Armenian armed forces started exercises in occupied territories of Azerbaijan’s Aghdam region. APA’s Karabakh bureau reports that the exercises are held in Shahbulag Mountain and Uzundere areas. The heavy artillery is used in the exercises which started at 11.35.

NATO does not show activity and the political will to intervene in the Nagorno-Karabakh and Georgian-Abkhazian conflicts in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Social and Political Department Chief Ali Hasanov said at a press-conference today. He said that today Azerbaijan expects a lot from NATO, the OSCE and other organizations with which it cooperates.

Lithuania is a strong proponent for deeper involvement of the EU in the South Caucasus region, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis said. "We see Eastern Partnership as indispensable instrument to develop relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Lithuania fully supports closer South Caucasus rapprochement with EU, including negotiations on Association and Visa Facilitation agreements," Azubalis said in an interview with eurodialogue.org.

“The persistence of protracted regional conflicts in South Caucasus and the Republic of Moldova continues to be a matter of great concern for the Alliance”, says the Final Declaration issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the NATO’s Chicago Summit, APA reports. The declaration says that the regional countries must engage constructively and with reinforced political will in peaceful conflict resolution, and to respect the current negotiation formats. The Summit participants called on conflict parties to avoid steps that undermine regional security and stability.

On the eve of anniversary of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) Municipality of the American city Portland (Maine) adopted a resolution recognizing the historical fact - occurrence of Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur and Nakhichevan to Azerbaijan - the first in the history of secular parliamentary republic in the Islamic world. It is noted in the document that the Republic of Azerbaijan was proclaimed on May 28,1918, stretching from the Caucasus mountains in the north to the Araz river in the south, Caspian Sea in the east to Kerki in the west, included Karabakh, Zangezur and Nakhichevan regions, and became the first secular Muslim parliamentary democratic republic in the history of the world, and was recognized as such by other democratic nations of the time, including the United States of America.

After the earthquakes in the Zagatala area, the State Commission for Emergency Situations conducted a survey of 5074buildings, deputy head of the regional executive body, chairman of the regional commission on emergency Elman Ramazanov said. Ramazanov noted that during the inspection it was found that 1993 buildings are in an emergency situation and it was decided to rebuild them again.

“Azerbaijan hosts the significant event in these days. About 20 000 guests have arrived in our country. This number will increase. Tourists and media representatives are among the guests,” said head of the public policy department of the Presidential Administration Ali Hasanov in the press-conference, held together with spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Elman Abdullayev.

There are no disputable issues between Azerbaijan and Georgia, Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend on Saturday commenting Georgian media's reports about David Gareja monastery. The issue related to the monastery is purely legal one and being solved in the framework of the Commission on delimitation and demarkation of Azerbaijani-Georgian border, said spokesman.

The situation in Afghanistan will worsen after the withdrawal of the major international forces in 2014 and the member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization should be ready for this deterioration, Novosti-Kazakhsatan quoted the CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha as saying. "The situation will, of course, change. We believe that it will change for the worse, and we should be ready to neutralize the additional problems which may arise," Bordyuzha said at a press conference on Monday.

On May 23, an Azerbaijani delegation will attend the sixth session of the Council of the CIS Finance Ministers, to be held in Astana, in order to discuss the financial and economic situation in the CIS countries, the Azerbaijani Finance Ministry said in its report on Monday. The Azerbaijani delegation is headed by Finance Minister Samir Sharifov. 'The session will also discuss a plan of action to implement the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the finance ministries of the CIS countries, issues of financial risk given the background of the current global instability and other issues', the report says.

Iran will hold the 13th summit of the International Council of Business Cooperation of the Caspian region's countries, IRNA reported. The summit is to be held on May 22-26 in Iran's Gorgan province. The International Council of Business Cooperation of the Caspian region's countries was established by Russia, Kazakhstan,Iran, chambers of commerce representatives in 1996. Iranian members are:Tehran, Sari, Rasht, Mashhad, Boujnord, Ardebil,Tabriz, Ghazvin, Gorgan chambers of commerce.

Shusha – town in the Mountainous Garabagh province of Azerbaijan, center of the administrative district (area – 289 km²). Founded by Panah Ali Khan in the 1750s, the ruler of Garabagh. Originally bore the name both of Shusha and Panahabad after Panah Ali Khan. Later Shusha turned into  the political and cultural center of the Garabagh khanate. Following the Russian occupation of Azerbaijan, Shusha became the administrative, economic and cultural center of the Garabagh province and one of the cultural centers of Azerbaijan. Shusha is the hometown of many prominent men-of-cultur of Azerbaijan.

Today, Kazakh Air Astana Air Company started flights on Astana-Baku-Astana route. Company says the flights are implemented by Embraer 190 on Monday and Thursday at 00:50: “The ticket for economy-class from Baku to Astana costs AZN 200, for business-class – AZN 450. The price includes airport charges and other duties. Round-trip tickets cost AZN 376 and 886. The flight from Baku to Astana takes 2 hours 55 minutes”.

The Azerbaijani Finance Ministry plans to finalize the draft amendments to the tax legislation by late June, Deputy Minister Azer Bayramov told media today. "Many questions have already been agreed," he said. "Others are under consideration." Azerbaijan may change the maximum tax income rate, the head of the department of individual registration of the Ministry of Taxes, Natig Shirinov said earlier.

State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) paid AZN 121.005 million to the state budget in April, 2012, up 30.3% compared to 2011. The company said in general SOCAR also transferred AZN 443.427 million to the state budget during January-April, 2012, up 25.6% compared to 2011. Besides, SOCAR paid AZN 15.816 million to the SSPF in April, 2012, up 36.6% from year earlier.