Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Ultimatum Ilham Aliyev: "Do not do this to be on the scrap heap of history"

Harsh criticism of the authorities of Azerbaijan by the destruction of mosques in the country is gaining momentum. The Iranian Ayatollah Zein-ol-Abeddin Ghorbani nominated President Ilham Aliyev ultimatum.

During Friday prayers, Ayatollah Ghorbani raised the issue of mosques in Azerbaijan, and, turning to Ilham Aliyev, said: "I propose to you an ultimatum, do not do so to be on the ash heap of history in a place with Mohammed Reza Shah and Saddam Hussein", reports the Iranian portal «Shomal N ews».

"Ilham Aliyev became a weapon in the hands of the Zionists and the Wahhabis, ultimately, spiritual leaders will call on Muslims to fight and revolt", - added Ayatollah Ghorbani.

Last week, with a sharp criticism of President Ilham Aliyev made by senior Iranian clerics. In particular, Ayatollah Safi Galpaegani sent a letter to Ilham Aliyev, in which he criticized the president for the destruction of mosques. In turn, Ayatollah Nasir Makarim Shirazi, said that Muslim believers are waiting for a fatwa from religious leaders, and if Azerbaijan does not stop the destruction of mosques, the clerics will order the believers to resist a life and death. "The dead in this way will be considered a shahid" - Ayatollah Shirazi.

http://translate.googleusercontent.c...fC33t_QVMYpSrA

Its the Armenians inside of azerbaijan that are destroying the mosques because they want to start an internal war in azerbaijan.

Tomorrow king aliyev will blame Armenia for the mosque destructions like he blames Armenia for everything. Armenia is sending mines down the river and when azeris drink water they blow up. lets not forget about the oil academy shooting and how they blame us till this day.

[Yedtarts]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Its the Armenians inside of azerbaijan that are destroying the mosques because they want to start an internal war in azerbaijan.

Tomorrow king aliyev will blame Armenia for the mosque destructions like he blames Armenia for everything. Armenia is sending mines down the river and when azeris drink water they blow up. lets not forget about the oil academy shooting and how they blame us till this day.

“You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

some good news

IMF: The Party’s Over for Azerbaijan’s Oil Sector
May 24, 2010 - 1:01pm, by Shahin Abbasov
Azerbaijan Economy Energy IMF Oil and Gas

Baku may still sport all the signs of energy wealth, but, after an almost decade-long boom, the International Monetary Fund is cautioning that Azerbaijan’s oil sector no longer has enough muscle to power economic growth alone.

In a May 13 report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that an estimated 10-percent decline in the oil sector will cause Azerbaijan’s 2010 economic growth to shrink to 2.7 percent – a decline of more than threefold compared with 2009, when the economy expanded at a 9.3-percent rate. Oil production, broadsided by lower world prices and demand, will expand by a mere 1.2 percent, according to the IMF.

“Given that oil production will no longer be the main source of growth, there is an urgent need to accelerate economic diversification,” the IMF wrote.

Non-oil sectors have not yet demonstrated robust growth. Last year, the growth rate in non-energy related sectors decreased from 16 percent in 2008 to a 3 percent.

To counter the downward slide, the IMF called on President Ilham Aliyev’s administration to encourage the private sector “through trade facilitation, tax and customs modernization, and reducing monopolies.” It also cautioned the government not to dip into its $16.2-billion-State Oil Fund to make up for lost economic growth.

The government has not commented on the findings yet. But at an April 15 cabinet meeting, President Aliyev maintained that Azerbaijan, despite a global economic recession, is still “demonstrating stable growth.”

Arif Valiyev, chairman of the State Statistics Committee, echoed that line. “GDP growth during the first four months [of 2010] was 5 percent year-to-year,” he said, adding that growth also occurred in the non-oil sector. He did not provide a figure, however.

Valiyev claimed that overall foreign investments – transactions traditionally centered on the energy sector -- increased by 67 percent during the first third of 2010, in comparison to the same period during the previous year.

Even as it touts its economic performance, Baku also appears to be looking for a helping hand from international financial institutions. Speaking on May 19 to the executive directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Economic Development Minister Shahin Mustafayev asked for the Bank “to play an active role in support of the private sector in Azerbaijan.” Nine of the London-based bank's 23 executive directors are expected to visit Azerbaijan on May 31, the Ministry of Economic Development reported.

Independent economic experts in Baku echo the IMF warnings. They don’t believe Azerbaijan’s non-oil sector can offset slowing energy revenues anytime soon.

The government has promoted development of the regions, telecommunications, tourism and small and medium businesses to balance the energy sector, but non-oil exports “still make up only 5 percent of Azerbaijan’s overall exports,” noted Rasim Huseynov, deputy chairman of the non-governmental Center for Economic Research.

President Aliyev has touted a new shipbuilding plant and new telecommunications projects to show that the government has its eye on non-oil sectors, and has signed a decree on reducing the number of inspections of private businesses. Aliyev also fell back on stop-gap measures such as an increase in state wages – he did not specify the amount.

The head of one Baku think-tank, though, projects that these efforts will not be enough to make up the difference in lost oil revenue. Azerbaijan may experience a recession starting in 2011, predicted Zohrab Ismayil of the Public Association for Assistance to a Free Economy.

The Center for Economic Research’s Huseynov agreed. With the oil sector accounting for more than half of Azerbaijan’s economy, “neither in 2010, nor in later years, can the non-oil sector compensate for these [declining revenue] levels, Huseynov said.

Editor's note: Shahin Abbasov is a freelance correspondent based in Baku. He is also a board member of the Open Society Institute-Azerbaijan.

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Severe Flooding Creating New IDPs in Azerbaijan
May 25, 2010 - 1:08pm, by Mina Muradova
Azerbaijan Editors' Pick Internal Migration Natural Disasters

When the sun finally came out recently, women at a temporary camp in Shirvan, in central Azerbaijan, tried to tidy the tents they now call home, and restore a semblance of normalcy to their lives.

"The Kura River made us Internally Displaced Persons, not the Karabakh conflict," recounted Parvana, a 42-year-old woman from the village of Polad Togay, as tears rolled down her face. "The water suddenly caught us. . . .It was strong and no house could withstand it.”

Heavy rains during the month of May have caused flooding in 20 villages surrounding the Kura River, Azerbaijan's main waterway, which enters the country from Georgia, where it is called the Mtkvari. The river is rising at the fastest rate in a century, according to officials.

Some 20,000 people – or more than 4,300 families – in 20 villages near the Kura River have been affected by the flooding so far, the Ministry of Health reports.

The hardest hit area is Sabirabad District southwest of Baku, near the confluence of the Kura and Araz rivers. Thousands of houses remain under water and thousands more – constructed from a mixture of loam and hay – have been destroyed. About 50,000 hectares of farmland have been inundated. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates the damage done so far at some 50 million manats, or about $62.5 million.

Roughly 2,000 Ministry of the Interior troops and police officers are involved in the disaster relief effort in Sabirabad, as well as the nearby regions of Imishli, Saatli and Hajigabul. Gas supplies to and train traffic in the regions were halted on May 25, the Azerbaijan Business Center reported.

About 1,200 soldiers are assisting the Ministry of Emergency Situations with strengthening dams on the Kura and Araz River, but the flooding shows little sign of abating.

Another eight villages near Sarisu Lake, which receives water from the Kura near where the Sabirabad, Saatli and Imishli districts converge, have now been flooded, the APA news agency reported on May 25. Twenty-two villagers from the area have been rescued, the Ministry for Emergency Situations announced on May 25.

Officials have reported that the water level at a dam upstream on the Kura River is already at its capacity. To relieve pressure on the dam, water needs to be released from the Mingachevir Reservoir, northwest of Sabirabad region, but this could add to the floodwaters downstream.

Etibar Pirverdiyev, the president of the Azerenergy State Company, which manages the Mingachevir Reservoir for hydropower generation, told reporters on May 24 that the reservoir situation is “stable,” but is being closely monitored. A third of the reservoir’s water has already been released, he said.

In an effort to reduce the threat of flooding in the future, the government plans to divert the Araz River, in effect creating a new, 130-kilometer-long branch of the waterway, the APA agency quoted State Committee for Land and Cartography Chairman Garib Mammadov as saying on May 24. No completion date for the project was specified.

Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Huseyn Bagirov has said that he does not see any environmental problem if the Kura and Araz rivers are separated – a statement that will likely generate considerable debate among environmentalists.

Right now, the more than 1,300 people from Sabirabad living at the Shirvan tent camp have more immediate concerns. In addition to the tent camp, some 250 to 300 IDPs from Sabirabad region are temporarily living in a technical college and roughly 150 persons in a high school in Shirvan.

Most of those interviewed by EurasiaNet.org expressed gratitude for the government’s efforts, which included basic medical care. Many, however, are clearly reeling in shock from the loss of their homes. “Thank goodness! The government has created good conditions," said 48-year-old Vasilya Chakhalova, who fled with her husband and four children from the village of Alambayli on the night of May 10.

Camp residents receive milk, eggs, butter, rice, buckwheat, meat and water three times a day, but some complain that they have not yet received fresh clothes. The sun is creating a different challenge. The camp is located on an open plain with no trees. Residents make do by spraying themselves with water, one 70-year-old IDP said.

As of May 25, officials said no request had been made for international assistance to help with flood relief efforts.

Editor's note: Mina Muradova is a freelance reporter based in Baku.


I think these IDP's will also be added to the list of IDP's from Armenia and Artsakh.

[Haykakan]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Wasn't sure where to post this.

Five Russian lawmakers declared personae non gratae for observing
KARABAKH POLLS

RIA Novosti
May 26, 2010
BAKU

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has declared five members of Russia's
lower house personae non gratae for observing parliamentary elections
in the disputed area of Nagorny Karabakh, a spokesman for the ministry
said on Wednesday.

"The decision is final. This list may be extended," Elkhan Pulukhov
said.

However, he conceded, the measure might be reviewed if the five
lawmakers admit that their involvement in monitoring the elections was
"deliberate malice."

The predominantly ethnic Armenian region, at the center of a dispute
between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia since
the late 1980s, elected its 33-seat parliament on May 23 with a voter
turnout of almost 68%.

Konstantin Zatulin, one of those declared persona non grata, said
the decision was a "demonstrative measure."

"I was an observer during presidential and parliamentary elections in
Nagorny Karabakh more than once," the lawmaker said, adding it was
"surprising" that his decision to take part in monitoring the polls
sparked such a reaction "for the first time."

The other members from the State Duma considered persona non grata
in Azerbaijan are Igor Chernyshenko, Kirill Cherkasov, Tatyana
Volozhinskaya, and Maxim Mishchenko.

Azerbaijani officials have called the elections in Nagorny Karabakh
"illegal," saying they could seriously harm Armenian-Azerbaijani
peace efforts.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh
first erupted in 1988, when the region claimed independence from
Azerbaijan to join Armenia.

Over 30,000 people are estimated to have died on both sides between
1988 and 1994, when a ceasefire was agreed. Nagorny Karabakh has
remained in Armenian control and tensions between Azerbaijan and
Armenia have persisted.

The conflict has been mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group that comprises
the United States, Russia and France.

[Muhaha]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Well I guess Azerbaijan has to add some U.S Congressmen to that list. EDIT: These guys didn't "observe", but still. EDIT2: Or maybe they did, I don't exactly know what "Observing Elections" means.

http://asbarez.com/81488/pallone-kirk-praise-nagorno-karabakh-parliamentary-elections/

Pallone, Kirk Praise Nagorno Karabakh Parliamentary Elections

WASHINGTON–– U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and Mark Kirk (IL-10) Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, sent on May 28 a letter to Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian congratulating Karabakh for successfully conducting its fifth parliamentary elections. We present the letter below.

May 28, 2010

H.E. Bako Sahakian
President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
3, 20 February Street
Stepanakert, NKR

Dear President Sahakian:

As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, we are writing to extend our sincere congratulations to you and the people of Artsakh on the Parliamentary elections held on May 23, 2010. According to international observer reports, including the American-Dutch monitoring delegation led by the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG), the elections were conducted in a “free, fair, and transparent manner.”

These elections demonstrate the strength of the democratic process in your republic and reiterate the commitment of the people in Artsakh to the republic’s sovereignty. We will continue supporting your efforts to strengthen democracy, to ensure continued development of the region, and to advocate self-determination for Artsakh.

We wish our colleagues in the democratically-elected National Assembly of Artsakh productive service on behalf of the people of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Sincerely,

Frank Pallone, Jr
Mark Steven Kirk

http://asbarez.com/81488/pallone-kirk-praise-nagorno-karabakh-parliamentary-elections/

[UrMistake]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Aliyev lent Belarus money to settle its debts with Gazprom
June 28, 2010 - 12:05 AMT 07:05 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev lent Belarus money to settle its debts with Russian state-run gas giant Gazprom, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with Euronews.

"I asked Ilham Aliyev and within 24 hours, or even less, he lent me $200 million. We paid 187 million of that to Gazprom," Lukashenko said.

Minsk refused to pay the Russian gas price, set at $169 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first quarter of the year and $185 for the second quarter. The country has been paying only $150 since January 1.

Last Monday, Gazprom began reducing gas supplies to Belarus by 15%. The company increased cuts to 30% on Tuesday and then 60% on Wednesday.

Belarus announced later on that it paid off the $187 million debt. Lukashenko said he had "asked his friends" for a loan.

Gazprom resumed full gas supplies to Belarus at 10:00 Moscow time [07:00 GMT] on June 24, after announcing that it had received payment from Minsk, RIA Novosti reported.

Are they gone use Belarus against armenians or pressure us?
Is there any chance of liking CSTO secrets to foreigners?

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijan Scraps Airport Visa Service
October 15, 2010 - 4:23pm
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Foreign Policy
The closure of the visa service at Baku’s international airport has many observers – not to mention frustrated travelers – scratching their heads. Reasons for the change remain unclear, with some observers proffering hypotheses ranging from bureaucratic whimsy to a desire to restrict international scrutiny of the country’s November 7 parliamentary elections.

Starting on October 15, Baku’s international airport will no longer issue visas on arrival to foreign citizens, a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Department confirmed to EurasiaNet.org. Instead, foreigners traveling to Azerbaijan will need to submit a letter of invitation to a local Azerbaijani embassy. The date coincides with the launch of the official campaign period for the parliamentary election.

Citizens from the Commonwealth of Independent States can continue to make 90-day visa-free trips to Azerbaijan, however.

Ministry officials declined to discuss the changes, referring instead to a September 13 presidential decree that clarifies when the ministry would issue visas. The decree, however, makes no mention of the elimination of airport visas. Nor has information about the changes been posted on any official website.

Representatives of several embassies in Baku told EurasiaNet.org that they had received no warning of the change and expressed concerns that the stricter requirements would deter businesspeople and tourists from traveling to Azerbaijan, especially from countries that do not have an Azerbaijani embassy.

Any such reduction in travelers, conceivably, could also undermine the profitability of the numerous luxury hotels now being built in Baku.

Travel agencies similarly seem to know nothing about the purpose or the specifics of the changes. “They just do whatever they want and don’t even bother telling anyone,” said one travel agent.

In the absence of official commentary, hypotheses about the reason for the change run the gamut.

Eldar Aslanov, the director of the Azerbaijani Tourism Institute, an educational establishment run by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, attributed the changes to international terrorism concerns. A few days earlier, however, Aslanov had asserted that “Azerbaijan has an interest in foreign nationals not experiencing problems in obtaining the country’s visas,” Trend news agency reported.

Some civil society organizations, though, argue that the change is related to Azerbaijan’s upcoming election.

"The authorities were supposing that foreign journalists and other
observers, who were not involved in international missions, triggered
the formation of revolutionary conditions in 2005,” claimed Emin Huseynov, chairperson of the Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety, in reference to Azerbaijan’s last parliamentary vote. Regular scuffles between opposition members and police, recorded by international media, marked the 2005 election campaign.

“Therefore, we think that the authorities took this step with the aim to keep the foreign
journalists and observers out of [the] process, because they considered it a
threat for the regime,” Huseynov claimed.

[The Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety receives financing from the Open Society Assistance Foundation-Azerbaijan, part of the network of Soros Foundations. EurasiaNet.org operates under the auspices of the Open Society Institute, a separate part of the network.]

Pointing out that visitors can still receive visas through Azerbaijani embassies, government officials rejected the allegations.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is monitoring this year’s vote, has not reported any problems so far with visa registrations by journalists or their own observers.

Hikmat Hajizade, the president of FAR Center, a Baku-based think tank, also interprets the changes as an effort to limit outside influence in Azerbaijan. “This is either done specifically on the eve of the elections to fence off . . .undesirable and unexpected guests, or it may be part of [a] general tendency to guard ourselves from influences from abroad,” Hajizade said. Hajizade is the father of jailed blogger and youth activist Adnan Hajizade.

Asked to explain the reason for the visa changes, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular department representative, who asked not to be named, answered that: “The purpose is that the president ordered the changes.”

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62167

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijan: Energy Rich and Water Poor … For Now
October 4, 2010 - 2:36pm, by Shahin Abbasov
Azerbaijan Water Access
Energy-rich Azerbaijan may have made gains of late in giving its citizens reliable access to gas and electricity, but on one key front, potable water, the government is lagging. A large percentage, if not a majority, of Azerbaijan’s 8.2 million citizens lacks easy access to potable water.

In the capital, Baku, the problem boils down to one of quantity; in the regions, quality is the problem. Home to about one-third of Azerbaijan’s population, Baku relies on water from the Kura River and the Jeyranbatan Reservoir. But supplies are unable to keep up with the capital’s rapidly expanding number of residents. Fully 87 percent of Baku households are now subjected to water rationing, according to Natik Jafarly, an economist who formerly worked for the state-owned water supply company Azersu. Of the affected Baku households, roughly half have water for seven hours a day (three hours in the morning and four hours in the evening). The other half has water only for four hours in the evenings. Sometimes entire neighborhoods go without water for one to two days, Jafarly added.

Baku’s infrastructure has simply been overwhelmed by a much larger than expected population growth over the past 20 years, Jafarly explained. “Baku’s water and sanitation infrastructure … was designed during Soviet times, and was based on the forecast that a maximum of 1.5 million people would live [in the city] in 2000,” he said. “Therefore, it is not possible to provide an uninterrupted supply of water 24 hours a day to 3.5 million people.”

There are plans to address infrastructure inadequacies, but the cost is high. An 870-million-manat (about $1.1 billion) pipeline, bringing water from the northern town of Oguz, is projected to significantly boost Baku’s water capacity. “If the pipeline works at full capacity, all Baku households would receive water 12 hours a day,” said Jafarly, who also worked for the World Bank, focusing on water-related issues.

The National Budget Group, a government-spending watchdog group, is criticizing the project’s sky-high price tag. The expected cost, financed by the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan, has more than doubled since the project was first developed in 2008. Authorities attributed the rising cost-estimate to various technical problems and higher prices for electricity and construction materials.

[Editor’s Note: The National Budget Group receives funding from the Open Society Institute-Assistance Foundation Azerbaijan, part of the Soros Foundations network. EurasiaNet.org operates under the auspices of the Open Society Institute, a separate part of the network].

Water from the pipeline is expected to flow to Baku residences starting on December 24, the 49th birthday of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, government sources told EurasiaNet.org.

The head of one non-governmental organization that has researched Azerbaijan’s water problems maintains, though, that the pipeline sidesteps one basic problem – preventing water losses by tackling corruption and upgrading existing infrastructure. Baku already loses about 30 percent of its water supplies each year, estimated Support of Economic Initiatives Chairperson Azer Mehdiyev.

Representatives of Azersu, the government-run water monopoly, could not be reached for comment.

Outside of Baku, the problem is mainly linked to water quality. While quantity is abundant, a mere 19 percent of rural Azerbaijani households have indoor plumbing, according to a United Nations Common Country Assessment. Most households draw their drinking water from artesian wells or streams.

The lack of a comprehensive strategy for improving national access to potable water means that villagers “have to solve their problems themselves,” said Mehdiyev.

One senior Ministry of Health official, however, contends that the volume and quality of village water meet all sanitary code requirements. “We conduct systematic analyses of the quality of water, and there are not any serious problems with it,” said Republican Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology Director Leyla Tagiyeva.

The international community has provided about $12 million since 2007 for the government to install about 80 new water purification plants in the regions. In 2009-2010, the government spent about 1 million manats ($1.25 million) on similar projects.

Years of neglect of Soviet-era infrastructure make have exacerbated the challenges. “The water which comes from the tap often has a yellow-brown color and a disgusting smell, even in buildings located in the center of downtown,” said Emin Kerimov, a 27-year-old unemployed resident of Guba, a town roughly 180 kilometers northeast of Baku. “It’s like it doesn’t come from the water pipeline, but from the sanitation system.”

Despite the obstacles, Baku’s new water pipeline and government interest in expanding regional water purification facilities suggest that there is at least a desire to bring about positive change, said analyst Jafarly.

Editor's note: Shahin Abbasov is a freelance correspondent based in Baku. He is also a board member of the Open Society Institute-Azerbaijan.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62079

[Mos]

Iranian president on charm offensive in Baku

at least he's neutral on karabakh....

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a press conference today of his pleasure at visiting Azerbaijan.

This was the Iranian leader's second press conference in Baku in as many days. He addressed a joint media briefing with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, following their talks on Wednesday.

"I am very glad to be in Azerbaijan during the holiday of Eid al-Adha," Ahmadinejad said today. "It is symbolic that we are in this fraternal country during the sacred holiday.

"Iran's relations with Azerbaijan are developing dynamically. My friend Ilham Aliyev and I decided to reinforce economic and political ties and also to support one another in international organizations," Ahmadinejad said.

"Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan are at a far higher level than relations between two friendly, neighbouring countries - we are fraternal countries. Friendship can wax and wane but brothers are always brothers," he declared.

The president said Iran and Azerbaijan were guarantors of peace in the region and had strong, unbreakable relations: “Azerbaijan’s honour and security is our honour and security.”

"End to tyranny and aggression"

The Iranian president began his speech at today's press conference by reiterating criticism of the current international system. He said the system was against humanity and had caused wars and enmity down the centuries.

Ahmadinejad said the system had come to its end and a new humanitarian system of justice and love should be created. “We have to move forward to unite all peoples and to put an end to tyranny and aggression; tyrants come to their end and must be removed from history and consigned to the archives.”

On his regular target, the USA, President Ahmadinejad said: "Rather than preaching to us about human rights, let the USA think about its own actions."

"The USA has created an incredible fuss about the arrest of one woman in Iran - Sakineh Ashtiani - who is still under investigation, while in the States themselves 53 women have been sentenced to capital punishment. Why does the Western press keep quiet about this? You've only got to open a Western newspaper and you'll see material about Sakineh Ashtiani all over the place and not a word about the 53 women sentenced to death who are awaiting their fate in American prisons."

"After 11 September the Americans came to our region and killed more than one million people. Is that human rights?"

Ahmadinejad said that he was following Sakineh Ashtiani's case and claimed there was no pressure on the courts, as the courts were free to take their own decisions in Iran.

"The USA is itself plaintiff, judge and executor on the 11 September incident," the Iranian leader said.

He said that 11 September had paralysed the region. “The legal president of Afghanistan says there is no need for you to be conducting operations in Afghanistan; they say they can manage themselves."

“Around one million people have died and two countries have been occupied since the 11 September incident,” Ahmadinejad said.

Karabakh

Iran supports a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict and thinks the solution should be found by the countries of the region themselves, the Iranian president said.

"If external pressure on the South Caucasus region stops, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved. Iran hopes that the Karabakh problem will be resolved peacefully," Ahmadinejad said.

He did not name the sources of outside influence, but may have had in mind the USA and France, both co-chairs of the OSCE's Minsk Group mediators on the conflict.

Ahmadinejad said that Iran welcomed the efforts of both sides – Azerbaijan and Armenia – to resolve the conflict peacefully in accordance with the norms of international law.

Gas

Iran is ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan on the sale and purchase of gas, Ahmadinejad told the press conference.

"Iran is ready for long-cooperation in this sphere. We have the relevant agreement at the bilateral level which creates every opportunity for unimpeded cooperation."

He said that European countries were interested in the purchase of Iranian gas.

"We're not insisting on them buying our gas, as we've got plenty of buyers. If the Europeans want to get gas from Iran, they have to get rid of the hurdles. If they want our gas, then we're ready to sell it at an acceptable price."

He did not elaborate on what hurdles European countries had to get rid of.

The signing of a long-term contract on Azerbaijani gas supplies to Iran was proposed this summer. Azerbaijan was to supply some 3-5 million cubic metres of gas per day through the Gazi Magomed - Astara pipeline.

Azerbaijan's state oil company, SOCAR, at present swaps gas with Iran, supplying 1.3m cu.m per day in exchange for Iranian gas sent to Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

The gas compressor station built in Astara in 2005 to pump gas to Iran to meet the needs of Nakhchivan is designed for a maximum throughput capacity of 2.2m cu.m per day. SOCAR said that a new station at Astara would allow Azerbaijan to increase gas supplies to Iran to 5m cu.m per day, including both gas for the Nakhchivan swap and commercial gas supplies.