State, people, the President of Azerbaijan Republic, and also for the purpose of the perpetuation of the history of the establishment of the State Special Security Service and tradition of true service. Order comes into force from the day of signing. |
 Criminalist of the Sabail District Police Department of Baku, the Azerbaijani capital was arrested with the charge of illegal arm storage. Criminalist Ali Akhundov was arrested as a result of operations, which were held by employees of the Interior Ministry’s Central Department to Enforce Organized Crime, the Sabail District Public Prosecutor’s Office of Baku told Trend News. According to law enforcement bodies, illegal weapon and religious literature were found at the police employee’s service office. The Sabail District Court brought Akhundov in jail sentence and criminal case was filed on this matter in line with Article 228 (illegal purchase, transfer, sale, storage, conveyance or carrying of firearms, components details of them, ammunition, explosive substances and facilities) of the Criminal Code. |
 The Venice Commission is prepared to discuss with Azerbaijan the law draft on financing political parties from public budget, the representative of the Secretariat of the Venice Commission, Sergey Kuznetsov, told TrendNews. “The Commission has wide experience in this issue and if the Government of Azerbaijan appeals to us with such a request, we are prepared to assist in devising the law draft,” he said. Still such request has not been received from Azerbaijan. |
 The opposition Great Establishment Party of Azerbaijan (GEP) changed its decision not take part in the election with its own candidate in the meeting of the Supreme Majlis of the party on 21 August. “Our two key demands have already been fulfilled, therefore the Supreme Majlis of the party decided to take part in the elections and nominated me for the presidential elections,” Fazil Gazanfaroglu, chairman of GEP and MP said to TrendNews. GEP refused to take part in the elections as the party was hindered from being represented in the Central Election Commission and it was not provided with headquarters. “These two obstacles have been eliminated. Two days ago the State Committee for Property Management provided us with headquarters. Though our headquarters needs repairs, we already have our own headquarters. As to the representation of the party in CEC, parliament will give a positive response to it in the autumn session,” he said. |
 The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan does not accept the claims regarding serious obstacles in regions against presidential contenders during the pre-election campaign. “No facts regarding the obstacles put toward contenders have been delivered to CEC. Some contenders evaluate a common obstacle as forejudged attitude towards them,” Mazahir Panahov, chairman of CEC, said. Presidential contenders – Hafiz Hajiyev, chairman of the Muasir Musavat party, and Igbal Agazade, chairman of Umid party, have stated that they faced serious obstacles during collection of signatures. Panahov said that only Akif Gurbanov, a member of Umid, has stated about obstacles so far. “I asked him to show me facts. However, I have not received anything so far,” Panahov said. |
 The Azerbaijani Central Election Commission (CEC) considers that it is incorrect for the opposition parties boycotting elections to device a document regarding illegitimacy of elections beforehand. “Devising such document before the elections is an unserious matter. The elections should take place and after it is possible assess it,” Mazahir Panahov, the CEC Chairman, told journalists on 21 August. According to Panahov, it is not understandable to assess the elections before the beginning of this process. |
 Sergey Kuznetsov, a representative of the Venice Commission, believes that examination of complaints during the elections assumes a great importance. “Plaintiff should be sure that his/her complaint will be examined with full objectivity,” Kuznetsov stated at the training on Rules examination of applications and complaints held on 21 August. According to Kuznetsov, the latest changes in the Elections Code were injected on the base of recommendation of the Venice Commission and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE Baku Office urged the Government to implement fully its obligations during the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. “The elections should be held so that they covered all obligations undertaken, which should be carried out,” Alexis Shahtatinsky, the deputy head of the OSCE Baku Office, stated at the training. |
 The opposition Azerbaijani National Unity Party (ANUP) will support candidature of the current President Ilham Aliyev, the chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), in the upcoming presidential elections. “Earlier, we decided to support Ilham Aliyev even in the presidential elections in 2003and do not see any necessity to review this decision,” Yunus Oguz, the chairman of the ANUP, told Trend News on 21 August. According to Oguz, he does not see any necessity to nominate his candidature. “In 2003, when I withdrew from the presidential elections campaign, I stated that opposition should prepare for not the presidential elections of 2008, but the elections of 2013. Ilham Aliyev will win undoubtedly in these elections. We will participate in the propaganda campaign to support the President’s candidature,” he said. |
 The opposition Yeni Zaman (Modern Times) party has brought an action against the Ministry of Justice as the latter refuses to grant a state registration to the party, Musa Agayev, the chairman of the party said. The opposition Yeni Zaman party was founded on 15 July 2007. In August of the same year the documents of the party was submitted to the Ministry of Justice. However, the Ministry has not yet registered it and says that changes should be made to the documents of the party. According to Agayev, though the documents of the party was corrected and submitted to the Ministry of Justice for already 7 months ago, the Ministry has not yet provided any feedback since then. |
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