Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

[londontsi]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijani Sportsman Stripped of Medal for Disrespecting the Armenian National Anthem

http://massispost.com/2015/04/azerbaijani-sportsman-stripped-of-medal-for-disrespect-the-armenian-national-anthem/

MOSCOW — Azerbaijani sambo wrestler Bakhtiyar Abbasov will lose his bronze medal, which he had received during the Sambo World Cup, and be banned from competitions for two years, based on a decision by the disciplinary committee of the International Sambo Federation.
.
The President of the European Sambo Federation Sergey Eliseev had denounced Abbasov for his unsportsmanlike behavior during the performance of the Armenian national anthem at an award ceremony during the recent World Cup in Moscow. Abbasov demonstratively squatted as the Armenian anthem was playing in honor of Ashot Danielian, an Artsakh-born Armenian fighter, who won the gold at the tournament.

“I condemn this act and find it unacceptable for a sportsman, especially considering that he’s a member of the national team of Azerbaijan and represents his country at the official World Cup. This is unsportsmanlike behavior. Such a sportsman does not deserve to become a prize-winner at the World Cup,” Sergey Eliseev said in a statement posted on the official page of the Federation.

“I consider that the athlete, who violates the rules of the tournament and ethical norms, should be excluded from competitions and be stripped of his medal,” President of the European Sambo Federation said.

[Mher]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijani Sportsman Stripped of Medal for Disrespecting the Armenian National Anthem

http://massispost.com/2015/04/azerbaijani-sportsman-stripped-of-medal-for-disrespect-the-armenian-national-anthem/

Watch him be named national hero and sportsman of the year by Aliyev

[londontsi]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

If you want to get your revenge have a look at these fights.

Sorry if its off topic.

[Artashes]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijani Sportsman Stripped of Medal for Disrespecting the Armenian National Anthem

http://massispost.com/2015/04/azerbaijani-sportsman-stripped-of-medal-for-disrespect-the-armenian-national-anthem/

MOSCOW — Azerbaijani sambo wrestler Bakhtiyar Abbasov will lose his bronze medal, which he had received during the Sambo World Cup, and be banned from competitions for two years, based on a decision by the disciplinary committee of the International Sambo Federation.
.
The President of the European Sambo Federation Sergey Eliseev had denounced Abbasov for his unsportsmanlike behavior during the performance of the Armenian national anthem at an award ceremony during the recent World Cup in Moscow. Abbasov demonstratively squatted as the Armenian anthem was playing in honor of Ashot Danielian, an Artsakh-born Armenian fighter, who won the gold at the tournament.

“I condemn this act and find it unacceptable for a sportsman, especially considering that he’s a member of the national team of Azerbaijan and represents his country at the official World Cup. This is unsportsmanlike behavior. Such a sportsman does not deserve to become a prize-winner at the World Cup,” Sergey Eliseev said in a statement posted on the official page of the Federation.

“I consider that the athlete, who violates the rules of the tournament and ethical norms, should be excluded from competitions and be stripped of his medal,” President of the European Sambo Federation said.

I assume the Armenian gold medalist must have fought the turc/azer scumbag if they are on the podium together .
My computer skills didn't allow me to track that fight.
Is there a video of that or those matches?

[Tsov]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

My computer skills didn't allow me to track that fight.
Is there a video of that or those matches?

He could have fought the silver medalist and lost. So it's likely he didn't fight Ashot Danielian.

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijan Could Take Financial Bath Over European Games
April 28, 2015 - 12:28pm Azerbaijan European Union EurasiaNet's Weekly Digest Sport

An Olympic torch has been lit in Azerbaijan; an Olympic stadium has been opened in Baku. All seems ready for the June 12 opening of the inaugural European Games, a mini-Olympics for European states. There is only one big question still hovering over the event: how will Azerbaijan pay for it all?

As the South Caucasus’ wealthiest country, energy-rich Azerbaijan did not have to worry much about paying the bills – until recently. The slump in global oil prices has put a crimp in the country’s budget. In February, authorities felt compelled to devalue its currency, the manat, by a whopping 33.5 percent against the dollar and 30 percent against the euro.

That means less cash on hand for pet projects like the European Games. Azerbaijan receives well over half of its 19.4-billion-manat ($24.7-billion) state budget from oil-and-gas revenues. Budget calculations for the Games were made at a time when oil prices stood closer to $110; Brent crude oil, the baseline for the oil-market, currently stands at about $65 per barrel.

The Games’ exact price tag remains a matter of speculation. Official figures are few.

Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov has claimed that roughly $962 million was spent on the construction of five new venues for gymnastics, aquatic sports, cycling, and shooting, plus a 68,195-seat Olympic Stadium. Out of this amount, roughly half ($482 million) was spent on the Olympic Stadium alone.

Baku also has pledged to cover all the travel and accommodation costs for the “over 6,000 athletes” from 50 countries taking part in the June 12-28 event. Those estimated costs and others have not been made public. A spokesman for the European Games Organizing Committee, Colin Gibson, has been tight-lipped. “The budget is hard to quantify, but certainly is not the level that has been quoted in some media,” Gibson claimed.

Some outside observers estimate much higher costs than those claimed by the government.

Based on estimations of expenses since 2013, economist Rovshan Agayev at the Baku-based Center for Support for Economic Initiatives, a non-governmental think-tank, believes that roughly $3.55 billion (3.7 billion manats) for the European Games has come out of the state budget. Additional funds could have come from individual ministerial or departmental budgets, he claimed.

By comparison with standard Olympics, those figures might still seem relatively low. London 2012, the last summer Olympics, cost $14.6 billion to stage – more than triple initial estimates.

Some economists, who spoke on condition of anonymity, allege that the government is forcing employees at some state agencies, such as the tax ministry and State Customs Committee, to take pay cuts to meet these costs. One former Customs Committee employee told EurasiaNet.org that employees already have lost a monthly bonus, an unofficial payment that topped up mid-level officials’ salary of 670 manats ($637) per month. The reason cited, he alleged, was the European Games. The payments supposedly will resume after the Games are over, he said.

The loss amounts to 70 percent of the Customs Committee employees’ usual pay, another employee told EurasiaNet.org.

Representatives of the State Customs Committee were not available for public comment. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Taxes, however, denied that it had slashed salaries to help pay for the European Games.

Signs of financial vulnerabilities in Azerbaijan are plainly evident. During the first quarter of 2015, the Central Bank’s foreign-currency reserves declined by 31.2 percent to $9.47 billion, the Bank announced on April 24. Bank officials have excluded the possibility of another devaluation, but noted that they have spent more than $1 billion per month since December as demand for dollars increases, AzerNews reported.

That means that, with oil prices still low, the Games, coupled with other state expenses, could force the government to tap into the Oil Fund, an official piggybank for revenue from oil-and-gas projects, to cover expenses, some analysts say.

One thing seems certain: the 16-day European Games are unlikely to cover their costs.

Six hundred thousand tickets will be issued, but, at a maximum of 200 manats ($190) for the opening ceremony, they will generate scanty revenue. Attending the actual events will cost spectators no more than five manats, or $4.75 – a pricing strategy that seems designed to fill seats.

What extra financial cushion room will come from sponsorships is unknown. Rates paid by eight “official partners” and 11 “supporters/suppliers” have not been released. “We do not disclose the commercial deals we conduct,” Gibson said.

One prominent sponsor is UNICEF, an arrangement that seems rooted more in officials’ desire to foster a positive image for Azerbaijan than reap any financial advantage. “Through this partnership, adolescents will be given a voice on how best to leverage sport in Azerbaijan for inclusion and social development,” Gibson said.

Some Azerbaijanis question the logic of spending hundreds of millions of dollars ostensibly to enhance the country’s international reputation.

Economist Agayev notes that for roughly the same amount of money, the government could have financed healthcare for five years, education for two and a half years, or repaired “all the village roads.”

One 37-year-old Baku schoolteacher who earns a maximum of 190 manats ($180.73) per month shares that skepticism. “We lost 33 percent of our savings in one night [after the devaluation]. Now, food prices are going up,” said the woman, who agreed to be identified only by her first name, Samira. “Why do we need these Games? I really cannot understand.”

The government has argued that the Games will help attract foreign investment, particularly as a host for international athletic events. Earlier this month, President Ilham Aliyev finalized an agreement to host the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games, a sporting event for the 57 member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. And next year, Baku will welcome a Formula 1 auto-racing competition.

But one opposition member scoffs at that reasoning. Cheaper flights, more liberal visa requirements and less corruption would do more to attract investment, argued economist Natig Jafarli, executive secretary of the opposition group ReAL.

“Azerbaijan is a small country – who will use this [Olympic] stadium after the Games? We have soccer tournaments only four to five times a year and only half of the stadium will be filled,” he said. “So, these buildings will remain useless after the European Games are over.”

Editor's note: Emanuele Giulianelli provided reporting for this story.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/73216

[Mher]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijan Could Take Financial Bath Over European Games
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/73216

Thank God for Aliyev, may he live forever
he's done more for Armenia than anyone since Njdeh

[Artashes]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijani Sportsman Stripped of Medal for Disrespecting the Armenian National Anthem

http://massispost.com/2015/04/azerbaijani-sportsman-stripped-of-medal-for-disrespect-the-armenian-national-anthem/

MOSCOW — Azerbaijani sambo wrestler Bakhtiyar Abbasov will lose his bronze medal, which he had received during the Sambo World Cup, and be banned from competitions for two years, based on a decision by the disciplinary committee of the International Sambo Federation.
.
The President of the European Sambo Federation Sergey Eliseev had denounced Abbasov for his unsportsmanlike behavior during the performance of the Armenian national anthem at an award ceremony during the recent World Cup in Moscow. Abbasov demonstratively squatted as the Armenian anthem was playing in honor of Ashot Danielian, an Artsakh-born Armenian fighter, who won the gold at the tournament.

“I condemn this act and find it unacceptable for a sportsman, especially considering that he’s a member of the national team of Azerbaijan and represents his country at the official World Cup. This is unsportsmanlike behavior. Such a sportsman does not deserve to become a prize-winner at the World Cup,” Sergey Eliseev said in a statement posted on the official page of the Federation.

“I consider that the athlete, who violates the rules of the tournament and ethical norms, should be excluded from competitions and be stripped of his medal,” President of the European Sambo Federation said.

Watch him be named national hero and sportsman of the year by Aliyev

Thank God for Aliyev, may he live forever
he's done more for Armenia than anyone since Njdeh

Onto this is of course is safarov as national hero .
Dispite all our best and honest effort to bring to light the nature of the criminals to our east , we could not replicate what monkeyiev has done and is doing.
I agree with Mher, aliev has done more to exhibit and highlight the INSANE conduct of this group to the east.
That also applies to the disengenuous , conniving mouth to our west.
Oglu is gonna condemn the pope along with most of the west & Russia.
Priceless, absolutely priceless.

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

Azerbaijan: Who’s to Blame for Deadly Blaze in Baku?
May 20, 2015 - 7:15am, by Giorgi Lomsadze Tamada Tales Azerbaijan
Some of Baku’s faux exteriors, often jerry-built to glamorize drab, Soviet-era buildings, are being pulled down after a deadly fire in the Azerbaijani capital on May 19 took an estimated 15 lives and wounded dozens. Officials have blamed the blaze, which consumed a 16-storey apartment-building, on inflammable, low-quality material used to fit old structures with handsome, new facades.

Local news reported trapped residents jumping to their death from the burning high-rise in the Binagadi district. Harrowing footage shows friends and families rushing to the scene and arguing with police who blocked access to the building. Scores of apartment-dwellers were hospitalized for burns and smoke-poisoning.

Murisif Makhmudov, the head of the company, Global Construction, which allegedly put the facing on the building, has been charged with the use of low-quality materials and was arrested on May 19, news agencies have reported.

Outrage over the incident, strongly expressed on Facebook, is running strong and building. Five children, including a one-and-a-half-year-old, died in the fire. Sick of rampant corruption, many Azerbaijanis see this tragedy as the result of many officials and businesspeople’s willingness to go cheap on building materials or blind on safety standards. This was the second Baku-fire this year blamed on polyurethane-based sidings.

On May 20, such veneers were already reportedly being pulled down from 14 various buildings. Some Baku-residents began pulling down the sidings themselves. Others attempted to block ongoing renovation projects.

For the government, the blaze, which grabbed international news-space, occurred at an awkward time. One outspoken government critic, the Berlin-based Meydan TV, claims that the fire has touched off safety concerns about construction for the European Games, a continent-wide mini-Olympics that Baku will host on June 12-28.

"Currently, Azerbaijan is in the spotlight of the whole world," observed Hajibala Abutalibov, Baku's presidentially appointed mayor, Trend reported. "First of all, we ourselves should protect our country.”

He added that “It shouldn’t be ruled out" that the May-19 fire was "sabotage" intended to undermine the European Games. “However, our main task is to determine the causes of incident."

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has set a 48-hour deadline for inspections of the 140 Baku-buildings, which, according to official figures, make use of sidings like the one involved in the Binagadi-fire , Trend said.

Aliyev on May 20 went to the scene of the blaze, reported pro-government news agencies, which posted photos of his visit. First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, meanwhile, called on victims in the hospital.

Posting photos of the rescue of one tiny baby from the building destroyed on May 19, pro-government news agencies have praised the undoubted courage of firefighters and police in responding to the fire.

But they have not yet focused on the larger question of how widespread the use of shoddy materials in Baku's buildings actually is — and why.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/73526

We will see in a couple of days about how an Armenian from Uganda paid some azeris to burn the building, to cause problems. Just like what happened with the oil academy shooting.

[Haykakan]

Re: Azerbaijan - Internal Political Affairs

That country and especially its leadership remind me of a movie called Idiocracy.