Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

[Haykakan]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

17:15 05/03/2014 >> ECONOMY
Financial Times: French Total leaves Shah Deniz because of its unprofitability


French gas- oil company Total is in talks to sell its stake in a huge
gasfield in Azerbaijan after it baulked at the enormous cost of the
project, which would deliver Caspian gas directly to European markets for
the first time, the British paper Financial Times writes.

According to the article, the French major is likely to sell its entire 10
per cent stake in the Shah Deniz field. The move comes just months after
fellow investor Statoil of Norway reduced its stake from 25.5 per cent to
15.5 per cent.

The consortium of shareholders in the field, led by BP, in December
announced a final decision to invest $28bn on the second phase of its
development, one of the largest gas projects in the world, the Financial
Times reports. They also announced plans to build pipelines to ship the gas
3,500 kilometers across Turkey, Greece and Albania into Italy, making the
project a crucial plank of Europe's strategy to diversify energy supplies.

Total's decision was driven by the economics of the project, the people
said, as well as a broader asset sale programme. Including the cost of
building the pipelines, the total price tag for the project is likely to
exceed $40bn.

The article notes that Total remains committed to its other large gas
project in Azerbaijan, Absheron, in which it holds a 40 per cent stake.
However, it sees as "non-core" its 10 per cent interest in the Trans
Adriatic pipeline.

"Likely buyers for Total's stake include Botas, the Turkish state pipeline
company, which "has been very interested for a long time in getting
involved in the upstream end of the project." Socar, the Azeri national oil
company, may also be interested in buying the stake. Statoil's 10 per cent
stake was sold to BP and Socar for $1.45bn," the article reads.

Financial Times adds that Total and BP declined to comment; Socar did not
respond to a request for comment; and Botas could not be reached.

http://www.panorama.am/en/economy/2014/03/05/total-oil-azerbaijan/

[Mher]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

And the clown show to the east continues .....



Azerbaijan To Tighten Antiterror Legislation

March 07, 2014
Azerbaijan is considering amendments to strengthen its antiterrorism laws.

The chief of the Azerbaijani parliament's Committee for Security and Defense, Ziyafat Asgarov, said on March 7 that the amendments would increase penalties for involvement in "international terrorism, financing of terrorism, organizing, planning, and preparing terrorist attacks, intentionally stirring panic among the people, and using media outlets, the Internet, and social networks" for extremist purposes.

He said the amendments had been outlined in accordance with the national interests of Azerbaijan.

In 2012, Azerbaijani authorities sentenced dozens of people on terrorism charges related to what they said were plots to attack targets during the Eurovision song contest held in Baku in 2012.

Investigators said more than 40 suspects had links with neighboring Iran.

http://www.rferl.org/content/azerbaijan-tightens-terror-laws/25288949.html

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijani Politician Calls for Assassination of Armenian Leaders

Revenge, not justice is needed for Khojaly, says Erkin Gadirli, the new generation opposition icon.

Every year in Azerbaijan and among the Azerbaijani Diaspora, the commemoration of the Khojaly tragedy anniversary turns emotional – with old wounds not healed yet and perpetrators of the biggest war crime in the Nagorno-Karabakh war still being at large.

A state-sponsored campaign under the banner of “Justice for Khojaly” is held in mostly European and US cities to commemorate the massacre of hundreds of innocent Azeri civilians among them many women and children at the hands of Armenian military units. At home, the tragedy is widely remembered across all segments of the society.

Azerbaijani social media is also filled with reactions and emotions from both public figures and ordinary citizens.

However, this year, there was a small surprise that shocked and galvanized the Azerbaijani online community. Erkin Gadirli, a new generation opposition politician and an icon among independent and opposition-minded youth has dropped a bomb that reverberated across the social media (full discloser: I have also reacted to it).

Erkin Gadirli is one of the founders of Republican Alternative (REAL), a new generation opposition political movement that declares the democratic principles and republican ideals as their core values. Gadirli is also the chairman of its political council – the Majlis.

On the anniversary of Khojaly massacre, Erkin Gadirli posted a public post on his Facebook profile calling for assassination of Armenian leaders, among them the current president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, in an act of revenge against the Khojaly massacre. Here is his full statement:
What we need for Khojaly is revenge rather than justice! The main perpetrators of the crime – Robert Kocharyan, Seyran Ohanyan and Serzh Sargsyan must be assassinated. Our national security services should have done it already. It is possible technically. There is no need for a demonstrative revenge. It is enough if their food gets poisoned. Then we can deny it and even give our condolences. In any case, we can blame “radical opposition”, “popular avengers” or someone else (if there is no-one, we can create them) and we can even set-up a sham court (with special favors for prisoners inside, followed by amnesty). We can accomplish this task even with the help of Armenians themselves or the third party. The only thing is to be sure that they will not die from natural causes.
Gadirli’s statement brought immediate debates, discussions and even some personal attacks and bitter accusations in the small, but politically-conscience Azeri community online. A lot of harsh criticism was addressed at Erkin Gadirli, who is a respected law expert -- he did even participate in preparation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court -- but Gadirli also received significant support, especially from nationalistic circles and among those people who think that justice and peace process failed in the case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

As a response to criticism, Erkin Gadirli posted a lengthy explanation the next day, basically reiterating his position and answering to various arguments he was addressed – saying that he was no liberal and humanist; he was not speaking as a lawyer, but as a politician; that the courts and conventions didn’t matter in this case; as well as he didn’t care for any negative reaction from “the West”.

“I’m not humanist, nor liberal. Yes, I’m a kind and mild person, but I’m not irresolute or coward. I have my own limits. I can compromise on many things in daily life, but I am strong on my political principles. If needed, I can take the responsibility to carry out the just revenge and I’m ready to serve the prison term for it,” wrote Erkin Gadirli.

http://blog.novruzov.az/2014/03/azerbaijani-politician-calls-for.html

[Haykakan]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

RESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJANI VILLAGE WANT TO BE PART OF GEORGIA

15:56 31/03/2014 >> SOCIETY

The residents of Shinikh village of Azerbaijani Gedabey region which
is located on the border with Armenia are looking for opportunities
to move to Georgia. They explain their decision by the fact that
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in the near future will start
the implementation of the project of the gasification of Georgia,
while they are freezing cold and no trees are left in the woods for
their furnace. As the Azerbaijani news portal Haqqin.az reports,
the villagers said about this in their appeal.

"We don't have any other choice. In order to become consumers of
Azerbaijani gas, we need to become the citizens of Georgia," the
villagers said.

They are surprised that the settlements located on the border with
Armenia are still not supplied with gas. The residents of these
settlements for many years have been living in harsh conditions but
nobody cares about the improvement of their living conditions. "There
is no heat in our houses; we still use woods to heat them, while
SOCAR instead of thinking in the first place about its citizens,
supplies Azerbaijani gas to the neighboring country."

Haqqin.az notes that 28 villages in the area of Shinikh are not
supplied with gas. "We ask Rognav Abdullayev (SOCAR president-ed.)
whether we need to resettle in Georgia, become the citizens of Georgia
to be able to make use of Azerbaijani gas. If our country has gas
resources, if its amount is so big that you sell it to neighboring
countries then why you don't deliver gas to the regions of Azerbaijan?

Why you close your eyes to the felling of trees by the villagers
for heating purposes? We have no other choice. You proudly report
that Azerbaijan delivers gas to the most remote villages of Georgia,
how can we understand this?" the residents of the region asked.

The portal notes that there has already appeared information in media
that SOCAR has already finished the construction of gas pipeline
in Surami village of Georgian region of Khashur. The length of the
pipeline is 14.5 km, which will result in the delivery of Azerbaijani
gas to 1000 Georgian houses. It is emphasized that SOCAR provides 75%
of Georgian gas, while the subsidiary company of SOCAR Georgia Gas
controls the delivery.

It is noted in the article that President Ilham Aliyev in 2013 aimed
to deliver natural gas to 95% of the population. "The aim is note
achieved, gasification covers only 85-88% of the territory of the
country, while the gasification of Georgia is conducted in full swing,"
the author states.

According to the article, in the current situation, the residents
of Gedabey region have no choice but to declare about their
self-determination and together with their territory become a part
of Georgia. The cost of that will be much cheaper. In this way they
don't have to leave their houses, their ancestors' graves and resettle
in new places.

http://www.panorama.am/en/popular/2014/03/31/az-village/

[Mher]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azeri Family Given Asylum in Armenia

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The Armenian authorities have granted political asylum to an Azerbaijani family that crossed into Armenia via Georgia earlier this year.

Javid Orujev, his wife Roya Mirzoyeva and three children entered the country through the main Georgian-Armenian border crossing in late January, several months after being reportedly deported back to Azerbaijan from Norway.

According to Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS), Orujev claimed to have been harassed by and forced to spy for Azerbaijani intelligence because of Mirzoyeva’s ethnic Armenian origin. The 38-year-old told the NSS that he had unsuccessfully sought political asylum in a European state for that reason.

The family lodged a similar application with immigration authorities in Yerevan. News.am quoted the head of Armenia’s State Migration Service (SMS), Gagik Yeganian, as saying on Sunday that the request has been granted.

The five Azerbaijanis have been kept at an undisclosed location in Yerevan. Orujev and Mirzoyeva have avoided any contact with the Armenian media so far.

Azerbaijani news services quoted Orujev’s mother as saying in February that the family was never harassed by the Azerbaijani authorities. She said her son is simply keen to again emigrate to Europe through Armenia.

http://asbarez.com/121582/azeri-family-given-asylum-in-armenia/

[Federate]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

The family met up with the Voskanapat team.

[Mher]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

current Google Earth images from the 100 billion dollar monstrosity called the Khazar Islands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khazar_Islands

Entire Area


amount of road paved


Front Gate

Apartments that will be put up for rent


More updates

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1481751&page=8

[londontsi]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

.

I think its a brilliant idea.

At last the Sultan has decided to put to good use the windfall that nature ( some would say God ) has blessed them with.

As long as the Sultan is spending his (some would think the countries ) money to enhance his image he will not be distracted into wanting to have a war.

After all who in his right mind would want a fight in a china shop.

http://khazarislands.com/

Few breakages through scud attacks will cost more than the cost of building them ....... like his image and reputation

I say let him build .... deeper into the see the better as far as I am concerned.

[Eddo211]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Yup....btw, nice recon photos for arial bombing specific sites.

A Sultan loosing Khazar will frighten them......psychologically screw them.

[Mher]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Eddo for that you'll have a better target: whatever this is
only if they haven't gone completely bankrupt by the time they get to it

And yes let them do it. Let them burn all of their unearned money while it lasts instead of putting them in things that could hurt us in 5 years once the oil runs out