News in Brief

Minsk Group co-chair's visit in question
The OSCE Minsk Group (MG) co-chairmen were to visit the region on May 22-23. Some sources have carried reports that the visit will be put off due to the health of Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry is withholding full information on whether the trip will take place or not. In her interview with Azernews, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Eleonora Huseynova said she has no details of the visit date. Mentioning that she met the French co-chairman of the OSCE MG before leaving for Baku, Eleonora Huseynova confirmed the co-chairmen will bring "new changes to old plans" for the settlement of the Upper Qarabag conflict. According to ambassador, the changes contain new idea.

Saudi governmental delegation to visit
A Saudi delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Nazar Al-Madani will be on an official trip to Baku on May 18.
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Elman Arasli told AssA-Irada during the visit the delegation is planning to meet Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev, as well as state and governmental officials.

Kiev to host CE monitoring committee meeting
The Council of Europe (CE) monitoring committee met on May 12-13. Members of the Azerbaijani mission to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Naila Sahtaxtinskaya, Asim Mollazada, and Baxityar Aliyev took part in the meeting. MP Asim Mollazada told AssA-Irada that the meeting agenda included the issue on Armenia's failure to eliminate the death penalty so far. Furthermore, the PACE rapporteurs, who has visited Azerbaijan, reported to the committee meeting.

NATO parliamentary assembly may discuss Upper Qarabag
The Political Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is to hold a meeting in Prague on May 26-28.
A Milli Maclis (parliament) delegation headed by Vice Speaker Ziyafat Asgarov will represent Azerbaijan at the event, to talk over a new security conception for Europe, as well as the situation in South Caucasus.
In his interview with AssA-Irada, the vice speaker said that the Azerbaijani delegation will come out with a proposal to discuss the Upper Qarabag conflict at the meeting.

Law-enforcers receive no instruction concerning presidential bidders
"No instruction has been issued to law-enforcement bodies to prevent persons abroad, running for the presidency from returning to Azerbaijan," head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev has told AssA-Irada. He added that if any presidential candidate has committed a crime against the Azerbaijani state, he or she would receive a legal response.

FM receives ECO head
Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev met on Thursday Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Seyid Mushtaba Arastool.
The sides held exchange of opinions on a wide range of ECO projects dealing with ecology, transportation, energy, trade, and discussed available achievements of the organisation, and an upcoming meeting of ECO foreign ministers.
The visiting guest stressed that ECO co-operates closely with the United Nations and the Islamic Conference Organisation.
For his part, Minister Quliyev said that Azerbaijan will participate more actively in ECO initiations in future.

Egyptian embassy to move
In the near future, the Egyptian embassy will move to a new building, which comprises administrative building and dwelling residence located close to the Grand Hotel Europe. The Egyptian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mrs. Ciyhan Amin Muhammad Ali told AssA-Irada repair works on the building will be completed early next month. The diplomat said she herself chose the location due to its magnificent view of her favorite city Baku.
The current office of the embassy is located at an administrative building of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

Young families to receive loans
Starting early next year, loans will be issued to young families for improvement of accommodation . Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism Abulfaz Qarayev has told AssA-Irada that a draft law drawn up by the ministry for this purpose has been submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers. According to him, the draft law makes loans available to citizens marrying under 35 with giving the priority to refugees and internally displaced persons, Qarabag war veterans, martyr's families, and talented youth.

Parabank to branch out
Parabank, a local joint-stock commercial bank, is about to open five branches by the end of the year.
Two offices will be established in Baku, one in Ali-Bayramli and Lankaran towns on each, with the fifth branch to operate in Xacmaz district.
A bank-placed source has told AssA-Irada that presently Parabank has eight branches operating in Baku, Ganca, Sumqayit and Beylaqan.
As to the destination of a 500,000-euro early credit from the German-Azerbaijan Fund, it was said that a total of 349,000 euros have been issued to local SMEs. The remaining money will have been distributed by the end of May, thereby allowing the bank to apply for the next tranche.

Azeri experts visit Siemens factories
A group of Azarenerji joint-stock company experts has paid a visit to Germany at the invitation of the Siemens company. The Azarenerji press service has informed AssA-Irada that during the trip the Azerbaijani energetics representatives travelled to two plants manufacturing gas-turbine units and high-voltage devices in Berlin, where they studied technological processes and shared experience.
It is also reported that the Azerbaijani delegation has attended an international conference dedicated to economic and financial issues in the field of electrical energy.