News Digest

Minsk Group co-chairmen to report to OSCE winter session
Diplomatic sources have informed AssA-Irada that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) will hold its winter session in Vienna, Austria, in the second half of February.   According to Azeri MP Eldar Ibrahimov, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen are expected to present reports during the session to be attended by two Azeri parliamentarians.

London forum to highlight investment opportunities
A forum dedicated to the investment opportunities of Azerbaijan is due to be held in London in March. A spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister has told AssA-Irada that the forum aims to provide information about the Azerbaijani economy and such economic areas as need investment. An Azerbaijani governmental delegation will leave for London in March to attend the forum organized by the Azerbaijani embassy in the UK.

War prisoner freed
Azerbaijani soldier Elmaddin Abiyev, who has been held in Armenian captivity for almost one month, was handed over to Azerbaijan at a point in Agdam District of Azerbaijan at 16.15 on Thursday.  A spokesman for the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense told AssA-Irada that the prisoner of war was returned through activity by the International Red Cross Committee's office in Upper Qarabag.  Since Elmaddin Abiyev was caught in a mine explosion and taken prisoner by Armenians on January 8 in the territory of Agdam District, he has been kept in the Xocali hospital. The Armenian side delayed his return due to  surgery and complications. The POW's release was made possible through dialogue between Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Aliyev and Kocharyan during the CIS summit in the Ukraine, and a telephone discussion between head of the Caucasus Muslims Clerical office Sheikh Allahsukur Pasazada and Armenian Bishop Garagen II.  Elmaddin Abiyev will undergo further treatment in the central military clinic hospital of the Defense Ministry.

BTC to be guarded by US radar systems
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is to be guarded by US radar observation systems, unmanned intelligence aircraft and anti-terrorism units, according to British media sources. The Georgian International Oil Corporation is reported to be negotiating with the US Northrop Grumman's Ryan Aeronautical Center that is in charge of the Global Hawk development project. Global Hawk is an unmanned aircraft costing $50-bn.