NO NEW CIGARETTE OUTLETS IN BAKU FOR ITS STATUS

AssA-Irada News, March 11-13, 2002

 

European Tobacco Baku open joint stock company has twice applied to the

Mayoral Office of Baku for opening cigarette selling outlets, but the city

authorities say they won't give appropriate sanctions unless Baku's status

is defined and cleaning work is over, the Mayor's Office said Wednesday.

European Tobacco Baku mulls the opening of 2000 outlets for marketing its

23 brands of cigarettes.*

 

Karabakh leader hails work by British mine clearance NGO
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Mar 18, 2002

 

Text of report by Armenian news agency Arminfo

Stepanakert [Xankandi], 18 March: British non-governmental organization Halo Trust will continue working in the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] until the conflict with Azerbaijan is resolved. This was stated at a meeting with the president of the NKR, Arkadiy Gukasyan, yesterday by Shane Pritchard, Halo Trust's manager for the programme on clearing undetonated mines on the territory of Nagornyy Karabakh. Mr Pritchard informed the president of the work his organization was doing, the progress it had achieved jointly with the NKR defence ministry in the clearance of mines and removal of anti-infantry mines on the territory of the republic, as well as problems Halo Trust is facing.

For his part, the head of the NKR said that minefields are posing a serious threat to residents of the republic. He also thanked the representative of the British NGO for the work it is doing and expressed the hope that Halo Trust would continue its useful work in Nagornyy Karabakh. The NKR president stated his readiness to assist the organization in resolving the problems.

Source: Arminfo, Yerevan, in Russian 0611 gmt 18 Mar 02

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.

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USA to grant 10m dollars in agricultural guarantees to Azerbaijan
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Mar 15, 2002

 

Baku, 15 March: The US Department of Agriculture has authorized 10m dollars to Azerbaijan within the framework of the Export Credit Guarantee under the Commodity Credit Corporation Programme (GSM-102) and the Supplier Credit Guarantee of the Commodity Credit Corporation Programme.

Both programmes are designed to guarantee commercial financing for exports of US goods to Azerbaijan and stimulate the establishment of ties between US exporters and potential Azerbaijani partners in agricultural trade. The International Bank of Azerbaijan is the agent bank accredited by the US Department of Agriculture for the aforementioned programmes.

[Passage omitted: minor details]

Source: Turan news agency, Baku, in Russian 1245 gmt 15 Mar 02

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.

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Asian bank approves 5.3m-dollar projects for Azerbaijan
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Mar 15, 2002

 

Baku, 14 March, Trend correspondent A. Mehdiyev: The Asian Development Bank has approved seven projects for Azerbaijan worth 5.3m dollars, the director of the bank's programmes department for Eastern and Central Asia, Geert van der Linden, told a press conference, Trend news agency reports.

The projects stipulate consultative services and a feasibility study to prepare investment projects in the water supply and sewerage system, poverty reduction, expansion of the microeconomic policy group at the Finance Ministry, construction of houses for refugees and displaced people and a programme to iodize salt. The Asian Development Bank intends to allocate grants for the above projects.

In particular, the bank plans to give a privileged credit of 23m dollars for the feasibility study on the water supply and sewerage system by the end of the year. The credit will be given for 32 years, eight years of which will be on privileged terms (under 1 per cent interest).

Azerbaijan has been a member of the Asian Development Bank for two years. Following a recent decision of the bank's board of directors, Azerbaijan was given B1 category (country classification). Azerbaijan can annually receive privileged credits from the bank of 25m dollars with a 0.75-1 per cent interest rate.

Geert van der Linden also said that the Asian Development Bank would open its office in Baku by the end of this year. So far the bank has rented an office for coordination work.

[Passage omitted: information about the bank]

Source: Trend news agency, Baku, in Russian 1248 gmt 14 Mar 02

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.

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GOVERNMENT TO BEGIN GRANTING CREDIT TO MASS MEDIA AND PRIVATE TRANSPORTS
AZERBAIJAN A WEEKLY ANALYTICAL-INFORMATION BULLETIN No: 11 (313), March 14 2002 [ENGLISH]

 

For credit should be appealed to the Ministry of Economic Development.

The Azerbaijani Government is going to grant a preferential credit to the mass media and private transport in order to guarantee the economic independence. Those wishing to get a credit may apply to the Department of Development of Ownership and Managing of the State Property of the Ministry of Economic Development, the press secretariat of the ministry reported about it. This measure is carried out with the purpose of implementing the decree of President Heidar Aliev dated December 27, 2001 "On the additional measures in the field of increasing the government's care on Mass Media".
In addition, it is considered to direct a part of the grant from privatization to the pre-privatization reinforcement and encouragement of the privatized enterprises. Printing enterprises may apply to the Department of Privatizing State's Property of the Ministry, in connection with it.
The Ministry informed that the credits granted for mass media would be carried out with the grant worth to 13,3 milliard manats [3 million USD approx.] considered for the development of ownership at the state budget. The degree of the credits will be 3-4 percent annual and granted on favorable terms. Besides, there is considered pawning that in this case will be applied milder rules in comparison with commercial terms, as well.
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