To mark Azerbaijan’s 20th anniversary as a participating State of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the OSCE Office in Baku will organize two weeks of awareness-raising events from 16 April. APA reports that the activities, designed to inform the public about the OSCE and its Office in Baku, which serves the whole country, will include roundtable discussions, conferences and talk shows with representatives of state agencies and civil society, as well as lectures at local universities and interviews for the local mass media outlets.

Azerbaijan as a country - partner of NATO, can play a more important role in ensuring peace and stability in the world and in fulfilling tasks that the next NATO summit in Chicago will define, Romanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, coordinating cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO, Daniel Christian Ciobanu believes. As Christian Ciobanu said at a conference dedicated to the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago, so far Azerbaijan has been actively involved in restoring peace and stability in Asia, particularly in Afghanistan. He expressed confidence that this cooperation will further continue.

Azerbaijan as a NATO partner country, has been contributing to global peace and stability for many years, is an active participant of the Alliance's operations in Afghanistan and the Alliance, in turn, may play an important role in ensuring regional security, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Security Department Deputy Chief Gaya Mammadov said at a conference in Baku dedicated to the upcoming NATO summit Chicago.

President Ilham Aliyev has today inaugurated the Youth Center built in the culture and rest park named after Heydar Aliyev in Aghstafa town of Azerbaijan. APA reports that the Head of State cut the ribbon symbolizing an official opening of the Center. President was told that there is a karaoke, disco hall, café, interactive and pneumatic trap-shooting hall in the center that covers the area of 450 square meters.

The next plenary meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament will be held on April 17. Spokesperson for the Parliament Akif Tavakkuloghlu told APA that 23 issues were included in the agenda of the meeting. Majority of the issues are about annexes and amendments to the various laws. There will be annexes and amendments to the laws on “Obtaining information”, “Evaluation activity”, “Lease of land”, “Land market”, “Water supply and sewage”, as well as Code of Civil Procedure, Forest Code, Land Code, Civil Code, Code of Administrative Violations, Tax Code, Housing Code and others legislative acts.

“The European Union hasn’t changed its position on South Corridor project. We want to realize this project in a short time”, Head of EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Roland Kobia told journalists, APA reports. Asked about the delay of agreement on TANAR project last month between Turkey and Azerbaijan, Kobia said that the European Union supported any energy project which would transfer gas to Europe: “As regards TANAR project, we heard that the agreement hasn’t been signed yet, but we hope in finding the best decision on this project.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan issued a statement on so-called “presidential elections” in Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia on April 8, 2012. Press service of the ministry told APA that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan reiterates its firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and does not recognize the so called “presidential elections” conducted in Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia on April 8, 2012.

Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan in early June, Lithuanian ambassador to Azerbaijan Kestutis Kudzmanas told Trend on Wednesday. According to the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Lithuania amounted to $25.04 million at the end of 2011. The share of Azerbaijani imports was $20.02 million, exports - $5.03 million.

Tomorrow Baku will host AIFT-2012 (Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair) under the organization of Iteca Caspian company. Project manager of Iteca Caspian Kheyale Aliyeva said at the event held connected with it that the exhibition would demonstrate organizations of tourism trips to different places of the world, air transportations, placement at hotels and hotel reservations and etc.

Baku, as a candidate to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, has a lot of advantages, Azerbaijani Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov believes. "At present, our main priority is to be included in the "short list" of candidate cities," Rahimov said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper. He called the climate perfect for sports contests, as well as great places "with amazingly beautiful coastline among Baku's advantages".