Category: Azerbaijan

THE NEWSLETTER Embassy of Azerbaijan

Subject: Newsletter of the Embassy of Azerbaijan – Vol.II


	THE NEWSLETTER Embassy of Azerbaijan Washington D. C.
Volume III, Issue # 8	July 7, 2010
In This Issue: Secretary Clinton visits Azerbaijan: Relations are “deep, important, and durable” American Jewish Committee delegation travels to Azerbaijan: “Azerbaijan is a critically important country” Armenian Occupation Costs USD 87 billion Azerbaijani receives U.S. President’s Education Award Previous Issues Contact Us	SECRETARY CLINTON VISITS AZERBAIJAN: RELATIONS ARE “DEEP, IMPORTANT, AND DURABLE” On July 4 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid an official visit to Azerbaijan. She became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Azerbaijan in 18 years Secretary Clinton was received by President Ilham Aliyev. Energy and security cooperation between the two countries, as well as the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were the major topics of discussions in Baku. At a joint press conference with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov dedicated to the outcomes of the visit, Secretary Clinton praised the bonds between Azerbaijan and the U.S. as “deep, important, and durable”. “Our soldiers have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. And we deeply appreciate the commitment and sacrifice of the people and government of Azerbaijan, as we continue these important missions. Today the President and I discussed the ways of the deepening of this partnership”, the Secretary said. “We continue to support the efforts that are undertaken by the government to expand and protect free expression and independent media…We believe that there has been a tremendous amount of progress in Azerbaijan. But as with any country, particularly a young, independent country like this one, there is a lot of room for improvement. Since it’s the Fourth of July, I should say that when we began our journey toward freedom, independence, and democracy 234 years ago, we had a very long road that we are still not yet at the final destination,” Secretary Clinton said in response to a question on democracy and human rights protection. Back to top AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE DELEGATION TRAVELS TO AZERBAIJAN: “AZERBAIJAN IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT COUNTRY” On July 4-5 an American Jewish Committee (AJC) leadership delegation led by the Committee’s Executive Director David Harris paid a visit to Azerbaijan The 11-member delegation was received by President Ilham Aliyev. The delegation also met with Chairman of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis (Parliament) Oqtay Asadov, Deputy Foreign Minister Vaqif Sadiqov and other officials. This was AJC’s second trip to Azerbaijan in the past two years. The first visit took place in August 2008. Earlier, in January 2008, AJC leadership met with President Aliyev on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. At that meeting, President Aliyev invited AJC to pay a visit to Azerbaijan. “Azerbaijan is a critically important country,” said David Harris following the visit. “We were delighted to be there at the same time as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a month after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, underscoring Washington’s deep interest.” “It is important for Americans to understand the key role that Azerbaijan today plays in our nation’s counter-terrorism efforts, energy security, and military operations in Afghanistan,” added Harris. “And Jews and friends of Israel need to be aware of the long and rich history of the Jewish community in Azerbaijan, and of the country’s close and mutually beneficial ties with Israel.” “We were very warmly and graciously received by our Azerbaijani hosts,” Harris said. “Given the importance we attach to Azerbaijan, we shall look forward to our next visit and to frequent contact in between.” Back to top ARMENIAN OCCUPATION COSTS USD 87 BILLION According to Ali Hasanov, Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the total amount of damage suffered by the country due to the occupation of its territories by Armenia is estimated at 70 billion manat ($87 billion) He said the amount of damage and the total cost will be reevaluated after Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends and all Azerbaijani IDPs return to their previous homes in Karabakh. Hasanov said a large number of lawsuits by Azerbaijani IDPs against Armenia have been filed with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. He added that the Azerbaijani government is expected to increase spending from the State Oil Fund on the resettlement of IDPs. “The State Committee was ordered to start the resettlement of IDPs from dormitory rooms and to build a new settlement in Aghdam,” Hasanov said. “With all of the new projects the overall budget spending for IDPs will exceed $100 million in fiscal year 2010. Every single displaced family will be considered.” As a result of the occupation, around 750,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 adjacent districts in 1992-1993. Back to top AZERBAIJANI RECEIVES U.S. PRESIDENT’S EDUCATION AWARD Mehdi Huseynov, an eighth-grade student of the Gunston Middle School in Arlingon, Virginia, and a son of an employee of Azerbaijan’s Embassy to the U.S., has received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence signed by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan The President’s Education Awards Program was developed to recognize and honor students who have achieved high academic goals through hard work and dedication to learning. To be eligible for the President’s Award for Educational Excellence, students must meet the requirements of having a grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale. Since 1983, the program has provided individual recognition from the U.S. President and Secretary of Education to those students whose outstanding efforts have enabled them to meet challenging standards of excellence.

July 10, 2010

Iran Opposes Any U.S. Peacekeeping Role For Karabakh

A HALO Trust road sign in an area in Nagorno-Karabakh that was cleared of land mines.

June 24, 2010

YEREVAN — An Iranian diplomat says Tehran is strongly opposed to U.S. involvement in a multinational peacekeeping force that would be deployed around the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in the event of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reports.

Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Ali Saghaeyan issued the warning at a news conference in Yerevan on June 23.

Such a peacekeeping operation is an important element of the current and previous peace proposals made by the United States, Russian, and French mediators spearheading international efforts to settle the dispute over the breakaway Azerbaijani region.

Analysts have long speculated about the possible composition of foreign troops that would enforce a future peace deal.

According to Saghaeyan, the United States is keen to have troops in Azerbaijan’s Fizuli district, which borders Iran and was mostly occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces in 1993. He claimed such a move would pose a serious threat to Iran given its tense relations with Washington.

“Iran is the only country adjacent to the conflicting parties, and in terms if ensuring its own security, it will not allow the deployment of American forces,” Saghayean said.

Meanwhile, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian on June 22 urged Western powers to respect Iran’s geopolitical interests in the South Caucasus and held up Armenia’s economic projects with the Islamic republic as a model for regional cooperation.

Ending an official visit to Germany, Sarkisian also asserted that the Western-backed energy projects involving Azerbaijan and excluding Armenia have only complicated a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

In a speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, he said: “I do realize that in the light of the sanctions imposed on Iran some people will treat my approach with skepticism, but I am convinced that it is wrong and not possible to ignore Iran in regional solutions.”

Sarkisian did not specify what concrete role Iran should play in regional security. Nor was it clear whether he thinks Tehran should have a major say in the Karabakh peace process.

https://www.rferl.org/a/Iran_Against_Any_US_Peacekeeping_Role_For_Karabakh/2081078.html

June 25, 2010
Turkish-Azeri Deal May Herald New Competition in Southern Corridor

Turkish-Azeri Deal May Herald New Competition in Southern Corridor

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 115

June 15, 2010

By: Saban Kardas

On the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit held in Istanbul, Turkey and Azerbaijan concluded agreements on natural gas cooperation. On June 7, during a ceremony attended by Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Recep Erdogan, Azeri President, Ilham Aliyev, the Turkish Energy Minister, Taner Yildiz, and his Azeri counterpart, Natiq Aliyev, signed an agreement which will end a two year long price dispute on Turkey’s gas imports from the first phase of Azerbaijan’s offshore Shah Deniz-I, as well as setting the volume and price for Turkey’s imports from the second phase of the field, expected to come online in 2016-17. A related agreement will regulate the terms and mechanisms for the sale and transit of Azeri gas to Europe through Turkey.

Turkey currently imports 6 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from Shah Deniz-I, paying $120/thousand cubic meter (tcm), well below the current market prices. However, the original agreement allowed for price renegotiation, which is exactly what Azerbaijan asked for when the pricing terms expired in April 2008. As the negotiations were underway, Turkey continued to import gas, though stressing that it would compensate for the price differences retroactively. Despite several rounds of negotiations, which were eclipsed by the discussions on gas transit, the parties failed to bridge their differences, which also raised concerns in the West that the delays might undermine Nabucco and other projects seeking to ensure supply diversification from the Caspian basin to Europe (EDM, February 26). Moreover, the gas disagreements also aggravated the diplomatic row between Baku and Ankara, caused by Turkey’s efforts to normalize relations with Armenia, raising questions about future relations between the two fraternal countries (EDM, October 21, 2009).

Earlier, both parties announced that they had reached a breakthrough, and during Erdogan’s Baku visit in May, they expressed their determination to sign the deal in Istanbul (EDM, June 1). The recent deal, which apparently came about only after intense negotiations, signifies not only their willingness to reactivate the energy partnership, but also in repairing Turkish-Azeri strategic ties. As statements issued during Aliyev’s trip attest, Turkey will continue to place Baku at the center of its South Caucasus policy.

Still, energy is likely to remain the most important component of Turkish-Azeri ties. For instance, the Azeri State energy company SOCAR is already a major player in Turkey’s energy market, through its control of the country’s largest petrochemicals group PETKIM. Recently, it was announced that PETKIM would expand its operations through new multi-billion dollar investments in the coming years (www.azernews.az, June 3).

The exact details of the agreements have not been disclosed and some sources maintain that both parties still have to work towards elaborating many details. Yildiz declined to specify the revised price, indicating that it will be flexible in order to allow for adjustment to market conditions. Yildiz also added that it will be more favorable compared to what Turkey is currently paying to Russia (Anadolu Ajansi, June 8). However, Turkish media speculated that the price will be raised from $120 to $300/tcm. Turkey will have to pay around $1.5 to $2 billion to compensate for price differences. The price for Turkey’s imports from Shah Deniz-II, which will be around 6-7 bcm annually, is likely to be higher than $300 per tcm, and will be assessed by taking into account investment costs (www.haberturk.com, June 8).

The other major item, terms for the transit of further Azeri gas to Europe, was also settled. Ankara had been insisting on purchasing Azeri gas and then re-exporting it to Europe on its own terms, as was the case for Shah Deniz-I. Neither side clarified whether Turkey retained that right (Hurriyet Daily News, June 8), but Yildiz indicated that Turkey would be able to re-export the gas it imports from Azerbaijan in collaboration with PETKIM (Cihan, June 7). Some sources maintain that Azerbaijan will pay Turkey $45 per tcm in transit fees for its direct export to Europe, passing through Turkish territory (Sabah, June 8). There remains some uncertainty over who exactly will export Azeri gas to Europe, as Azeri sources failed to confirm that Turkey retains the re-exporting rights (www.enerjivadisi, June 9).

Previously, delays in negotiations with Turkey had invited the ire of Azerbaijan, because the development of the Shah Deniz-II had to be postponed. The resolution of the transit issue and the interest from different pipeline projects is definitely welcome news for Azeri officials, as they can now discuss with their European partners the commissioning of Shah Deniz-II. Both parties also publicized the agreement as a positive step that would facilitate other projects to transport gas to Europe, most notably Nabucco. Natiq Aliyev emphasized that they were willing to support Nabucco, but they still had not received any purchase commitment from Nabucco. Currently, Turkey is able to export Azeri gas to Greece through the Turkey-Greece Interconnector (TGI) which integrates Turkish and Greek grids. The planned Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which will run from Greece to Italy, also seeks to tap into Azeri gas.

Impending competition between Nabucco and other pipelines forming the EU’s Southern Corridor seems certain. While many believe Nabucco will be a non-starter without locking in Azeri gas, TAP has been awaiting the conclusion of the Turkish-Azeri negotiations.

Representatives from both TAP and Nabucco welcomed the Turkish-Azeri deal (www.today.az, June 8). Azeri officials, anticipating the country’s gas output to increase substantially in future, welcome such outside demand which will boost their export potential. However, as the initial phase of Shah Deniz-II might only have limited extra output after it was allocated for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, it remains to be seen if Azerbaijan can supply all the Southern-corridor pipelines simultaneously at their desired levels. Turkish media maintain that Italy might soon sign a transit agreement with Ankara and a supply commitment agreement with Baku, which will commit the entire remaining volume from Shah Deniz-II to TAP, leaving no extra capacity for Nabucco (Referans, June 9). Yildiz stated that Turkey supports both projects and the final decision will be taken by the Shah Deniz consortium (ANKA, June 9). In any case, the Turkish-Azeri agreement might herald new competition in the Southern Corridor.

https://jamestown.org/program/turkish-azeri-deal-may-herald-new-competition-in-southern-corridor/

June 17, 2010
Foreign Ministers of the OIC countries recognize Khojaly massacre as a crime against humanity

A resolution was adopted today on the activities of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC) at the final plenary meeting of the 37th session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) held on 18-20 May 2010, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The resolution calls on the OIC Member States and the OIC institutions to actively participate in the activities of the “Justice for Khojaly” international civil awareness campaign and recognition of the Khojaly mass massacre as a “crime against humanity” in both international and national levels.

The document praises the work of the Forum, particularly the implementation of the program “Humanitarian catastrophes in the OIC countries throughout the XX century”, carried out together with ISESCO. The resolution also calls on Member-states to support the international campaign of “Justice for Khojaly” initiated by Mrs. Leyla Aliyeva, the General Coordinator on Intercultural Dialogue of ICYF-DC to disseminate the truth on Khojaly mass massacre among the international community.

“This is the first resolution, in which Ministers of foreign affairs from 57 countries, which came together in the second largest international organization after the United Nations, unambiguously voted for resolution using the term ‘crime against humanity’ as a definition and declared their position for the historical truth on Khojaly tragedy. The term has both political and international law components. It is being considered one of serious violations of the international humanitarian law, including genocide” said the Secretary General of ICYF-DC Ambassador Elshad Iskandarov who participated at the ICFM session in Dushanbe as a head of delegation.

“The facts that the document was adopted by the experts of foreign ministers of Member states and then by ministers with consensus is an indication of increasing confidence of the true nature of Khojaly genocide by the OIC. The current document assesses the Khojaly tragedy as the resolution adopted by Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member-states in January 2010 which creates a solid political and legal framework for the recognition of Khojaly mass massacre as a crime against humanity and to raise the issue of recognition in international level” mentioned E. Iskandarov while commenting the adopted resolution.

“Effective actions of the “Justice for Khojaly” campaign initiated and consistently coordinated by General Coordinator of the Forum Mrs. Leyla Aliyeva played important role in the formation of such a position of 57 OIC Member States. The resolution highly appreciated the work of the campaign and the Member States are called upon to actively participate in the campaign”, Secretary General of the ICYF-DC said.

The international civil awareness campaign “Justice for Khojaly” was launched in 2009 and was presented in more than 35 countries including OIC, European and Latin American countries.

Justice for Khojaly campaign

To be part of global awareness campaign and to have your voice heard at the highest political level visit:

It takes just a few second to send Petition to Wrold leader to ask them to recognize this tragedy as crime against humanity:

June 16, 2010
Approaches of Caucasus to Israeli Aggression

There has been a great resistance in the international arena to Israeli operation on volunteers who tried to help Gaza. Everybody who is against Israel or not pointed out that Israeli action was not acceptable for the values of humanity. Especially some groups which bear religious or humane values held great meetings and discussed Israel’s position in the region.

Different sides have different approaches to Israeli intervention into Turkish-Israeli relations. Opposite groups give anti-Turkish speeches because of Turkey’s important policies on the foreign affairs in the region. All media organs in Russia and Caucasus briefly talked about Israel’s actions and the situation of people. Some writers declared that Israel was a big problem for the region and the world from the time it was founded. Pravda, which is a media organ in Russia, criticized Israel’s action against Turkey and supported Israel’s terrorism based politics. Pravda praised the efforts of volunteers and said that action was only against Turkey. Russian authorities underlined Israel’s bad situation during the meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The state accused Israel because of its violation of the international law and called Israel to leave Gaza. Other Russian media organs analyzed the possibility of new balances in the region, a possible war in the Mediterranean and possible situation of Israel to terminate itself.

Armenia, with which Turkey tried to normalize its relations, has different approaches about the last issues. Commonly media members and academicians pointed out how national interests were influenced by tensions between Turkey and Israel with too many contradictions.

Ruben Mehrabyan, who is a researcher from Armenian Center of International and Political Research, talked to an Armenian news agency. He stated that Israel worked to protect its security when it attacked ships. “The purpose of the action to break the sea blockade of Gaza was to test Israel’s tolerance and determination. In the long run, a force has come to power in Israel, which is interested in the problem of Israelis’ right to life, rather than Palestinians’ rights. Naturally, Israel must act how it is supposed to in order to ensure its own security. Israel’s steps were aimed to ensure Israel’s security irrespective of what flag the ships were flying”. Mehrabyan underlined that action wasn’t against Turkey. He spoke about political and legal results of the tension: “We should not forget that Turkish-Israeli relations are not as they were before; they are worsening. It is not Israel’s initiative. Turkey is the cause, as it is trying to restore its influence in the Middle East.”

Another analyze in Armenia now emphasized that last issue was a result of the Davos tension in 2009, Turkey damaged normalization process with Armenia and Western states weren’t content with Turkish position in the region. According to the analyze Turkey shouldn’t have cooperated with Iran. According to Ruben Melkonyan from Yerevan State University, Knesset will recognize so-called Armenian genocide issue and Jewish Lobbies can support Armenian people. According to Melkonyan, strategic partnership of Turkey and Israel cannot be ended for a short time but it can lead to different circumstances for next elections. If the current government continues, new situation could turn against to Armenia. He reminds supports of Pakistan to Azerbaijan without Armenia.

Russia and Azerbaijan keep their positions to blame Israeli politics as positive approaches. But we can classify Armenian predictions about the last issue like that:

• Parliament of Israel will recognize Armenian genocide issue after the last tension with Turkey.

• Lobbies of Israel will have new approaches about Armenian issue and support Armenia.

• If the current administration in Turkey wins elections for next time, Armenia will be harmed by Turkish politics.

• Violence might increase against minorities in Turkey. Especially Jewish and Armenian minorities can be discriminated by Turks. Armenian people who know 1955 syndrome should be ready to all actions.

• If Turkey continues to increase and grow its popularity in the region, there could be new tensions like Israeli issue.

Mehmet Fatih ÖZTARSU – Institute of Strategic Thinking

June 8, 2010

Newsletter of the Embassy of Azerbaijan – Vol.III Issue

Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 17:52

To: Turkish Forum

From: [email protected]


	THE NEWSLETTER Embassy of Azerbaijan Washington D. C.
Volume III, Issue # 6	June 4, 2010
In This Issue: Secretary Clinton: Azerbaijan is an Important and Reliable Supplier of Energy to World Markets Azerbaijan’s First Satellite to Be Launched in 2012 Azerbaijan to Establish ‘E-Government’ New Oil and Gas Processing Complex to Be Built in Baku Presentation of Azerbaijan at International Trade Exhibition in Pennsylvania Previous Issues Contact Us	SECRETARY CLINTON: AZERBAIJAN IS AN IMPORTANT AND RELIABLE SUPPLIER OF ENERGY TO WORLD MARKETS In a letter addressed to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the opening of the 17th Caspian International Oil and Gas Conference in Baku, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commended the key role played by Azerbaijan in the region, its responsible development of energy resources leading to rapid economic progress as well as the partnership between the two countries “Your country has emerged as an important and reliable supplier of energy to world markets. Azerbaijan is an example of how energy resources hold the promise of linking people through trade and investment. Your country’s commitment to develop its resources in a responsible manner has resulted in rapid economic progress and the creation of professional opportunities for thousands of Azerbaijani citizens. This in turn has enhanced your country’s independence. Working closely with your regional neighbors, including Georgia and Turkey, Azerbaijan has successfully developed the East-West Energy Corridor, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and South Caucasus gas pipeline. These projects epitomize what can be achieved with dedication and cooperation. The United States is proud to have been a partner of Azerbaijan in realizing these important projects”, Secretary said. “As we look to the future, the United States supports your efforts to develop your oil and natural gas fields and to diversify your energy supply routes. This will benefit Azerbaijan as a producer country, while also enhancing energy security for consumer countries. In particular, we look forward to Azerbaijan’s continued leadership in realizing the Southern Corridor for gas transport to Europe in the near future. In Azerbaijan’s drive to continue developing its energy resources, you will find a strong partner in the United States”, Secretary said. Back to top AZERBAIJAN’S FIRST SATELLITE TO BE LAUNCHED IN 2012 Azerbaijan has signed a contract with Orbital Sciences Corp. to design, build and deliver its first telecommunications satellite The AzerSat spacecraft will be launched in 2012 into the 46 degrees east longitude orbital position. Azerbaijan views the AzerSat satellite, whose manufacture, launch and insurance is estimated to cost around $200 million, as the first pillar of what it intends as a new national space program coordinated by a newly-established national space agency “AzerCosmos”. The satellite will be based on Orbital’s flight-proven STAR-2 platform and will generate approximately five kilowatts of payload power for 36 active transponders. Upon completion of in-orbit testing, operational control of the satellite will be handed over to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Communications and IT, which will continue to operate the spacecraft from its control center in Baku. Ali Abbasov, Minister of Communications and IT of the Republic of Azerbaijan, said that “The AzerSat project is a keystone to the advancement and progress of Azerbaijan as we significantly expand our communications infrastructure within our borders and our connectivity to Europe, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.” Orbital Sciences Corp., a U.S. company, develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. Back to top AZERBAIJAN TO ESTABLISH ‘E-GOVERNMENT’ The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan adopted a regulation confirming a 2010-2011 action plan on forming e-government in the country, the Ministry of Communications and IT reported The action plan is designed to improve methods of governance through broader use of modern information and communication technologies in government bodies, and organization of e-services, as well as implementation of comprehensive measures to provide a simplified and free access of citizens and organizations to these services. According to the Cabinet’s regulation, the Ministry of Communications and IT will be coordinating the implementation of the action plan. Formation and development of e-government in Azerbaijan is expected to lead to increased efficiency and improved public services, as well as more transparency and accountability. Back to top NEW OIL AND GAS PROCESSING COMPLEX TO BE BUILT IN BAKU State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) plans to build a new oil and gas processing and petrochemical complex near Baku, scheduled for completion between 2018 and 2019 SOCAR said the planned facility would include a 40-billion cm/year gas processing plant, a 15-million t/year oil refinery, as well as chemical, petrochemical, and power plants. As an additional outlet for rising oil and gas production, the new complex will enable Azerbaijan to process more volumes of oil and gas within the country. Back to top PRESENTATION OF AZERBAIJAN AT INTERNATIONAL TRADE EXHIBITION IN PENNSYLVANIA In the framework of the celebration of the Republic Day of Azerbaijan, the Embassy of Azerbaijan, in cooperation with the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC), participated at the International Trade Conference and Exhibition organized on May 27 by the World Trade Center of Central Pennsylvania in Camp Hill, PA Azerbaijan’s exhibition stand presented various books, booklets, maps and DVDs on the country’s growing economic potential, tourism, business and investment opportunities, the development of its IT industry and large-scale projects implemented in this field, as well as on Azerbaijani culture and arts. Documentary films on Azerbaijan’s economic and social development, history, culture and nature shown at the stand attracted the attention of exhibition attendees. Numerous questions of attendees were answered by Embassy and USACC representatives.