POLITICS

Int’l groups criticize conviction of young bloggers
The sentencing of two Azerbaijani bloggers to prison terms on charges of hooliganism has raised concerns among international organizations.
Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, described the convictions as political.
"These new imprisonments cement Azerbaijan's image as the pre-eminent jailer of journalists in the OSCE region. Five journalists are currently in prison, several of them on clearly trumped-up charges following organized provocations and unfair trials," Haraszti claimed in a letter to Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov posted on the OSCE website.
A Baku court last week sentenced Emin Milli, 30, an ANTV Online TV blogger and coordinator in the youth organization Alumni Network, to two and a half years in prison, while video blogger Adnan Hajizade, 26, was sentenced to two years in prison.
The two bloggers were arrested after a brawl at a restaurant in Baku this past July. According to law enforcement agencies, they assaulted two other men. But the opposition and their supporters claim the arrest was due to their critical writings on the internet.
"The severity of the sentences for these young bloggers and other journalists who have criticized the authorities, including the President and the Interior Minister, is self-revealingly political," Haraszti alleged.
The journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan also include Eynulla Fatullayev, the editor-in-chief of the Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani-language daily Gundalik Azerbaijan newspapers, and Ganimat Zahid, the editor of opposition newspaper Azadlig. The two are serving prison terms on charges such as posing a terror threat, tax evasion and hooliganism.
"I hope that the appeals court will reverse the decision and release Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade as soon as possible. This will demonstrate to the international community that Azerbaijan takes seriously the OSCE media freedom commitments it has taken upon itself," Haraszti said.
Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, said in a statement that he was “concerned about the very harsh sentences” imposed on the two bloggers. Jagland noted that, shortly before the July incident which resulted in their imprisonment, the two young people produced a satirical YouTube video in which they implicitly criticized the government. “This sequence of events will have an inevitably chilling effect on freedom of expression in Azerbaijan.”
“The authorities should very critically review their attitude towards media and civil society and public criticism in general, and bring it in line with their obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and a party to the European Convention on Human Rights,” the statement said.
The OSCE Office in Baku maintained that, in the opinion of a number of OSCE states, “certain procedural requirements were not fully complied with” in the court case of the two bloggers.
“The office looks forward to the issuance of the reasoning of the judgment soon and anticipates thorough appeal proceedings to be carried out in full independence and fairness, in line with applicable domestic legislation and international standards,” Bilge Cankorel, head of the OSCE Office in Baku, said in a statement.
The European Union presidency said it “regrets that the trial proceedings did not reflect due process” and believes that the court decision may further undermine the freedom of expression in Azerbaijan.
“The presidency recalls that Azerbaijan has committed itself to the principles of democracy, good governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights when joining the OSCE and the Council of Europe, as well as in the context of its relationship with the European Union.
“The presidency reiterates that the European Union is willing and ready to assist Azerbaijan in developing its democratic institutions, while offering the prospects of a deeper bilateral relationship within the framework of the Eastern Partnership,” the EU presidency said.
The US State Department has called the court’s decision "a step backwards for Azerbaijan’s progress toward democratic reform." It criticized what it described as "the nontransparent investigation, closed-door hearings, and disproportionate legal charges," claiming they "raised concerns about the independence of the police and the judiciary as well as about restrictions on freedom of expression in Azerbaijan."
Gunter Nooke, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office said in Berlin that, with the convictions of Milli and Hajizade, there are allegedly “two new political prisoners in Azerbaijan.”
“It seems that in all the talks conducted at bilateral level by the EU, the OSCE and the Council of Europe regarding the events surrounding the two young men, Baku only pretended that it would see to a transparent and fair trail,” Nooke suggested.


PARLIAMENT

MP offers to postpone parliament poll
A lawmaker from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party has suggested postponing the parliamentary election scheduled for 2010.
Aydin Hasanov said in parliament Friday that significant funding has been allocated from the state budget to pay for elections, adding that spending so much on elections is unnecessary at a time of an economic crisis.
Hasanov recalled the amendments introduced to the laws on the prosecutor’s office and the Ombudsman, as well as the Constitution, suggesting tabling legislative elections in Azerbaijan until its Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict with Armenia is resolved.
“As a country that is in a state of war, we can amend laws. I am now offering to postpone parliamentary elections. Various proposals are made here [in parliament] on meeting the people’s social needs. So, let the 50 million manats [$62.5 million] designated for the elections be spent on the social security of the population,” Hasanov said.
Hasanov added that the lawmakers currently represented in parliament are “the worthiest sons of their nation.”
The statement was met by lawmakers with an ironic round of applause.
Under Azerbaijan’s Constitution, if military operations prevent holding parliamentary elections, the terms of the Milli Majlis’ members are to be extended pending the end of warfare. The decision must be approved by the Constitutional Court following an appeal from the government agency in charge of holding elections.
The last parliamentary election took place in 2005 and the next vote is scheduled to be held in the fall of 2010.


ECONOMICS

First barter company launched in Azerbaijan
The first-ever barter company, Azbarter LLC, has begun operating in Azerbaijan. The company seeks to research the needs of businesses and assist in the purchase and sales of goods and services through trade exchanges.
Khayal Mammadkhanly, Azbarter founder and president, says members of the organization will conduct exchanges of commodities and services without using cash. According to Mammadkhanly, companies will now be able to sell goods via barters, buy their required goods and pay for services without having to spend cash, wasting time and storing their products.
Global barter trade currently amounts to $400 billion a year, according to a report of the International Reciprocal Trade Organization (IRTA), the group that promotes equitable standards and governmental relations for the world barter industry.

Azersun Holding to build tea factory in Georgia
Azerbaijan’s Azersun Holding plans to open a tea factory in the Georgian capital Tbilisi at a cost of $2 million, a company executive says.
Alkhan Alizada said the Baku-based company has developed a long-term strategy to develop the tea-producing industry in Georgia. In the initial stage, Azersun Holding will build a factory with an annual capacity of 2,000 tons of tea that will employ 30 people.

OIL & GAS

Azerbaijan signs deal to supply gas to Bulgaria
Azerbaijan turning into EU energy partner
Azerbaijan has signed an agreement to export natural gas to Bulgaria which will result in Azerbaijan being recognized as a European Union energy partner.
The two countries signed the two documents on energy cooperation during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Sofia on Friday.
The documents included a memorandum between Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Industry and Energy and Bulgaria’s Ministry of Economy and Energy. Also signed was a Memorandum of Understanding on transporting natural gas between Azerbaijan’s state energy firm SOCAR and Bulgaria’s state-owned gas operator Bulgartransgaz, a subsidiary of Bulgargaz.
Under the cooperation memo signed by the two countries’ energy ministries, at least 1 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas will be annually supplied to Bulgaria beginning in 2011-2012, allowing the Eastern European country to boost its energy security and diversify hydrocarbon supply routes, Bulgarian media reports.
Further, according to the agreements, SOCAR and Bulgartransgaz are to set up a joint venture. The company will explore the possible delivery of gas from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria, including both finding supplies for the quota that Bulgaria will be entitled to receive through the Nabucco gas transit pipeline and the transit of Azerbaijan’s compressed gas by tankers through the Black Sea.
If the project is created, Bulgaria would not have to build a liquefied natural gas terminal. Following the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis earlier this year, the Bulgarian government considered pushing for building such a terminal in Greece or Turkey in a bid to diversify the country’s gas supplies.
A gas dispute between Russia and transit country Ukraine in January cut off supplies to Europe, temporarily leaving households without heat in the winter and forcing factories to close.
Bulgaria, the poorest EU nation and a number of other ex-communist East European states, are almost totally dependent upon Russian gas and have no access to alternative import routes.
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov told a joint news conference following the signing that the agreements signed with Baku could, in the future, become part of the Nabucco pipeline project which seeks to pump gas from the Caspian and Central Asia regions to energy-thirsty European markets.
But Parvanov could not be specific about when the Western-backed project would be launched, saying a number of outstanding issues must first be resolved.
“These are, primarily, seeking sources of energy resources and issues pertaining to transit and funding. Azerbaijan reiterated its backing of Nabucco in Prague in May, while transit and funding issues have yet to find their solution.”
The 3,300-kilometer Nabucco pipeline, which will run from eastern Turkey to the Austrian capital Vienna, is expected to come online in 2014. Azerbaijan is among the key suppliers for Nabucco which, when fully operational, will carry 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually.
“By delivering gas to Bulgaria, Azerbaijan is essentially turning into the EU’s energy partner,” President Aliyev said.
He recalled that the country’s strategic energy partnership with the bloc began with the signing of a memorandum in 2006. “The documents signed today will provide a basis for further development of our relations,” Aliyev said.
The president noted that the documents signed by Azerbaijan and Bulgaria would assist in expanding cooperation in the gas sector and other countries would join this partnership in the future.
"Azerbaijan has large supplies of gas...and wants to export the gas through better, secure routes," Aliyev said at the signing ceremony. "We are looking for more partners and we hope Bulgaria will help us."
Despite its huge natural gas reserves, estimated at 2 trillion cubic meters, Azerbaijan is expected to increase production to provide much of the gas needed to fuel the Nabucco pipeline only during the second phase of operating the Shahdaniz gas field in the Caspian Sea. According to experts, this is expected to provide some 8-10bn cubic meters of additional gas per year.
The Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions bear strategic importance for the 27-member EU and remain a priority area in its external relations. Located in these regions are such key partners as Russia, Turkey and the countries of the so-called Eastern dimension of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). The regions are a core element in the EU’s energy policy and an important transport corridor between Europe and Asia. From this viewpoint, Azerbaijan is interested in cooperating on supplying oil and gas to European markets with Bulgaria, a key hub located at the crossroads of pivotal energy routes.
Of note, Bulgarian President Parvanov paid a visit to Baku early this year. This was his third visit to Azerbaijan as president, following an official visit in 2004 and a working visit in March 2008. During the last meeting of Presidents Aliyev and Parvanov in Baku, start-up of the Nabuccо project was discussed. At that time, Parvanov told a news conference, “Bulgaria has been instructed to step up the Nabuccо project on behalf of the EU.” The Bulgarian leader also said his country was ready to purchase 1 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas annually to be delivered to Turkey through the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline.
Azerbaijan, however, said last month it would consider alternative routes to Europe because Turkey had offered unacceptable transit terms for gas from the Shahdaniz field for gas produced during the next stage of production between 2013 and 2016.
Baku and Ankara have not yet reached a transit deal.
According to the Bulgarian government, Azerbaijan’s gas could be supplied through existing pipelines crossing Georgia and Turkey; through pipelines under construction that would link Bulgaria with Turkey and Greece; through the Turkey- Greece-Italy (TGI) pipeline; and via Nabucco in the future.
In July, Sofia signed an agreement with Greek natural gas monopoly DEPA and Italy's Edison SpA to link its gas network to the Greek-Italian stretch of the ITGI pipeline.

Azerbaijan may triple oil exports to Ukraine
Baku, AssA-Irada, November 13, 2009
The supplies of Azerbaijani oil to Ukraine’s Ukrtatnafta may rise to 700,000 tons from the current 240,000 tons, says the closed joint-stock company’s president, Pavel Ovcharenko.
“Azerbaijani partners are saying they are ready to supply Ukrtatnafta with
600,000 to 700,000 tons a month,” Ovcharenko told a meeting on industry issues held Thursday by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in Kremenchuk, a key industrial city in the Poltava province of central Ukraine.
Ovcharenko noted that Ukrtatnafta recently signed a three-year contract to purchase crude with Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, with the minimum monthly bulk of deliveries set at 240,000 tons.
The South Caucasus republic’s oil is being transported to the Ukraine town of Odessa at the Black Sea and, further, to the company’s facilities through Ukrtatnafta’s pipelines.
Ovcharenko said Azerbaijani suppliers’ interest in Ukrtatnafta’s refinery in Kremenchuk is due to what he called their displacement from the European market by Russian rivals, as well as Ukrtatnafta’s reliability as a partner.
Supplies of Azerbaijani crude to the refinery began in early October. Then, Ovcharenko said Ukrtatnafta was seeking to increase its purchases from 240,000 tons to 400,000 tons.
Azerbaijan produces most of its oil from the major Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields in the Caspian Sea.

ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT

Armenian gov’t refuses to back Garabagh ‘independence’ bill
The Armenian government will oppose a draft law on recognizing the self-proclaimed Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh republic as an independent state. The government, at their meeting last week, rejected the bill submitted by the opposition Heritage parliamentary faction, according to the Armenia Today news agency.
“Recognizing the Upper Garabagh republic is inappropriate for us at this point,” Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Savarsh Kocharian said in his address.
The bill was forwarded to the legislature on October 15. The party initially proposed the initiative in 2008, but a majority in parliament blocked its passage.
Upper Garabagh is a historical Azerbaijani territory. Armenians were settled there in the early 19th century. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict over the mountainous region for over a decade. OSCE-brokered peace talks began after a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a shaky cease-fire in 1994. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law.


REGION

Opposition leader hails Sarkisian’s policy on Turkey
An Armenian opposition leader who is a vocal critic of the government has welcomed President Serzh Sarkisian’s efforts to mend ties with Turkey following decades of hostility.
At a recent meeting at the Armenian National Congress, which he chairs, former president Levon Ter-Petrosian voiced support of his bloc for all but one provision of the reconciliation agreement signed by Yerevan and Ankara last month, including those on recognizing present-day borders with Turkey. The Congress disagrees, however, with the plans to research the alleged World War I-era genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire through a joint commission of historians.
Turkey and Armenia signed protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders on October 10. However, the documents require ratification in both countries’ parliaments to take effect, and Ankara has made clear it could fully normalize ties with Yerevan only after the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has been settled.
Ter-Petrosian also said his bloc would consider recognizing President Sarkisian’s legitimacy.
The opposition leader, who said the February 2008 presidential election was rigged has, so far, been calling for canceling the election results and holding a new vote. Ter-Petrosian said in June that he would never hold discussions with the incumbent president.


WORLD

Turkey’s EU bid hinges on ‘genocide’ recognition: Swedish politician
A Swedish party leader has reportedly said that Turkey would recognize the events that happened during World War I as “genocide” against Armenians if it hopes to advance eventually be admitted to the European Union.
The statement was made by Mona Ingeborg Sahlin, the leader of the Swedish ruling Social Democratic Party, Armenia’s public TV channel reported quoting Germany’s Deutsche Welle radio station.
This comes after the Swedish party approved a decision at its annual meeting denouncing the alleged mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule. In its statement, the party also maintained that, besides Armenians, Assyrians faced “genocide.”
Further, it is possible that a ‘genocide” bill would be discussed soon in the Swedish parliament.
Observers note that during the developments in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, Armenians had begun an uprising. They had taken up arms against Turkey and assisted Russia, one of Turkey’s enemies in WWI. To counter these actions, the Ottoman Empire approved a decision to resettle the Armenians. However, the latter claim that their predecessors were subjected to genocide in the process, while Ankara rejects the allegations.


ECONOMICS

Belarus offers Azerbaijan ‘more scalable’ projects
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offered Azerbaijan to tackle more scalable joint projects during Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Belarus last week, BELTA news agency reported.
“The strategic task at the present stage is to take on more scalable joint projects both in Azerbaijan and Belarus – even in the current challenging conditions of the world financial and economic crisis, while at times making unconventional decisions. The basis for this has already been created,” Lukashenko said while hosting President Aliyev.
Lukashenko recalled that an agreement had been reached with his counterpart in 2006 to set up production of Belarusian vehicles in Azerbaijan. Presently, Belarusian tractors and MAZ trucks are assembled at the automobile plant in the country’s northwestern city of Ganja.
Lukashenko believes the two countries can further develop their cooperation by manufacturing cranes, elevators and hinged agricultural machinery.
“We have accumulated extensive experience in upgrading industries and are ready to share it with our Azerbaijani friends. We have agreed with the Azerbaijani president to shift from simple forms of trade to establishing joint production in Azerbaijan and Belarus.”
Lukashenko said bilateral trade has increased 11-fold in the past few years, however, the two countries’ potential has not yet been fully met. According to Lukashenko, the figure could be raised to $500 million in the next three to four years.
Bilateral trade turnover exceeded $100 million in 2008, according to official figures.
President Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Belarus are enforcing all bilateral agreements reached swiftly and effectively, which increases mutual confidence between the two countries and opens up new possibilities for cooperation.
The president added that Azerbaijani-Belarusian relations are developing very dynamically and efficiently, also noting that bilateral commodities turnover has surged despite the global recession. Aliyev said that, as a result of his official visit to Belarus, the two countries would be able to not only strengthen their partnership, but also to explore new areas of cooperation.
Azerbaijan and Belarus signed six cooperation agreements during Aliyev’s visit. Further, Presidents Aliyev and Lukashenko signed a joint declaration. The documents also included agreements on national security, archiving and an agreement between the two countries’ border services. The sides also agreed to cooperate on youth policy and signed a protocol on collaboration in education in 2009 and 2010.

Azerbaijan and Turkey to raise trade to $1.5bln
Azerbaijan and Turkey plan to increase their trade turnover in the coming years to $1.5 billion, Azerbaijani First Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov said.
"Several years ago, the annual trade between the two countries amounted to $455 million, but now it is over $1 billion," Sharifov noted.
Further, according to Sharifov, the trade turnover has decreased slightly this year due to ongoing global developments, but next year it is expected to increase.
Azeri-Turkish trade amounted to $668.5 million from January-August, according to Azerbaijan’s State Statistics Committee.


OIL & GAS

Azeri oil output to grow fastest among ex-Soviet states: OPEC
Azerbaijan's oil production is expected to increase by 0.12 million barrels per day to reach a daily output of 1.03 million barrels per day in 2009, the highest growth among the former Soviet republics, according to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
By the fourth quarter of 2009 OPEC expects the country's oil production to be at 1.07 million bpd.
OPEC said that, in 2010, Azerbaijan's oil output would increase by 0.13 million bpd - to 1.16 million bpd. According to OPEC’s November report, the highest level of oil production in the country would be reached in the fourth quarter of 2010 - 1.23 million bpd.
OPEC said, further, that Kazakhstan's oil production would be 1.53 million bpd in 2009. In 2010, the figure would grow by 0.08 million barrels to 1.61 million bpd, OPEC estimates.
According to the OPEC forecasts, oil production by the former Soviet countries would be 12.9 million bpd in 2009 and a higher 13.11 million bpd in 2010.
In 2009, non-OPEC countries are expected to deliver 50.86 million bpd, with an increase of 410,000 bpd.
Further, oil supplies by non-OPEC countries are projected to grow by 360,000 bpd to 51.23 million bpd in 2010, which is higher by 17,000 than projected earlier, mostly on account of the United States, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Canada, and Kazakhstan.

Deutsche Bank allots $80m loan to SOCAR
Germany’s Deutsche Bank has provided an $80 million collateral-free loan to the Azerbaijani state energy firm SOCAR to finance investment programs, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev has said.
Deutsche Bank’s Ben Dobson said his financial institution was keen on participating in projects with SOCAR. He noted that the bank intends to continue this cooperation in the future and the current initiative marks its beginning.
Hosting a Deutsche Bank delegation last Thursday, Abdullayev pointed out that his company and the German bank have begun joint collaborations.


MISCELLANEOUS

UNICEF: Child mortality high in Azerbaijan
Thirty six out of every 1,000 children in Azerbaijan die under the age of five, the United Nations children's foundation estimates.
UNICEF said in a report last Wednesday that, among the former Soviet republics, only two countries have higher child mortality rates – Turkmenistan (38 per 1,000) and Tajikistan (64 per 1,000).
Among post-Soviet states, the situation is the most encouraging in the Baltic states, with mortality rates in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia reported at 6, 7 and 9 per 1,000, respectively.
The figures are 13 in Russia and Belarus, 16 in Ukraine, 17 in Moldova, 23 in Armenia, 28 in Kyrgyzstan, 28 in Uzbekistan, and 30 both in Kazakhstan and Georgia.
The average child mortality rate in the former Soviet states and central Europe is 23 per 1,000, while the worldwide figure is 65, UNICEF said.
Over 634 million children worlwide die before the age of five. The most alarming figure was reported in Africa – 132 per 1,000, though the percentage of children with retarded growth there fell to 34 percent from 38 percent in 2008, compared to 1990.
More than 90 percent of the developing world's children facing stunted growth live in Africa and Asia, the report said. A third of them -- roughly 60.8 million -- are in India.
UNICEF said that countries with the highest prevalence of stunted growth among children under the age of five include Afghanistan (59 percent), Yemen (58 percent), Guatemala and East Timor (both 54 percent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (46 percent) and North Korea (45 percent).
Low mortality rates were reported in the world’s industrialized nations, including Norway, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
UNICEF also said poor nutrition in the early years of life causes stunted growth and health problems for nearly 200 million children in developing countries.
“Under-nutrition steals a child's strength and makes illnesses that the body might otherwise fight off far more dangerous," UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman was quoted by Reuters as saying.
"More than one-third of children who die from pneumonia, diarrhea and other illnesses could have survived had they not been under-nourished," she said.

POLITICS

Iran cancels visas for Azeris
Iran has unilaterally canceled visa regulations with neighboring Azerbaijan, according to the Iranian state-run TV channel’s website.
The country’s cabinet of ministers has approved a proposal by the Foreign Ministry. Iranian Vice President Mohammad Rahimi has forwarded the decision to the ministry for enforcement.
Of note, Iranian officials have lately begun hinting in statements about the need to bilaterally cancel visa regulations. Numerous statements were made immediately following a cool-down in Turkey-Azerbaijan relations prompted by the signing and discussion in the Turkish parliament of the October 10 agreement on reopening Turkey’s border with Armenia, Azerbaijan’s long-time foe.
Iranian diplomats immediately sensed the timing was right for a political rapprochement with Azerbaijan, with which Tehran’s relations have been far from warm. Baku has not reciprocated Iran’s overtures toward better ties, and there are quite a few reasons for that, according to observers. In its statements, Iran has always supported Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, while in practice it has been doing just the opposite – by backing Armenia, which is responsible for occupying Azerbaijani territory. Moreover, Baku, which is developing relations with European institutions, has been rather cautious in expanding its friendship with Iran, a foe for the powerful West.
It appears that Azerbaijan’s caution has not subsided today, otherwise, Baku would have easily reciprocated Tehran’s move.
However, Baku said it would consider canceling visa regulations with Iran in line with Azerbaijan’s interests.
“If the Iranian side offers Azerbaijan to consider the possibility of canceling visas on our end, we will review the proposal and a decision will be passed based on our national interests,” according to Elkhan Polukhov, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
Polukhov added that visa regulations with Iran have already been simplified and there are no problems with Iranian citizens’ obtaining visas to Azerbaijan.
Political analyst Rustam Mammadov told the Russian-speaking Zerkalo newspaper that Azerbaijan definitely should not cancel visa regulations with Iran, saying the measure would cause “huge trouble.”
“We have already amply suffered from Iranians’ coming to Azerbaijan and have seen nothing good from that. Smuggling of drugs, the advent of Iranian Mullahs – all this is adversely affecting our country. Just imagine what would happen if the borders were transparent based on the “from one house to another” notion. A big menace – that’s what will happen. So, I am opposed to canceling the visa regime, especially because our treasury may be hit hard by this.”
According to Mammadov, Iran is overpopulated and is “trying to get rid of a part of its population by sending it to Azerbaijan.”
But another analyst, Zardusht Alizada, countered that visa-free travel poses no threat to Azerbaijan.
“What threat comes from the Mullahs? Essentially, $50 [an approximate cost of an Azerbaijani visa] is not that much money for Iranian Mullahs, so, visa regulations are not a hurdle for them at all. And if they wanted to, they would have long come here anyway,” said Alizada.
The pundit believes bilateral canceling of visas, actually, has some benefits for both sides.
“On the contrary, both us and them will have a good opportunity to visit each other’s countries, become acquainted closer with the culture and everyday life. For instance, Iran is a very ‘cheap’ country, so Azerbaijanis would be able to afford taking recreational tours,” Alizada said.
Iran had long been considered relatively sealed off to foreign nationals. A number of observers note that fees for entry visas in many countries have often been the main obstacle for tourists, turning Iran into one of the countries with high visa costs. However, the situation began to change in the late 1990s. In 1999 the Islamic republic cancelled visa regulations with six Arab Gulf states, paving the way for increased travel by citizens from neighboring states.
The inflow of Azerbaijani tourists is now anticipated as well. Iran attracts Azerbaijanis not only with its cultural and religious proximity, but also by the fact many relatives of Azerbaijanis live in the neighboring country. Also, it is quite possible that Azerbaijani entrepreneurs will seek to do business in Iran.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government said it also plans to cancel visa regulations with Azerbaijan. Turkey’s Sabah newspaper quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying at a meeting of the ruling AK Party that a preliminary agreement had been reached with Baku to that end. He noted that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is expected to pay a visit to Turkey during which an agreement on canceling the visa regime will be signed.
But Elkhan Polukhov, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, said he was unaware of a planned visit by Mammadyarov. He emphasized, however, that visa regulations between the two countries were on the agenda. According to Polukhov, the consular offices of Azerbaijan and Turkey’s Foreign Ministries held consultations on the issue as early as this past summer and the matter is currently under consideration by Azerbaijani government agencies.
Under current bilateral regulations, Turkish diplomats are allowed to enter Azerbaijan without visas, while rank-and-file Turkish citizens receive visas free of charge. As for Azerbaijani citizens, they are entitled to visa-free stay in Turkey for a period up to 30 days.

Azeri minister sues paper editor – report
Azerbaijani Interior Minister Ramil Usubov has reportedly filed a libel lawsuit against lawyer and newspaper editor Eyyub Karimov.
Karimov, editor in chief of Femida 007, a newspaper that covers crime and legal issues, is accused of libeling the ministry by publishing articles that claim organized crime is rising in the country.
Usubov has demanded that Karimov be arrested.
Usubov’s representative in the case, Alirza Habilov, told RFE/RL that articles published in the Azadlig and Femida 007 local newspapers libeled Usubov and his staff.
But Karimov says the stories, which he published after the arrest of former Interior Ministry official Haji Mammadov, merely criticized the ministry and are not libelous.


OIL & GAS

Azerbaijan, Iran agree on gas supplies
Azerbaijani and Iranian energy companies signed a memo in Baku last week on supplying the South Caucasus republic’s gas to its southern neighbor beginning in 2010. The price of gas was not specified.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Azerbaijan’s state energy firm SOCAR and the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC). An agreement on the deliveries is expected by the end of 2009.
SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev said at least 500 million cubic meters of gas would be delivered to Iran annually during the initial stage.
“In the past, 10 billion cubic meters of gas was imported to Azerbaijan from Iran through existing pipelines. After the infrastructure is put in order, the volume of gas transported to Iran will be increased,” Abdullayev said.
He said the price of exported fuel would be close to world levels and determined based on a special formula.
The two countries are linked with the 1,474 kilometer Gazi-Muhammad-Astara (Azerbaijan)-Bind-Biand (Iran) pipeline that has annual capacity of 10 billion cubic meters. The Azerbaijan section of the conduit is 296 km long. The route is a section of the Gazakh-Astara-Iran pipeline, which was commissioned in 1971.
So far, Azerbaijan has signed agreements on selling natural gas with Georgia, Turkey and Russia.
At first glance, observers might ask why Iran, which is rich in hydrocarbon reserves exceeding Azerbaijan’s many fold, needs Azerbaijani gas, especially in such insignificant volumes? Most likely, Tehran is employing a political move made earlier by Russia which, despite its possessing huge reserves, has also purchased gas from its southern neighbor.
In mid-October, SOCAR and Russian gas monopoly Gazprom signed an agreement to purchase Azerbaijani gas. Azerbaijan will tackle gas exports in January. At least 500 million cubic meters would be exported to Russia next year.
Also, SOCAR is in talks with Turkey on exporting Azerbaijani gas for a new price. To date, the country has been paying $120 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Georgia had imported gas for the same price until January 2008. According to unofficial sources, the neighboring South Caucasus republic currently pays $180.
Azerbaijan produces most of its gas from the giant Shahdaniz field in the Caspian Sea.


CULTURE

Azeri artist’s works to be displayed in New York
Chelsea’s Agora Gallery in New York City will feature Baku artist Emin Guliyev. The Metamorphosis exhibition is scheduled to run from November 20 through December 11.
With the tactile and seductive rendering of the human form present in the two dimensional works of Emin Guliyev, it should come as no surprise that the artist comes from a background in sculpture. Introducing the warmth of color and shading to his figurative drawings and paintings, Emin imparts softness and sensuality to works usually conceived in his mind. By working without a model, Emin relies solely on his emotions and impressions to guide his artistic decision making. Without distraction, he fully connects to the work, ensuring the harmonic integrity of each unique composition. Working outside his traditional realm of sculpture, Emin is free to experiment with dramatic visual movement and artistic gesture, communicating his true dexterity as a visual artist and expressive soul.
The Azerbaijan-born artist’s work has been widely exhibited throughout Eastern Europe.
Metamorphosis dives into a vast cauldron of fiery inspiration. We see the humanity behind the form, we find joys, fears, intrigue, and power. There is an expanse of inventive styles, as elemental forms and dynamic figures transform the desire for understanding into action in the same manner of the early explorers. To make the unknown, known: to see what lies over that horizon.
Featured artists also include Fabrizio Andriani, Chritch, Joo Han, Michael Indorato, Marcela, Brian Reed, Marina Reiter, and Jane Sandes.
Agora Gallery is a fine arts gallery located in the heart of New York City’s Chelsea art galleries district that was established in 1984 and is famous for showcasing a spectacular array of talented artists from around the world and around the corner, while providing quality and original art to collectors. The gallery also publishes ARTisSpectrum Magazine, a bi-annual magazine that is distributed to museums, galleries, art institutions and art schools around the world. It provides artists, collectors, museums, galleries, art organizations and enthusiasts with access to the work of internationally talented emerging and mid-level artists as well as feature articles, reviews and interviews. Agora Gallery is also the sponsor of Art-Mine.com, one of the most comprehensive resources available worldwide to view and purchase fine art from emerging, mid-level and well-established artists.