News from Azerbaijan

Resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh to remain on UN General Assembly's
agenda: Azerbaijani permanent representative (EXCLUSIVE)
Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 20 /Trend News, E.Tariverdiyeva/

The Resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh will remain on the agenda of
the 64th UN General Assembly, Azerbaijani Permanent Representative to
the UN Aqshin Mehdiyev told Trend News.

However, he said it is too early to speak about a bill of a new
resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Moreover, bills on "Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their
consequences for the world, security and development in the world" and
"The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan" will be
submitted at the UN General Assembly, said Mehdiyev.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding
districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in
1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the
U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan will submit a new resolution on information
technology and the Super Highway project by Azerbaijani Communications
and Information Technology Minister (IT) Ali Abbasov, Mehdiyev said.

Mehdiyev added that the Azerbaijani representatives to UN will work
not only over these projects.

The 64th UN General Assembly will take place in New York in September.

Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 24 2009
Armenia, Azerbaijan Turkey to participate in joint NATO exercise

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey will be among participants of a joint
exercise to be held by NATO in Kazakhstan in September, according to
an announcement released by the Prime Ministry General Directorate for
Emergency Management.

NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) is
organizing a Consequence Management Field Exercise in cooperation with
Kazakhstan, the host nation, which will be conducted on Sept. 5-11.

The exercise `ZHETYSU 2009' is in accordance with the Civil Emergency
Planning Exercise Policy and the Exercise Program for 2009-2013. It is
a contribution by Kazakhstan to the Partnership for Peace (PfP)
program. It will be the ninth EADRCC field exercise and the first
EADRCC exercise hosted by Kazakhstan.

`The Prime Ministry General Directorate for Emergency Management,
which is the EADRCC's contact point in our country, is also assuming
coordination of all activities concerning the exercise. In addition to
our country, the United States, Germany, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Armenian, Finland, Britain, Spain, Sweden,
Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan and Ukraine will participate in the exercise,' the
announcement said.

For more than one-and-a-half years, Turkey and Armenia have been
holding closed-door talks, mediated by Switzerland, to restore their
relations. But the process stalled after Ankara said progress in
normalization efforts was linked with progress in Armenia's
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. Armenia rejects any link between the two
issues.

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Aug 18 2009
Azeri films to be screened in Yerevan - report
18-08-2009 23:56:52

A festival of Azerbaijani films will be held in the Armenian capital
Yerevan in October, Arminfo news agency reported. The festival will be
organized by the Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives with the
support of the US embassy in Armenia.

Georgy Vanyan, the head of the Center, has told Arminfo that the
festival will feature movies of different genres, including feature
films, animated ones and documentaries. He claimed that 50 films
bidding for participation have been reviewed so far.

"We, ourselves, are trying to forge ties with young Azerbaijani
filmmakers through our partners and have already succeeded in
contacting several cinematographers."

He added that the key goal of holding the festival was to facilitate
dialog between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The two South Caucasus republics have been locked in conflict for
nearly two decades.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: KARABAKH DANGEROUS FOR EUROPE
News.am
19:44 / 08/21/2009

The geopolitical struggle for control over the energy carriers' supply
to Europe is in a full swing, The Wall Street Journal daily writes:
"Tied to Russia's Gazprom with a 25-year export agreement signed in
2003 and building a 40-billion-cubic-meter pipeline eastward to China,
Turkmenistan is unlikely to be in a position to produce additional
volumes by 2014. Even if this forecast is proved wrong, the unresolved
legal status of the Caspian Sea alongside Russia's and Iran's negative
stances on the issue mean the future of the Trans-Caspian pipeline
is rather blurry. This is why Azerbaijan began to be regarded as
the potential prime supplier of Nabucco by Brussels and Washington
earlier this year. However, even this option will present economic
and security challenges.

As the prime oil exporter in the Caspian region, Azerbaijan's
production of this commodity will start falling from 2013-2014 and
there is a risk that by 2020 the country's oil supply might not be
self-sufficient. If this happens, the use of gas in the domestic market
will increase significantly, especially in light of the government's
goal of developing the non-energy sectors of the national economy,
which would leave smaller volumes available for Nabucco than currently
planned.

Ethno-political conflicts in the South Caucasus, such as the dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region,
pose fundamental risks to Europe's efforts to diversify its energy
supply. With rapidly increased defense spending by Azerbaijan,
the intermediary powers-U.S., Russia, France and U.K.-are
trying to persuade the country not to resort to force under any
circumstances. This effort is rather futile. The Kosovo and Georgia
conflicts have already set a dangerous precedent. In today's greater
Europe, successful self-determination may increasingly be achieved
through the use of force rather than principles of international
law or compromise. Therefore, with regard to Nagorno-Karabakh,
negotiators should focus on reconciling the principles of territorial
integrity and self-determination to achieve peace between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. This would open the doors for the former to participate
in transnational energy projects in the region."


RFE/RL Report

Eurovision Organizer Probes Azeri Crackdown
Armenia - Inga and Anush Arshakian, undated
19.08.2009

The organizer of the Eurovision song contest said on Wednesday that it
is investigating reports that security bodies in Azerbaijan have tracked
down and interrogated local residents that voted for Armenia during this
year's competition .

A total of 43 Azerbaijanis voted for the Armenian duo Inga and Anush and
their song `Jan-Jan' in the finale of one of Europe's most popular
television shows held in Moscow on May 16. Many of them were reportedly
summoned to Azerbaijan's Ministry of National Security and told to
explain why they backed singers representing their country's arch-foe.

`They said it was a matter of national security,' one of them, Rovshan
Nasirli, told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani service last week. `They were trying
to put psychological pressure on me, saying things like, 'You have no
sense of ethnic pride. How come you voted for Armenia?' They made me
write out an explanation, and then they let me go.'

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an association of European
television companies that organizes the annual contest, appears to have
been alarmed by the extraordinary development. The EBU's executive
supervisor, Svante Stockselius, told the Azerbaijani APA news agency on
Wednesday that it launched an inquiry last week.

`Our technical partners will also take part in the inquiry,' Stockselius
was quoted as saying. `The inquiry will also enable local broadcasters
to bring clarity to the matter.'

Under the EBU's existing rules, Eurovision winners are decided by a jury
of music industry specialists formed in each of the participating
nations and millions of TV viewers voting by phone or by SMS. They are
free to vote for any country other than their own.

Some 1,065 Armenians voted for Azerbaijan's `Always' entry that featured
an Swedish-Iranian singer and finished third in the competition.
Armenia's Inga and Anush came in tenth.

According to the BBC, Azerbaijani authorities confirmed that Nasirli and
other people were questioned over their Eurovision votes but denied
intimidating or putting pressure on them.

"If Azerbaijani parliament members can go to Armenia, then what's wrong
with voting for the Armenian song in the contest?' asked Nasirli. `I
told them, 'If you don't want people to vote for Armenia, then why are
you in the same contest with them?'"

The case has also set off alarm bells in Azerbaijan's rights community.
Activist Avaz Hasanov called the move "unbelievable" and warned that
Azerbaijan, which has already seen a steady clampdown on civil rights
under President Ilham Aliyev, is moving toward a police state.

`Limiting people's choices in such an obvious manner won't do any good
for the country,' Hasanov told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani service. `If all SMS
and phone conversations are being screened, then this country is nothing
more than a police state, with people being watched all the time.'

GUARDIAN DIAGNOSED AZERBAIJAN
News.am
18:38 / 08/18/2009

Guardian daily recently published article under "Azerbaijani
authorities interrogate music fans in Eurovision probe" heading.

"Forty-three Azerbaijani music fans who voted for neighboring Armenia
in this year's Eurovision song contest have been questioned about their
'ethnic pride'," the article reads.

NEWS.am has already reported that Ministry of National Security of
Azerbaijan (MNS) detects Azerbaijani citizens who voted for Armenia at
Eurovision-2009. 43 Azerbaijani citizens voted for Arshakyan sisters
(Armenian contestants). MNS summoned all the mentioned and had a short
talk of their 'political correctness', 'ethics' and other paramount
issues Azerbaijani should not neglect. But all this is done in the
light of "national idea and pride."

Guardian writes: "Though officials told the BBC that they had &'merely
invited [voters] to explain' their votes, one fan described a more
robust interrogation."

MNS is impotent to realize the whole scope of panhuman values,
that should be apart of political interests. Demanding to keep the
'code of honor', Azeri officials deprive the latters of the main
advantage-free expression of will. Fanaticism 'dazzles' anyone and
drives him to inadequate actions. The one becomes ill in all senses
of this word, meanwhile feeling healthy. He attempts to cure 'ill'
behaving a 'doctor'.

The matter is, if Azerbaijani authorities display disrespect towards
their citizens, isn't it immoral to expect antipodean? Fanaticism
and anti-humanism gives rise to similar phenomenon. True meaning of
'national pride', 'love for homeland' and 'code of honor' notions
should be thoroughly considered and one should have a long way to go
before he fully digests the meaning of these words.

Trend, Azerbaijan
Aug 22 2009
Azerbaijani Youth & Sport Minister comments on Eurovision-2009
Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 22 / Trend News /

Azerbaijani Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov commented on the
situation with the "list" of Azerbaijanis, voting for Armenians in the
Eurovision-2009 song contest.

Recently, the questions have been mounted, in several internet
portals, around the participation of Azerbaijan in the song contest -
Eurovision 2009. It is necessary to emphasize, that Azerbaijan has
showed a great success in this competition, by outperforming its
neighbors, and by landing in the third place.

"As Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sport, authorized by the
government for rendering of support to the project
"Eurovision-Azerbaijan", I would like to express my position regarding
the situation of the so-called "list of 43". A number of groundless
attacks have appeared to the address of the country and, in
particular, to the law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan in some Mass
Media sources. It has been revealed during the investigation that, no
specific list with the names of people voting for Armenia from
Azerbaijan and the quantity of voices submitted for Armenia has ever
existed in the hands of Azerbaijani authorities. Taking this into
account, it is doubtful that somebody like R.Nasirov, called in for
questioning by the law enforcement agencies, could see such voting
list. Why none else, but R.Nasirov has been called in for questioning
to the Ministry of National Security?," the minister said.

"Any insinuations around the so-called "the list of 43" are nothing
else, but a fruit of imagination of some unscrpulous journalists. We
are afflicted with the fact that, some news agencies, in particular,
such as Azerbaijan branch of "Radio Liberty", actively conducts a
unilateral policy in the given question, by trying to politicize the
issue and to present it in a politically biased manner. This position
by "Radio Liberty", which repeatedly allowed "double standards" in
regards to Azerbaijan, in particular a propos the territorial
integrity of the country, causes bewilderment in us.

I am sure that mass media should not politicize this question, instead
try to study the situation more deeply, to express the positions of
all the parties," Rahimov said.

"THE AZERBAIJANIS" REPLENISH "TREASURY" OF WORLD IDEOLOGIES
News.am
13:13 / 08/18/2009

Not being content with fanciful tales about the "great national leader"
of the Azerbaijani people in the person of the former "partycrat"
Heydar Aliyev, the Baku ideologists decided to coin a "new word" in
the world ideologies. The term, "the Azerbaijanis", in a collective
sense, seemed to be an umbrella for all the ethnic minorities in the
country to "feel cosy" under. It was in this vein that Farhad Mamedov
of the Political Analysis and Information Department, Azerbaijani
Presidential Administration, made a speech at his meeting with the
participants in a summer camp for young leaders.

Besides the newly coined term, "the Azerbaijanis", the young official
from Baku made a number of quite interesting statements, which are
actually disproving evidence against many postulates of official
Azerbaijani propaganda, namely, the ones that the Azerbaijani people
has ancient history. Speaking of national identity, Mamedov pointed
out that the process of identification of the Azerbaijani people
started late in the 19th century thereby disproving the numerous
theories about "the centuries-old history and cultural heritage" of
his people. In any case, it would be ridiculous even for Azerbaijanis
themselves to speak of "ancient history and cultural heritage" with
the fact of national identity lacking.

The Aliyev Administration representative expanded on a positive role of
the "ideology of the Azerbaijanis" in establishing peace and public
accord in independent Azerbaijan. Quoting the official, 1news.az
reports that the benefit of the ideology is in its being capable of
uniting everybody. "Unfortunately, early in 1990s, we witnessed the
Popular Front of Azerbaijan coming to power and setting different
sections of the population against one another. We must not forget
that. However, after the national leader Heydar Aliyev came to power,
the problem was resolved. As a matter of fact, that period saw the
formation of a new identity supposed to unite different sections of
the population," Mamedov said.

No doubt, Heydar Aliyev inherited favorable preconditions for forming
a practically monoethnic state. The rule of the Popular Front of
Azerbaijan (PFA) was marked by slaughters of Armenians in Baku,
Sumgait and Kirovabad. After the pogroms in early 1990s, not only
Armenians, but also native Russians (several hundred thousands)
left Azerbaijan. In early 1980s Azerbaijanis constituted only 47%
of the Baku population, whereas they are actually the only residents
of the Azerbaijani capital now. A similar situation can be observed
throughout Azerbaijan. So it is easy to invest a new ideology termed
"the Azerbaijanis", which is an umbrella for "all the ethnic minorities
to feel cosy" under.

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