LAST WEEK IN AZERBAIJAN -WEEK 28

Azerbaijan President visits Kazakhstan; takes part in 10th Anniversary celebration. Today.az
Azerbaijan is to be considered in top ten countries Economy for doing prospective Business. Today.az
Weir is moving into Azerbaijan. Scoutman United Kingdom
Imminent trial for a Baptist Pastor. Forum 18 News
Iham Aliyev receives the Hungarian prime Minister. Various
Azerbaijan strengthen military co-operation with Pakistan. Trendaz.com
Chairman of Press Council –“Journalist should be considered first in the granting of Social Mortgage. Trendaz.com
OSCE makes pre-election Assessment Azerbaijan. Various
1st Azerbaijan International Insurance Forum Concludes in Baku. Trendaz.com
President of Azerbaijan passes decree to create Azerbaijan Ethnography Museum.Today.az

The president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev was in Astana, the capital of Kazahstan to join them in the celebration of her 10th Anniversary. Kazakhstan is similar to Azerbaijan in that both countries were formally a republic of the old Soviet. Moreover both countries are recently benefiting from its oil exploitation.

During the visit the President Ilham took out time to have separate meetings with the King of Jordan, Abdullah the second. The agenda of their meeting was to strengthen ties between both nations. Also in similar manner, President Ilham had a brief discussion with his Turkey counterpart.

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan borders each other. The visit of the Iham Aliyev to Astana was a day visit.

The World Bank Business report will include Azerbaijan in its list of countries with good prospects for doing business in 2009 as stated by the office of the Economic Development Ministry of Azerbaijan. The report will be made officially public by October of this year.

The news is a tremendous improvement because previous report had placed Azerbaijan 96th position out of a total 178 countries. With the change in Government policies, coupled with the serene environment, Azerbaijan has convinced prospective business persons to come invest.

It is note worth to state that the government of the republic is focusing a good percentage of its resources towards the sustainability of the economical growth; however many more factors still negate these efforts.

In the same line, the WEIR group PLC, a Glasgow multi-company is moving into the Caspian waters for the first time after acquiring a majority stake in Standard Oilfield Services.

The acquisition will join to the WEIR oil and gas divisions; WEIR also operates in other divisions such as Minerals and Power and Industrials. The entrance of WEIR into the Azerbaijan oil sector will certainly swell the buoyant sector of the national Economy. Other prominent big oil firms doing business in Azerbaijan include BP, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Gazprom, Agip, Elf, et al.

A Baptist Pastor by the name Hamid Shabanov who hails from the village of Aliabad has been transferred from investigation prisons in the city of Ganja to Zakatala. His trial is due soon as stated by his lawyer Mirman Aliev. If convicted on the charges of illegal arm possession, the 51 years old husband and father faces up to three years imprisonment.

Ilya Zenchenko, a member of the Baptist Union is of the opinion that the case was a government plot against Baptist and religious communities across Azerbaijan. According to him, Hamid is innocent of the charges against him and based on Hamid’s words, the said weapon was planted by the security officials. Not until the Evangelical Alliance in Baku had a press conference on the issue, Hamid had been held since 20th of June, longer than required by law without any clearly outlined charges. Ilya is of the conclusion that the gun plot was conceived in order to have a reason to continue persecuting Hamid.

Aliev, Hamid’s lawyer considers the case religiously motivated because the motives of the police indicate so. His client has been asked series of questions such as “why he leads a Christian community, why some 50 people around him have adopted to Christianity”.

It is hoped that Hamid receives a fair trial and be discharged. Azerbaijan remains a beacon of hope for good religion tolerance in the sense that despite its population is predominantly Islam, with its state religion as Islam, the law of the republic has allowed for freedom of religion. Presently in Azerbaijan there are Christians who practice their faith without molestation; however, cases such as Hamid Shabanov could put at risk its religious serenity.

The Hungarian Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyucsany visited Azerbaijan. The visit was in reciprocal of similar visit by the Azerbaijan president to Hungary early 2008.

Both leaders has stated on the need for increase bilateral cooperation between both countries; over the years, Azerbaijan and Hungary have developed links for possible future relations in various spheres that can be beneficial to her economies.

Azerbaijan is hoping to benefit from the vast military experience of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This was stated by Ziyafat Askerov, the 1st V-Speaker of Azerbaijan Parliament and the chairman of standing committee on Security Affairs and Defense during a meeting with the chairman of the foreign Affairs committee of Pakistan. Already there is an agreement on bilateral co-operation between the ministries of defense of both countries.

Azerbaijan and Pakistan collaborates in military technical areas particularly in the fight against terrorism. Azerbaijan has a unit of soldiers in Afghanistan in the NATO fight with the Talibans which is also led by the Pakistani military.

Pakistan is one of the first nations to identify Azerbaijan independence; the Pakistan delegate leader Mushahid Hussein did not fail to point out this fact while also comparing the Azerbaijan nation with Pakistan in the area of problem faced by neighboring nations over Nagorno-Karabakh and Kashmir respectively.

The chairman of Azerbaijan Press Council –Aflatun Amashov has asked that journalists be considered first in priority for Social Mortgages. The Press council intends to make this appeal to the state Head.

Whereas the average salary of journalist is about AZN 200, affording the mortgage credits that was introduced since 2005 is very impossible.
The Press council has mandated itself to take adequate steps towards the uplifting of the journalist social problems. However the state of journalists in Azerbaijan reflects a general system where salaries of professional remain appalling. An urgent review has to be carried on all aspects of professional jobs particularly in academics and health care sectors.

OSCE has appraised the preparation for the upcoming presidential Election in Azerbaijan. The election is due to be held in October 2008.

The election which has candidates such as Isa Gambar –Musavat party, Sardar Jalalogu –Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Mais Gulaliyev –Green party, Eldar Namazov –Public Forum; a;; contesting against the incumbent Ilham Aliyev –Yeni Azerbaijan Party. Although some other candidates has stated a boycott of the election while some have appointed the president Ilham Aliyev as it candidate.

The recent statement from the OSCE is not “an all-clear stamp”; the election still remains months ahead and unlike in the past, elections in Azerbaijan have never been a purely fair contest.

The Azerbaijan Insurers Association organized the Azerbaijan 1st International forum. The forum was focused on tendencies of development of the insurance market; impact of the experience of the insurance markets of the European countries on the development of insurance in Azerbaijan; development of life insurance; analysis into the insurance market of Azerbaijan; finance system and corporate management in the field of insurance.

Among the attendees at the forum include: the Azerbaijan’s Minister of Finance -Samir Sharifov, Minister of Economic Development -Heydar Babayev, Chairman of Azerbaijan Parliament’s Committee on Economic Policy -Ziyad Samedzade and Head of Finance Ministry’s Insurance Control Department -Namik Khalilov.

From the private sectors the roll call includes, the President of the Society of Re-insurance of Poland -Marek Jzerski, Director of AON Ruk Company -Andreas Frolikh, Director General of SFS Company -Erdjan Turfan, Deputy Director General of Insurance Society “Russia” -Igor Fatian, Director of Moscow Representation of Cologne reinsurance joint-stock company -Capitolina Turbine, Chairman of Board, Director General of Allianz Company -Michael Khergezell, Deputy Director-General of ROSNO insurance company -Alexander Gulchenko, and others.

Members of the Insurers Association sponsored the event. They are: Standard Insurance, Baki Sigorta, ATA Sigorta , AzerSigorta, Atesgah, AZ Sigorta, Beynelxalq Sigorta Sirketi, AzRE tekrarsigorta, MBASK and Insurance Association RUSSIA (official sponsors), as well as Audatex, FADATA, A Group, Alfa Insurance, Polish Reinsurance Company, DINII, Thames Insurance Group, UnityRe, SFS, Ingosstrakh, Qarant Sigorta.

President Ilham Aliyev has passed a decree on the creation of the Azerbaijan Ethnography Museum. The museum will be an open air museum located in the Baku city.

The president has directed the National Academy of Science of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism were instructed to present proposals regarding the activity of the Ethnography museum in line with modern requirements within four months. Also, the State Committee for State Property Management and the State Committee for Land and Cartography were instructed to present to President of Azerbaijan proposals on allocation of the due site for organization of the said museum.

Azerbaijan has a large number of Museums in its capital city Baku and scattered all over its region. The president who has hoped to harness the country tourism potential is vigorously pursuing these objectives. This is eminent in the large developmental projects going on in the capital Baku. However, to some persons, these should not be a main priority but instead good governmental resources should be channeled towards the betterment of spheres that can directly better the lives of the common masses.