Azerbaijan Exchange Foreign Market
US Department Of State Post Report
Many foreigners hire a car and driver on a monthly basis instead of importing a car, and many other foreigners employ Azerbaijanis to drive for them in imported vehicles. Drivers do not need to acquire a local license, and one can drive on a valid U.S. driver’s license. ... In November 1999, Azerbaijan signed an agreement with Turkey and Georgia to transport Azerbaijani oil to international markets via a Baku-Tbilisi‑Ceyhan main oil export pipeline to the Mediterranean. In October 2000, the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) together with BP, Unocal, Chevron and other foreign oil companies formed a sponsor’s group for the project. In March 2001, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey signed a gas purchase agreement for Azerbaijani exports of gas to Turkey which will reach annual volumes of 6.6 billion cubic meters by 2007. Oil, gas and pipeline development contracts expected to be signed by the end of 2002 should total $12 billion in new investment in Azerbaijan. ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
Religious proselytizing by foreigners is against the law. In July the head of the new SCWRS intervened to allow the import of evangelical Christian literature by a Baku bookstore, which had been blocked by the Department of Religious Affairs. There is official concern regarding "foreign" (mostly Iranian and "Wahhabist") Muslim missionary activity. The Government banned several Islamic humanitarian organizations because of credible reports regarding connections to terrorist activities. The Government also deported foreign Muslim clerics it suspected of engaging in political activities. ... [Read More]
U.S. Foreign Assistance Programs
Mr. Chairman and other distinguished Committee members, I am pleased to participate in your examination of U.S. foreign assistance programs. U.S. assistance is key to achieving our foreign policy goals in Europe and Eurasia, and we greatly appreciate your current and past support in providing us with this important diplomatic tool. I am pleased to have with me today Dr. Kent Hill, my counterpart from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Also, sitting behind me is Ambassador Carlos Pascual, the Coordinator of Assistance to Europe and Eurasia. We are fortunate to have in our Bureau a Coordinator with statutory authority over assistance in our region; we think this helps maintain a strong link between foreign policy objectives and assistance programs. A ... [Read More]
Armenia (04/05)
State Department and USAID educational exchange programs play an important role in supporting democratic and free-market reforms. Assistance in the translation and publication of printed information also has been provided. Exchange programs in the U.S. for Armenian lawyers, judges, political party members, business people, government officials, NGO activists, journalists, and other public figures focus on a range of topics, including the American judicial and political system, privatization, specific business sectors, the media, and civil society. The State Department has funded an ongoing project to provide Internet connectivity to schools at various levels throughout the country; these centers provide both educational and community-building opportunities. ... [Read More]
Armenia -- Azerbaijan
San Francisco (CG) 625 Market St., Suite 200, 94105-3304. ... St. Paul (HCG) 26 E. Exchange St., Suite 313, 55116-0448. ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
In response to discussions with the Council of Europe on political prisoner problems, the authorities initiated retrials of three figures accused of plotting against the Government in the early 1990s; all three remained in detention at year's end. The retrial of Isgender Hamidov, a former Minister of Internal Affairs, began in May; he had been convicted and sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment in 1994 for appropriating state property. The retrial of former Defense Minister Rahim Gaziyev also started in May; he had been convicted and sentenced to death in 1995 for abuse of power in war conditions, large-scale embezzlement of state properties, and illegal storage and possession of weapons. The retrial of Alikram Humbatov, who was convicted and sentenced to life in 1994 for attempting to establish a separatist Talysh Republic in southeastern Azerbaijan, began in June. Authorities rejected repeated appeals by the defendants, foreign embassies, and international organizations to ... [Read More]
U.S. Assistance to Azerbaijan – Fiscal Year 2004
Small grant-making programs administered by the Eurasia Foundation and by the U.S. Embassy in Baku support the work of indigenous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to foster civil society, local government accountability, independent media, and other initiatives to promote democracy. Assistance programs continue to focus on training and exchange programs in an effort to reach out to the next generation of Azerbaijan's leaders and give them first-hand experience in the day-to-day functioning of a market-based, democratic system. Since 1993, the U.S. has funded the travel of over 2,400 Azerbaijani citizens to the United States on academic and professional exchange programs in fields such as management, social service provision, and NGO development. ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Bahrain is a destination country for women and men who migrate legally from South Asia and the Philippines and — to a lesser extent — from China, Indonesia, the former Soviet Union, Morocco, and Ethiopia, but fall victim to conditions of sexual servitude, debt bondage, and other exploitative conditions that constitute involuntary servitude. The Government of Bahrain does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Bahrain is placed on Tier 2 Watch List because of the lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year. Although Bahrain has developed a national plan of action and created an inter-ministerial taskforce on trafficking, these efforts were not accompanied by concrete actions to address the substantial trafficking pr ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
During the year, a total of three POWs were released, one from Azerbaijan and two from Armenia.The law prohibits forced exile, and the Government did not employ it. e. Denial of a Fair and Public Trial The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary; however, in practice, judges did not function independently of the executive branch, and the judiciary was widely believed to be corrupt and inefficient. Judges preside over and direct trials. The President appoints Supreme and Constitutional Court judges, whom Parliament confirms. The President appoints lower-level judges without confirmation. Qualifying exams for judges were administered periodically as part of a judicial reform effort; however, credible allegations persisted that judgeships were bought and sold. Low salaries for judges and lawyers increased the incentives for bribe taking and ... [Read More]
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