TRT Haber reported…

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he supports Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, TRT Haber reported Apr. 15. He made the remarks addressing the closing ceremony of the 13th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The 13th Islamic Summit Conference of the OIC kicked off in Istanbul Apr. 14. Heads and foreign ministers of the countries that are members to the OIC took part in the summit. During his speech, Erdogan said he doesn't understand why the OSCE Minsk Group has not yet settled the conflict. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.  

$4.8 billion in Azerbaijan’s economy…

Japanese companies have so far invested $4.8 billion in Azerbaijan's economy, says Azerbaijan's Deputy Economy Minister Sahil Babayev. He made the remarks at a meeting with a delegation of Japan's Okinawa Prefecture, led by the Chairman of Okinawa Prefectural Assembly Masaharu Kina. Trade turnover between the two countries increased more than twofold throughout 2015 and stood at $558.1 million, said Babayev. He said Azerbaijan, as a country that prioritizes non-oil sector in the economic development, has great opportunities for development of relations with Japan's Okinawa Prefecture, which specializes in agriculture, industry and tourism.  

İnter-parliamentary relations…

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Malaysian Parliament Seri Ronald Kiandee. Kiandee highlighted the activity of the Malaysia-Azerbaijan friendship group at the parliament of Malaysia, saying it consists of eight members. He hailed the friendship group's role in developing relations between the legislative bodies of the two countries. The deputy speaker stressed the importance of reciprocal visits. Describing Azerbaijan as an important partner of Malaysia, Kiandee hailed the Malaysian Petronas company's activities in the country as a good example of bilateral relations. President Aliyev recalled with pleasure Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Tun Abdul Razak's visit to Azerbaijan and fruitful discussions they held during the meetings. Saying the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Malaysia are of pivotal importance for both countries, the president noted that these ties have developed in various fields, including political, economic and others. President Aliyev noted that there are ample opportunities for developing cooperation between the two countries in investment making, high technology, tourism and other fields.  Underlining Malaysian Petronas company's successful operation in Azerbaijan, the president said that the company has a large stake in one of the important projects in the country. Describing Azerbaijan and Malaysia as friendly countries, President Aliyev emphasized that the two countries have always supported each other within international organizations. Pointing to the importance of the inter-parliamentary relations between the two countries, the president expressed his hope that the visit of the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of the Malaysian Parliament to Baku will create a good opportunity for more active mutual cooperation between the two countries' parliamentarians.  

President hailed very active cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UN

President of Ilham Aliyev has received newly-appointed UN Resident Coordinator in the country Ghulam Isaczai. Isaczai presented his letter of credentials to President Aliyev. President Aliyev said Azerbaijan established close relations with a number of institutions of the United Nations, and added that the country maintains very active cooperation with the organization.  The president said Baku has hosted several important events of the United Nations, expressing hope that Azerbaijan will successfully continue its cooperation with the UN institutions. Isaczai said the UN and Azerbaijan have maintained fruitful cooperation over the last 20 years, adding that the organization intends to strengthen its current partnership ties with the government of Azerbaijan. Isaczai said he was deeply impressed with the ongoing development processes in the country, and emphasized the significance of Azerbaijan's accomplishments in poverty reduction and rehabilitation of infrastructure. Isaczai also mentioned significant changes in Azerbaijan in comparison with his previous visit, adding that this development was achieved under the leadership of national leader Heydar Aliyev and President Aliyev. The resident coordinator said the UN is interested in continuing cooperation with Azerbaijan, and expressed his hope that the organization will be able to support the implementation of sustainable development goals in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev hailed very active cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UN. The president said the poverty reduction was one of Azerbaijan's great achievements, and added that the work is being carried out to completely eliminate poverty in the country. The president said new employment mechanisms were introduced and social programs were being implemented, noting that these measures would significantly contribute to the elimination of poverty. President Aliyev underlined the importance of interaction between the UN and relevant bodies in Azerbaijan in terms of the country's achieving goals in a short period of time. President Aliyev said Azerbaijan's becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council was a good experience for the country. The president highlighted the importance of the Seventh Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations to be held in Baku. The president said the forum would allow Azerbaijan to share its development experience and present itself to the world. President Aliyev wished Ghulam Isaczai success in his activity.  

Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has called on international community to demand from Armenia to cease the occupation of the Azerbaijani lands. "Azerbaijan calls the international community to demand from Armenia to cease the illegal occupation of Azerbaijan's territories, to withdraw its troops from all occupied lands and to engage constructively in the conflict settlement process in accordance with the requirements of relevant resolutions of the UNSC and the norms and principles of international law," Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Apr. 12. He was addressing a meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers in Turkey's Istanbul. "On April 2, 2016 Armenia once again confirmed its strong commitment to destructive policy in the negotiation process of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by flagrantly violating ceasefire and shelling at the positions of Azerbaijani army and densely populated residential areas along the contact line," said the minister. "This provocative act received an adequate response from the Azerbaijani army which launched counter-attacks and repulsed Armenian forces." On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements. Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry earlier said. Ignoring the agreement, the Armenian side again started violating the ceasefire. Today Armenia continues violating ceasefire regime and diverting attention from the substantive issues needed for peace process by this demonstrating to the world its main intentions, Mammadyarov said. Azerbaijani foreign minister extended the country's sincere gratitude to OIC Secretary General and member states for the support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and condemnation of the Armenian aggression and occupation of the country's territories. It was decided to establish a Contact group on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers in Turkey's Istanbul Apr. 12. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.    

Nagorno-Karabakh said a statement issued by Kremlin

  Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed the escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh by phone, said a statement issued by Kremlin. President Putin informed President Nazarbayev about the mediation measures taken by the Russian side, said the statement. Meanwhile, the sides discussed several issues of bilateral cooperation, as well as the schedule of upcoming meetings at high and top levels within the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).xeber100.com  

$40 million from Shah Deniz field

From 2007 till April 1, 2016 incomes of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) from development of the Azerbaijani gas condensate field Shah Deniz totaled $2 billion $483 million. SOFAZ reported that in January and March 2016 SOFAZ received $40 million from the Shah Deniz project.  

Austria protest against Armenian aggression

Azerbaijani community living in Austria held a demonstration of protest against Armenia`s military aggression in front of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna. The protesters waved national flags, held slogans in their hands chanting “The world community must recognize Armenia`s aggression against Azerbaijan”, “Karabakh is internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan”, “Put an end to Armenia`s aggression against Azerbaijan”, “Armenia, withdraw from occupied territories of Azerbaijan” during the rally. The protesters called on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries not to ignore Armenia’s atrocities in the occupied territories and put an end to aggression of the neighboring country. They distributed books and brochures informing the public about Armenia`s aggression against Azerbaijanis.

Dmitry Medvedev embarks on official visit to Azerbaijan

Chairman of the government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in Azerbaijan for an official visit. A ceremonial guard of honor was arranged for the Russian Prime Minister at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, which was decorated with the national flags of the two countries. Dmitry Medvedev was met by Azerbaijan`s Prime Minister Artur Rasizade and other officials. The state anthems of Russia and Azerbaijan were played.xeber100.com        

World markets oil price

  The price of oil changed in different directions in the world markets. On the New York Stock Exchange NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) cost of the US Light crude oil increased $1.29 to stand at $36.80. Price of the Brent crude oil at the London ICE (InterContinental Exchange Futures) rose $1.01 to trade at $38.53. The price of a barrel of Azeri Light crude oil decreased $0.31 to stand at $38.55 on the world markets