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 The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed an order raising the monthly salaries of employees of the Baku Subway by 25 percent on average from 1 September. The Cabinet of Ministers is in charge of settling tasks arising from the order. |
 The Azerbaijani London based Caspian-Khazri school is expected to open the third school in Scotland. This was told Trend News by Simuzar Balaoglanova, Director of the school. “At present, we continue to seek for financial support to open the school in Scotland,” Baloglanova said. The aim is to keep the national culture for British Azerbaijanis. “Misir Mardanov, Azerbaijani Education Minister, will support the school,” Baloglanova said. The Azerbaijani languages courses will be opened in the school. “There are a lot of British who want to learn the Azerbaijani language,” Baloglanova said. |
 The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed a decree setting up money awards for Azerbaijani athletes who will gain medals at the Beijing Paralympic Games starting on September 6. According to the presidential decree, the bonuses are set in the following order: -gold medal winners and their coaches will get 200,000 AZN and 100,000 AZN respectively; -silver medalists and their coaches will get 100,000 AZN and 50,000 AZN respectively; -bronze medalists and their coaches will get 50,000 AZN and 25,000 AZN respectively. |
 The Heydar Aliyev Foundation implements the blood transfusion action to provide assistance to thalassemia diseased in the Masalli region. Over 500 donors took part in the action. Some 34 thalassemia and 11 hemophilia diseased have been registered in Masalli. The similar action was also held in the Yardimli region. Over 100 people took part in the action. |
 Azerbaijani opposition electorate will support the chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the opposition Popular Front party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Gulamhuseyn Alibayli, in the upcoming presidential elections. “I do not want to call names. These people will invest certain sum into the election fund and help me to prepare to the elections,” Alibayli told Trend News on 28 August. Alibayli said that opposition party activists will assist him to collect the necessary 40,000 signatures. “I have already collected 20,000 signatures. |
 The second stage of enlightenment program for voters, members of elections sub-commissions and other elections figures will begin on 2 September through the Azerbaijani Public Television and official newspapers. “Members of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) will make different reports on the topics, including applications on withdraw registration, as well as announcement of outcome of the elections, at this stage,” the CEC told Trend News on 28 August. |
 In 2007, Azerbaijan purchased armament and military equipments by $2.5mln from the United States, report of the US State Department on Direct Commercial Sales Export Authorizations for Fiscal Year 2007 said. The document comprises direct sales of new armament and military equipment realized by the US producers, Washington ProFile reported. According to data of the report, practically, all post-Soviet countries bought the US armament. In 2007, Russia purchased firearms and ammunition, electronics, missile, aircraft maintenance and equipment, explosive substances, systems of fire management, space systems and equipments at $40.4mln, as well as Ukraine firearms and ammunition, electronics and equipments at $3.4mln. |
 The Press Council of Azerbaijan hopes the arrested journalists will be pardoned. “The Press Council has appealed President to pardon arrested journalists and hopes that this appeal will be taken into consideration,” Aflatun Amashov, chairman of Press Council said during his meeting with Oktay Eksi, chairman of Turkish Press Council and World Association of Press Councils. At present three journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan. Members of Board of Press Council of Azerbaijan have paid a five-day visit to Turkey. Chairmen of Press Councils of both countries discussed situation of printed press in Azerbaijan and Turkey. |
 The opposition Azerbaijani Democratic Party (ADP) believes that negotiations to establish a new union of opposition pursue private interests. “It is obvious that negotiations to establish new cooperation format of opposition pursue corporate interests,” Gurban Mammadov, member of the party’s Supreme Assembly, told Trend News on 28 August. The Azadlig bloc Board of Chairmen made a decision in its meeting last week to establish a cooperation centre of the parties, which refused to join the presidential elections. Fuad Mustafayev, the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan functionary, was authorized to negotiate on behalf of the bloc in this direction. It was decided to consider the upcoming presidential elections as illegitimate during the negotiations of the parties boycotting the elections. |
 Elmar Mammadyarov, Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan will leave for Ankara on 29 August for a one-day visit. The diplomatic sources reported that in Ankara Mammadyarov will meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Receb Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. The situation in Caucasus after latest developments in Georgia and issues related to Platform of Stability and Cooperation in Caucasus initiated by Turkish Premier Erdogan are expected to be discussed during the talks. |
 Military doctrine of Azerbaijan must be prepared only on the basis of the system of NATO, said deputy chairman of Azerbaijan Parliament’s standing committee on security and defense, Aydin Mirzazade. The military doctrine of Azerbaijan must reflect the best principles of NATO and former Soviet system, Mirzazade told TrendNews on 28 August. Today work continues on the preparation of the military doctrine of Azerbaijan. The document is expected to be adopted at the autumnal session of Parliament. |
 The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh believes that Russia is not likely to recognize independence of separatist structure in Nagorno-Karabakh. “Official Moscow can not recognize independence of Nagorno-Karabakh separatists on government level and no Russian non-governmental organizations will support them,” Nizami Bahmanov, head of Azerbaijani Community said to TrendNews. On 26 August, Russia recognized independence of break-away Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions of Georgia. The non-governmental organizations of Armenia have appealed the government to recognize independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. Bahmanov said Azerbaijan can be compared with neither with Armenia nor Georgia. Azerbaijan has certain weight in the region and Azerbaijan’s relations with Russia are only developing thanks to the balanced foreign policy of president. |
 Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev left for Sumgayit on August 28. APA reports quoting AzerTAC State Agency that the head of state first laid wreath before the monument to Heydar Aliyev in the center of Sumgayit. Following this, the President participated in the inauguration of Paralympic Sport Complex of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population. The President was told that it was the only complex in CIS. Local and international competitions will be held in the complex. The construction of the complex began in 2005. Estimate cost of 2.25ha-complex is AZN 3.1 million. |
 “Armenians try to create a fortress for themselves from the confrontations in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Against the background of these happenings they say there is turmoil in Azerbaijan,” head of the Center for political Innovation and Technologies, political scientist Mubariz Ahmadoglu said, APA reports. Ahmadoglu said Armenia’s analytical centers make such statements and noted that they introduce the processes as they wish. “Armenians consider that Azerbaijan will stand still fearing of the recent developments. They try to frighten Azerbaijan with Russia. All this shows that after the collapse of the USSR Armenians established an outpost, not an independent state. That’s why Armenia has two choices. First is their close relationship with Russia, because Armenia fails to be an independent state. |
 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded to British Foreign Secretary David Miliband’s statement in Kiev. Miliband said it needed to end the empire and to achieve peaceful settlement of the post-soviet conflicts like Transdniestrian and Nagorno Karabakh, APA reports. Lavrov urged his British counterpart not to concern over it. “Transdniestrian and Nagorno Karabakh conflicts will not develop on the South Ossetian and Abkhazian scenarios because the persons negotiated for solution to the Transdniestrian and Nagorno karabakh conflicts are not Mikhail Saakashvili. |
 The office of CIS Observation Mission that will follow the presidential elections in Azerbaijan on October 15 will be officially opened on September 16, member of the office Oleg Kuleba told APA. He said that three members of the office would start work on September 14, later other members of the office, as well as the observers accredited from CIS embassies in Baku would join the process and the number of long-term observers will reach 25-30. 250 people are expected to observe the elections on the day of voting. Oleg Kuleba said that the office will have several departments in the regions of Azerbaijan. |
 The Azerbaijan Micro-finance Association (AMFA) announced the 4th Azerbaijan Microfinance Conference titled “Microfinance - 10 Years of Best Practice” will take place on September 16-17. The biannual conference envisions participation from a wide audience including senior government officials and investors working in the region. The conference will highlight national experts of Azerbaijan microfinance industry, opportunities to meet and negotiate with international investors, consulting and training companies, benchmarking lessons from other national associations, innovative products in microfinance – key lessons & challenges. |
 Goran Lennmarker, special rapporteur of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the situation in Georgia and South Ossetia will visit Azerbaijan on September 1. APA reports quoting Regnum that the visit will take place within the framework of his travel to the South Caucasus. Following his visit to Azerbaijan, Goran Lennmarker will visit Armenia and Georgia. Goran Lennmarker will make report on the situation in Georgia at the meeting of OSCE PA in Toronto on September 18-21. |
 Influential Or Chadasch synagogue in Switzerland hosted the Azerbaijan’s introduction party, press service of the State Committee for Work with Azerbaijanis Living Abroad told APA. Visitors at the party were informed in details about the different periods of Azerbaijan’s history, particularly about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. The State Committee sent to Switzerland brochures, books and booklets about Azerbaijan, Karabakh conflict and mountainous Jews living in our country, which were presented to the participants of the event. |
 Bern-based Azerbaijani Language and Culture School began its second educational year. The Swiss Ministry of Education is supporting this project implemented by the Azerbaijani Culture Center in Switzerland, State Committee for Work with Azerbaijanis Living Abroad told APA. This year Bern Municipality allocated three large class rooms for the school. The class rooms were provided with all necessary equipments. There are two age-group classes in the school. |
 Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports will host the 4th Youth Employment Summit in Baku on September 23-28, bringing together first ladies from Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Jordan and other countries. Ms. Poonam Ahluwalia, President of YES Inc., told a media briefing in Baku that the global summits were previously held in Egypt in 2002, in Mexico in 2004 and in Kenya in 2006. The next one in 2008 is in Azerbaijan. At these Summits – the youth delegates meet with experts, donors, practitioners, and other stakeholders to develop program and polices that will help build in-country capacity to provide the education, training and other services needed by young people to find productive work. |
 Elshin Zeynalov has been appointed as Executive Director of State Service for Antimonopoly under the Ministry of Economic Development of Azerbaijan. Prior to this, he had been the Executive Director of the National Fund for Entrepreneurship. Khaliq Mammadov, Chief of the State Service for Consumer Market Control, was appointed as Executive Director of the National Fund for Entrepreneurship. Aslan Jafarov, Deputy Chief of the State Service for Consumer Market Control, was promoted to the post of Chief. |
 Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Guler will be visiting Azerbaijan on September 9-10. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Industry and Energy said the main objective of the visit is to join Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan Oil & Gas Conference to be held in Baku. Turkish minister is also expected to meet with his Azeri counterpart. The conference will bring together representatives of more than 300 companies and officials from 31 countries. From Turkmenistan, the deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Tachberdi Tagiyev, Minister of Oil-Gas Industry and Mineral Resources Baymurat Hojamukhammedov, Chief of the State Geology Corporation Sapargeldi Chumayev, Chairman of Turkmengas State Concern Yagishgeldi Kakayev and other officials will attend the event. |
 Gudrat Hasanguliyev, the chairman of the Whole Azerbaijan People’s Front Party (WAPFP) and other members held several meetings with the leaders of the international organizations’ Baku offices, the WAPFP press service told the APA. The first meeting was held in the Baku office of the US International Republicans Institute (IRI). The WAPFP officials and IRI experts discussed several issues related to the presidential elections. Then the party members met with Arien de Wolf, the head of the US National Democratic Institute Baku office. |
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