An Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Ogtay Asadov will visit Saudi Arabia on May 4-8, parliamentary spokesman Akif Tavakkuloglu told journalists on Thursday. He said the delegation includes Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights Rabiyat Aslanova, MPs Fattah Heydarov, Sahiba Gafarova, Imamverdi Ismailov, Chingiz Asadullayev, and Aydin Mirzazade, head of the Azerbaijani Parliament's office Safa Mirzayev and other officials.

On May 2, the U.N. Security Council held its first meeting under the presidency of Azerbaijan. The UN Security Council adopted resolution threatened Sudan and South Sudan with sanctions if the former civil war foes fail to halt an escalating conflict and resume talks within two weeks on a string of disputes over oil revenues and border demarcation. The 15-member panel unanimously approved a resolution after weeks of border fighting between the African neighbors that have raised fears Khartoum and Juba, which split when the south seceded last year, could launch an all-out war.

Bilateral relations between Turkmenistan and the United States are built on the long-term, mutually beneficial basis, and they have great potential, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov's welcome address to participants of the second exhibition of companies of the U.S. and the Turkmen-U.S. Business Forum, held in Ashgabat, says on Wednesday, State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH) reported.

Some 4178 flats will be constructed for IDPs in Azerbaijan this year. Chairman of the Azerbaijani State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov, stated this when he addressed an event dedicated to the 89th birth anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev on the topic 'Heydar Aliyev and modern Azerbaijan: addressing problems of refugees and IDPs - focus of the state attention'.

“I looked at diaries of the other countries and saw advertisements there. I consider that it will not cause confusion to the pupils,” said Minister of Education Misir Mardanov answering the question on the placement of advertisements in the new diaries. The minister considers that the advertisements will not cause any confusion: “We don’t publish the diaries. Publishing house publishes the diary and it will be better if they are asked about it.”

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović today ahead of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May paid tribute to the courage of media workers and emphasized their essential role in the development of democracy. “I admire your fearless efforts to tell the truth. We would live in a very different world without a strong independent media. Risking your safety and even lives in the line of duty, you continue to courageously fulfill your mission,” said Mijatović.

Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, General Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu will visit Azerbaijan, defense sources told APA. The visit is expected to take place early June and it will be first visit of Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu to Azerbaijan as a Commander of the Turkish Land Forces. Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic confirmed the reports on the visit, but didn’t give details.

Every year, approximately 1.2 million barrels of oil are discharged into the Persian Gulf, damaging its sea life and eco-system. The figure is small when considering the nearly five billion barrels of oil annually exported through the Persian Gulf, Abdol-Reza Karbasi, deputy head of marine environment at Iran's Department of Environment, said.

A draft state strategy of relations with the people of the North Caucasus has been developed in Georgia. Today the draft will be discussed in parliament along with representatives of academic circles. The goal of the strategy is strengthening relations between the people of Georgia and the North Caucasus in culture, education, science, commerce, trade and other spheres. According to the document Georgia welcomes tourists from the North Caucasus, and regards their arrival as a step towards the development of relations.

There are 423,000 disabled people in Azerbaijan, 61,000 of them are children, said Ombudsperson Elmira Suleymanova in her speech at the conference dedicated to the European Day of Persons with Disabilities on May 5, APA reports. Ombudsperson reminded that Azerbaijan joined 230 conventions and 2 pacts on protection of rights of people with disabilities: “These conventions offer opportunity to protect the rights of disabled people. Azerbaijan adopted 3 state programs considering the protection of rights and social protection of disabled people.