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 Russia withdrew troops from Georgia, Anatoli Serdyukov said, APA reports. The minister stated that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was informed of it. Thousands of Russian troops, hundreds of tanks, armoured personnel carriers and trucks left their positions and headed for South Ossetia. According to him, only Russian peacekeepers will stay in Georgia for the purpose of security. |
 Central Election Commission (CEC), Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) will hold training for the employees of election constituencies responsible for applications and complaints on the theme “Rules of considering applications and complaints” on August 25-26. CEC told APA about it. 65 responsible representatives of election constituencies attended the training on August 20-22. Representatives of other 60 election constituencies (mainly Baku, Sumgayit, Absheron) will attend training on August 25-26. The trainings aim at qualifying the employees of election constituencies responsible for applications and complaints. The members of precinct election commissions in Baku, Sumgayit and Absheron will attend trainings on August 27-30. |
 Central Election Commission has considered the candidacy of two nominees in today’s meeting. The commission has approved Fazil Mustafayev nominated by the Great Establishment Party, as well as Fikret Tagi Ahadov. |
 Armenian-raised arsons have destroyed 500 hectares of woodland in Argunesh Forest since occupation of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli region 15 years ago. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said the assessment of the burned areas was carried out by a Task Force for Assessment of Natural Resources Destruction and Environmental Damage in the Occupied Lands of Azerbaijan. According to the assessment report, forest trees in Dovletkarli village, green areas along the both sides of roads in Yaghlivend village and trees in Gochehmedli village were destroyed by Armenians during occupation. |
 Armenians burned trees in the valley of the Araz River in the occupied Jabrayl region of Azerbaijan and took large-diameter nut trees to Armenia for selling abroad. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said Armenians destroyed about 120 historical-architectural monuments, cut and burned forests, ruined mineral resources, rare flora and fauna of Diridagh Nature Zone and destroyed mineral water sources. |
 “We plan to hold mass rallies along with opposition parties,” Chairman of Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Ali Karimli said, APA reports. He said that their decision on boycotting the presidential elections did not mean observation. The bloc will focus its attention on mass rallies. “The date of the mass rallies will be known after the election campaign starts,” he said. |
 A number of political parties and public organizations of Azerbaijan have visited the late president Abulfaz Elchibey’s grave in Honor Alley on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of his death. APA reports that Chairman of Classical Popular Front Party Mirmahmud Miralioglu, chairman of Musavat Party Isa Gambar, Chairman of United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Gudrat Hasanguliyev, Co-Chairmen of World Azerbaijanis’ Congress Sabir Rustamkhanli and Firudin Parvizniya, members of Azadlig bloc and Elchibey’s family participated in the event. The participants spoke about the life and activity of Abulfaz Elchibey. They said Elchibey’s ideas served the integrity and statehood of Azerbaijan. |
 The newly-reconstructed part of Baku-Guba-Russia border road in its 15-34 km has been opened on Friday. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening ceremony, public relations department of the road’s constructor Accord Group of Companies told APA. Minister of transport Ziya Mammadov has informed the president about work done and then the head of state cut the symbolic red ribbon. President Aliyev visited the construction area to see work there. Reconstruction of Baku-Guba-Russia border began in May by the Accord Group of Companies on order of the Transport Ministry’s Azeryolservice Joint-Stock Society. The project was funded by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. |
 The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aiyev began his tour to Khizi region of Azerbaijan on 22 August. Head of State visited the monument to the national leader of Azerbaijan in the center of Khizi city and laid flowers at the monument. Later President Ilham Aliyev got familiar with the reconstruction work in a park named after the national leader. President was informed that all conditions were provided in the park with area of 3.2 ha for the convenience of residents. Special programs have been devised to develop tourism and agriculture in Khizi region of Azerbaijan which has very beautiful nature, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said before the residents of the city within the framework of his tour to Khizi. According to Head of State, additional finance will be allocated to address problems of the region. The President got familiar with the Chess Centre in Khizi during the visit. |
 Deputy Chairman of Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, republican Richard Lugar will visit Baku next week, Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan Terry Davidson told APA. Richard Lugar will visit nine countries within the framework of his Europe tour. Energy security of transatlantic alliance, construction of new pipelines, as well as the planned Nabucco gas pipeline will be discussed during his visit. Lugar will visit France, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Germany and Belgium within two weeks. |
 The next meeting of the Pardon Commission under President will be held today. The Commission told APA that appeals on pardoning would be analyzed at the third meeting. The Pardon Commission will hold some more meetings, the analyzed and approved appeals will be submitted to president. Following this, the head of state is expected to sign pardon decree. The recent pardon decree was signed in March this year on the eve of Novruz Holiday. |
 Azerbaijan Press Council’s Commission for Complaints held its next meeting. The council told APA that the commission headed by Deputy Chairman of Press Council Umud Rahimoglu considered five complaints. The complaint of Baku Main Police Office about the article “Etologiya dorojnoy politsii” (Ethology of traffic police) published in Ekho newspaper was considered. Representative of the newspaper said the article was published in the column “Tochka zreniya” (pointy of view) and was the position of the author, not of the newspaper. But he was told that there were concrete items about the responsibility of the head of media outlet in the law on “Mass media” and other legal acts on media. The commission came to the conclusion that the newspaper violated “Rules of Professional Behavior of Azerbaijani Journalists” and recommended the Ekho newspaper to publish a letter reflecting its position and apologize. |
 Azerbaijani opposition Adalat party has not take the final decision regarding the presidential elections. “The meeting of party’s Political Council is expected to be held until the end of August to take the final decision on the presidential elections,” Elkhan Shukurlu, Deputy Chairman of Adalat party, told Trend News. Shukurlu said that Ilyas Ismayilov, Chairman of the party, visits Russia. Ismayilov is expected to come back to Baku on the next week. “Initially, Ismayilov did not want to nominate his candidature. However, it was not the final decision. The final decision will be made at the meeting of the Political Council,” Shukurlu said. |
 The opposition Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (DPA) considers that the parties’ wide cooperation format, which refused to participate in the presidential elections, would not be implemented. “We have supervised that the key talks were directed to establish a union of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) with Musavat,” Sardar Jalaloglu, chairman of DPA, told Trend News. The parties’ cooperation centre, which refused from participation in the elections, was decided to establish at the meeting of the Azadlig Council of Chairmen. Fuad Mustafayev, an organization man from PFPA, was entrusted to hold the talks. Mustafayev said that the key aim of the cooperation was to adopt and approve the elections illegitimacy. |
 The opposition Classical Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (CPFPA) does not believe in alliance of the opposition parties boycotting the presidential elections. “We want the cooperation centre of the opposition to be established. However, there are some difficulties to realize this initiative with officials of acting opposition,” Mirmahmud Miralioglu, the chairman of the CPFPA, told journalists on 22 August. |
 The Azerbaijani opposition parties boycotting the presidential elections have agreed to establish a new unity. “Negotiations on this matter are very constructive and I hope that we can form a new co-operation centre of the opposition soon,” Ali Karimli, the chairman of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), told journalists on 22 August. Musavat Party, Liberal Party, Democratic Party, Citizen and Development Party, Classic Popular Front Party and APFP boycott the upcoming presidential elections. “The opposition parties try to give a principle assessment to the elections, which they boycott, and this is our major principle. We will adopt a general document on the results of the elections after this assessment,” Karimli said. |
 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) carries out selection of local observers for the upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan. Mission’s activity will last from 20 August to 1 November 2008. The key requirements are higher education degree and two years work experience, OSCE Baku office reported. The Azadlig bloc, which unites three opposition parties – Popular Front, Liberal and Citizen and Development), as well as Classical Popular Front, Open Society, Musavat, Civil Solidarity, Democratic, Great Establishment, Azadlig parties and Eldar Namazov, head of the Public Forum For the name of Azerbaijan refused to participate in the forthcoming presidential elections. |
 At the beginning of September, negotiations on further development of Azerbaijani-Hungarian relations will be held in Baku. Negotiations will take place within official visit of Speaker of Parliament of Hungary, Katalen Svili, a source at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Budapest told TrendNews by telephone on 22 August. The Embassy said that Svili will arrive in Azerbaijan to discuss a number of questions regarding situation in the region. His meetings at high level are planned to be held. The program of visit and the agenda of negotiations are now agreed. |
 Gulamhuseyn Alibayli, former chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), has formed his own election headquarters. “Gorkhmaz Ibrahimli, chairman of the Democratic Election Centre (DEC) will head the headquarters,” Alibayli told Trend News on 22 August. Alibayli does not intend to create an election bloc around himself. “We have started to collect the necessary 40,000 signatures. At present, the signature collection process has been started in approximately 70 – 80 electoral districts and 2 or 3 people are involved into each district. The campaign on signature collection will cover nearly 100 districts. We expect to complete the process within a week,” Alibayli said. |
 On 22 August the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, proceeded to the Altiagac National Park where he officially opened a wildlife recovery center and rehabilitation clinics. The Head of State also viewed the park’s ecotourism and information center. |
 The date to hold the special meeting of the National Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (NDPA) has been announced. Ogtai Khalili, chairman of the Organization Committee of the party, told Trend News that the meeting would be held in the Baku theatre on 24 August. According to Khalili, NDPA has appealed to the Baku City Administration to allocate the aforesaid theatre to hold a meeting. “On 22 August, we received an unexpected response to our appeal,” Khalili said. NDPA, formerly known as the Grey Wolves Party, is a political party in Azerbaijan. It is the branch of the Grey Wolves in Azerbaijan. Isgandar Hamidov, a party member, was the Internal Minister of Azerbaijan of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party government. The party was banned in 1995 and Hamidov imprisoned, however, the party is again functioning today with Hamidov as the party leader. |
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