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 On 27 August, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, received Director of Romania’s Foreign Intelligence Service Mihai Razvan Ungureanu and his accompanying delegation. The Head of State recalled recent visit of Romanian President Traian Băsescu, saying fruitful talks on expansion of bilateral relations were held during the visit. President Ilham Aliyev noted Azerbaijan-Romania ties are developing successfully in a variety of fields and stressed the importance of cooperation to strengthen regional security. He expressed his confidence that Ungureanu`s visit would contribute to bilateral relationship. |
 Azerbaijan intends to take an active part in restoration of Afghanistan. Under the Azerbaijani President’s instruction, Araz Azimov, the Deputy Foreign Minister, is in Kabul to study problems and needs of Afghanistan, so that Azerbaijan could take an active part in removal of definite difficulties of this country, Ibrahim Khalilov, the Azerbaijani temporal Charge D'affaires in Afghanistan, told Trend News from Kabul on 27 August. During the visit, Azimov met with Rengin Dadfred Spanta, the Afghan Foreign Minister, Zerar Ahmed Mogbel, the Interior Minister, Ibrahim Adel, the Culture and Industry Minister, and Mohammad Jalil Shams, the Economy Minister. The meetings focused on expansion of cooperation between foreign ministers of both countries, as well as development of relations in economy and law, the diplomat said. |
 No incident took place during the monitoring in the contact line of the Azerbaijani-Armenian Armed Forces on 27 August. Before the monitoring, Hasan Sariyev, head of the City Administration of Agdam region of Azerbaijan informed the participants of the monitoring about the frequent violation of ceasefire by Armenians by firing at the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and settlements. “A total of three civilians have died as a result of it since May. Besides, fire set by Armenians to the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, especially in the direction of Agdam region have burned 340 ha of area and it has caused damage worth AZN 426,000,” Sariyev said. Monitoring at the contact line of the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia near Barda-Agdam highway was carried out in line with the mandate of personal envoy of OSCE chairman in office. |
 Leading expert Tomoyuki Hashimoto, who is affiliated with World Association of International Studies at Stanford, especially for Trend News First of all, the relationship between Russia and the EU remains somewhat neutral. French and German dependency on Russian gas and oil is undoubtedly important in this diagram. For the EU, there is not many alternative providers - the Middle East is either chaotic or under the US control, and Latin America such as Venezuela does not like the US and thus indirectly Europe. As the international resource market is getting more competitive due to China and India, the Russo-European relationship has to be cooperative regardless of the political rhetoric. The US-Russian relationship is, on the other hand, unpredictable. |
 Lala Shovkat, the leader of National Union opposition movement and co-chairman of Azadlig bloc believes that the unity and cooperation of opposition is not usually sincere. “Therefore, the cooperation of opposition will not last long,” Lala Shovkat said while answering the question whether the opposition forces can create a new union. Leader of National Unity movement said that the union of opposition is just a social necessity. The issue of cooperation became important after real opposition parties boycotted elections, she said. “I have always been the proponent of unity. But I support real forces and sincere unity,” Lala Shovkat added. She believes that the establishment of new union of opposition forces should be based on plans concerning elections. |
 The World Congress of Azerbaijanis (WCA) will hold an international workshop dedicated to problems in the South Azerbaijan (North Iran) in the residence of European Parliament in Brussels on 10 September. The workshop will touch upon the human rights in South Azerbaijan and Iran, as well as mass execution, destiny of political prisoners, national problems of Azerbaijanis, who reside in Iran. |
 The left opposition Social-Democratic party of Azerbaijan (SDPA) has stated that it would not participate in establishment of the opposition parties union, which intends to boycott the presidential elections. “Establishment of opposition parties union will not have results. At present, establishment of such an organization seems impossible,” Araz Alizade, co-chairman of SDPA, told Trend News. Alizade said that his party had not received an appeal to join the opposition union. “SDPA does not take part in similar organizations. Opposition will boycott the elections due to their private ambitions. |
 Mais Gulaliyev, the Azerbaijani Greens Party’s presidential candidate and co-chairman of the party, will submit signature lists to the Central Elections Commission at the end of week, the party told Trend News on 27 August. The CEC officially registered the candidature of President Ilham Aliyev, the chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP). According to the Greens Party, signature collecting campaign is nearing to completion. More than 40,000 signatures were collected at 65 constituencies. At present they are being verified at the party. In accordance with the schedule of the party’s Elections staff, it is expected to collect about 45,000 signatures by the end of August. |
 Central Election Commission (CEC) prepared 2 different placards calling the citizens to participate in the presidential elections to be held on 15 October, the Press Service of CEC told APA. The placards printed by 20 thousand draws are already distributed to sub-commissions. The CEC plans to realize some other measures related to calling electors to vote. |
 Egypt is to deliver medicines to Azerbaijani market via the state line. Hatam El Gabali, Egyptian Health Minister is interested in the issue. Minister’s visit to Baku is expected on 5-6 October. This was told Trend News from Egyptian Embassy in Azerbaijan. Minister is expected to meet with Ogtay Shiraliyev, Azerbaijan’s Health Minister to discuss the cooperation development between the countries. Egyptian Minister will also meet with Elmar Mammadyarov, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, and Zakir Farajev, Head of the Absheron City Administration. El Gabali plans to visit the Absheron based pharmaceutical plant. |
 The Chairman of Umid (Hope) Party Igbal Agazade met with the chief of US National Democratic Institute (NDI) Arien de Wolf, Press Service of the Party told the APA. During the meeting, A. Wolf took interest in amendments and supplements to the Election Code of Azerbaijan, the Party’s attitude toward the election process and some other issues related to the election campaign. |
 Hearings were held at the Sabail District Court in Baku on the lawsuit on Ganimat Zahid, the editor-in-chief of Azadlig (Freedom) newspaper, against the leadership of pre-trial prison 1. Zahid filed a suit because of manuscripts, which were confiscated at the prison. The editor-in-chief of the newspaper said that the leadership of the pre-trial prison 1 withdrew manuscripts with the volume of 300 papers and did not give back it. Later the leadership of reformatory informed about their burnt. Defendant side said that the manuscripts were withdrawn and burnt at the moment of their illegal withdrawal from the pre-trial prison, Elchin Sadigov, Zahid’s lawyer, told Trend News. Then the act compiled on this case was submitted to the court. |
 The photo robot of persons suspected in blast of the Abu-Bakr Mosque in Baku, has been revealed. The Baku City Prosecutor Office reported to Trend News that the photo robot which depicts women and men have been made on the ground of evidences by witnesses. The blast took place at the Abu Bakr Mosque in U.Bunyadzade Street of Baku city at 08.50PM on 17 August. Unknown man threw two RGD-1 kinds of grenades into the Mosque, breaking the Mosque’s window with stone. According to the official information, two men died in this incident and eleven people were injured, whilst unofficial source said that three men died. Emin Rasulov, a 22-year old resident of Astara Region, was arrested as a suspect of involvement in this incident. A criminal case was filed on him on Article 283.1 (instigation of national, racial or religious hostility) of the Criminal Code. |
 October 15 – day of presidential elections in Azerbaijan is nonworking day, Spokesman for Central Election Commission Azer Sariyev told APA. He said that though the voting falls on a working day – Wednesday, according to item 8.2 of the Electoral Code, voting day is not considered a working day in the area where the elections are held. |
 Council of Europe will not adopt any document on Azerbaijan or make decision for appointment of special rapporteurs on political prisoner issue until the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, said Andres Herkel, Estonian parliamentarian and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Monitoring Committee co-rapporteur on Azerbaijan in his exclusive interview to APA. Herkel welcomed the last decree of pardon signed by the President of Azerbaijan and releasing of Rasim Akbarov, whom PACE considers as political prisoner, by this order. “Rasim Akbarov has very serious health problems”. Herkel said it was not completely clear for him why Alexander Umyashkin was arrested. |
 “Russia’s recognition South Ossetia and Abkhazia will not effect on its respect to Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity”, said Russian Ambassador Vasiliy Istratov, APA quotes Interfax. He said Russia recognized territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. “There is no change in Russia’s position stated previously on recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. The recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as the independent states is difficult, constrained, but only possible decision in this situation. This decision arose from the concrete situation related to the Georgian military operation against South Ossetia began on August 8. The declaration signed between President Dmitriy Medvedev and President Ilham Aliyev in July will not lose its force in any case”. |
 CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev will lead the organization’s Observation Mission that will follow the presidential elections in Azerbaijan on October 15. APA reports that the decision was made at the meeting of Council of the Member-State Permanent Representatives of CIS. The Observation Mission will include long-term and short-term delegates. Long-term observers are expected to arrive in Baku next month. Chief of Elections Department of CIS Executive Committee Yevgeni Sloboda will head the mission’s election office in Azerbaijan. Sloboda visited Baku some days ago and met with CEC Chairman Mazahir Panahov, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and other officials. |
 “Opposition cannot establish any union without Azerbaijan Democratic Party, because when we speak about opposition at first we mean ADP. We will not allow Azerbaijani opposition to take wrong course as it was earlier”, said ADP Chairman Sardar Calaloglu in his interview to APA. He said AXCP proposed opposition to ask international organizations not to send observers to Azerbaijan. “As well as it is proposed to state about non-recognition of election results before the elections. ADP backing on previous experiences considers that it is a wrong way in current geopolitical situation. We are damaging the Azerbaijani statehood creating extra pressures upon the government. On the other hand there is no mechanism to prevent international observers. Therefore we suggested to remove both proposals from the agenda and to establish union to defend Azerbaijan’s statehood, but our friends don’t like it”. |
 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe Carl Bildt, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Lluís Maria de Puig condemned Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, APA reports. Ban Ki-Moon said the recent developments may have wider implications for security and stability in the Caucasus. “The unilateral recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by the Russian Federation violates the territorial integrity of a fellow Council of Europe member state. It jeopardizes prospects for a negotiated settlement of the dispute about the future status of these two regions,” said Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis. |
 A man called Khatai District Police Office in Baku and informed about bomb in the car of his wife. Law-enforcement sources told APA police immediately visited the area in NZS settlement and searched for suspected bomb, but nothing was found. Spokesman for the Interior Ministry Ehsan Zahidov confirmed the information to APA and said that identities of the caller and his wife, as well as the car’s mark and license number were not made public. Zahidov said the man feared that the bomb was loaded to his wife’s car and called the police because of fear. |
 Azeri businessmen will travel to Norway and Sweden on September 16-17 to join joint business forums there, said Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AzPromo). A 25-people delegation of Azerbaijan will include representatives of companies engaged in finance, IT, industry, agriculture and other sectors. |
 Los Angeles-based Dashnak’s Asbarez newspaper published severe article against the Azerbaijani parliamentarians’ visit to California in the middle August. Allen Yekikan, author of the article, voiced severe messages not only against Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Los Angeles and Azerbaijani parliamentarians but also against the leaders of local Jewish community. Dashnak’s Asbarez reporter protested their support for Georgia at the press conference hosted by Museum of Tolerance of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. As the press conference coincided with Russia’s invasion to Georgia parliamentarian Asim Mollazadeh said this event was an offensive against the United States, American interests and values. He said war was going between Russia and Georgia and Osetins were used for show-off. |
 Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev decreed on increasing social allowances. APA reports that under the President’s decree age allowances has been set at AZN 45. The allowances paid to the people, who have become disabled as a result of “general disease”, “disease during military service”, “work injury and professional disease”, “Chernobyl disaster” have also been increased. The allowances have been set at AZN 50 for the disabled persons of the first group, AZN 35 for the disabled persons of the second group and AZN 30 for the disabled persons of the third group. Monthly allowance for the disabled persons under 18 has been set at AZN 50 and allowance given for losing parent has been set at AZN 40. |
 Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has signed an executive order to increase maternity allowance, the President’s Press Service told APA. According to the order, the amount of the allowance paid for taking care of a child under 18 months during maternity leave has been set at AZN 20 and for taking care of a child between 18 months and three years set at AZN 10. The Cabinet is to solve the related issues. |
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