Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 25

Trend:

Attempts of Armenia to escalate tensions on the border with Azerbaijan during the talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in New York are provocative, the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani foreign ministry Hikmat Hajiyev said Sept.25.

He said that the goal of these provocations is to hinder the negotiation process.

Story still developing

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 25

By Anahanum Khidayatova - Trend:

If Armenia had a genuine interest to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it should have refrained from attacking civilians from Azerbaijan in the villages that are in the line of contact with the occupied territories of this country, political analyst, expert on international relations at Marquette University (US), Peter Tase told Trend Sept.25.

He said that there won't be any positive results from the upcoming meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers within the framework of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Armenia is the most problematic nation of the European continent, even more problematic than Syria, he said.

He went on to add that the OSCE Minsk Group must be dissolved and new global players must participate in solving the dispute of occupied territories of Azerbaijan by Armenian armed forces. "It is a tragic historic blunder that the US government has maintained a blind eye in respect to this protracted conflict and has left a void in the region," the expert said.

"In respect to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the US has decided to maintain a passive role, meanwhile more than 1.2 million Azerbaijani nationals, who are internally displaced, demand answers," he said. "Azerbaijan is in desperate need for support from a global power like the US."

Azerbaijan is a country that deeply cherishes human life and democratic governance, according to the expert.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum

Follow us on Twitter @

/By AzerNews/

By Laman Sadigova

The Modern Art Museum will hold an exhibition of the works of Azerbaijani painter Niyaz Najafov, entitled "NO" on October 1.

Niyaz Najafov was born in Baku in 1968. After graduating from Baku Physical Education College in 1985, he was engaged in professional sports, which became his lifeв's passion. Niyaz was also fond of drawing since childhood, but only since 2003 began to paint professionally, and develop a successful career in the arts. Niyazв's pieces are exhibited in leading galleries in Baku.

In 2009, he represented Azerbaijan at the Venice Biennale, where two of his works were purchased by famous collector Albert Sandretti.

Over the last decade, Niyaz reached the height of his career in the painting art.

His works are exhibited abroad, in Russia, the U.S., Germany, Denmark, and in foreign museums. His art magnetically attracts the spectatorв's eye and hypnotizes the person to evoke a range of emotions.

One of the identifying features of Niyazв's style is an invisible bond between serious painting and drawing, a combination of epic art and easy caricature.

Sometimes it is blatant satire, and sometimes it is merely a hidden smile. The people inhabiting his paintings are not so much actual characters, but archetypes, in which someone, perhaps, might recogВ­nize themselves.

The artist is constantly searching for a new stylistic solution, working through sleepless nights, and this tension is felt in all his paintings.

/By AzerNews/

By Vusala Abbasova

The number of registered real estate properties increased by 10 percent to 140,000 listed spaces over the first eight month of 2015.

These results became possible due to the implementation of the Real Estate Registration Project by the World Bank in Azerbaijan, said Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan State Committee for Property Affairs Rafig Jalilov at an event dedicated to the completion of the project.

The project seeks to find simple and efficient procedures for the registration of real estate, bringing them in line with modern standards and creating an electronic cadaster information system in the country.

Jalilov noted that the number of registered real estate properties in the country increases year by year, considering that the real estate market added 115,000 new properties in 2014.

Creating a single real estate cadaster in Azerbaijan has significantly facilitated the management of real estate, contributing to its more efficient use, Jalilov added.

The system is being used by the relevant executive authorities, municipalities, legal and physical entities of the country.

Currently, the cadastral maps include an administrative territory with an area of 3.5 million hectares and a municipal territory with an area of 1.8 million hectares.

Generally, the creation of a single e-cadaster base of the entire territory of the country is slated for completion in 2019, said Jalilov.

Through the project, greater numbers of electronic services have been provided. In addition administrative buildings for registering real estate have already been constructed in Barda, Beylagan, Gabala, Khachmaz, and Lankaran.

"The Committee has already completed development of an e-cadaster for Sumgait and Baku. Work is underway in the territory of Ganja and Sheki and will be finished in 2016," Jalilov said.

The Azerbaijani government and the WB signed an agreement for creating a unified cadaster of real estate in July 2007.

The project consists of four components -- registration of real estate; management and registration of state property; basic cartography and cadaster training and policy development; and project management.

As a result of restructuring, the current project, worth $38.57 million, designed for 2008-2012, has been extended until late 2015.

A $30 million WB loan covers most of the cost of the $38.57 million project.

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 25

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Azerbaijan has left Europe behind in the implementation of energy projects and launched the TANAP project, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sept. 25.

He made the remarks while answering questions of reporters, according to the Turkish TRT Haber TV channel.

Erdogan went on to add that while Europe remained inactive regarding the Nabucco project, Azerbaijan has successfully launched the TANAP project in which Turkey has its share as well.

TANAP envisages the transportation of gas of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field from the Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey. TANAP's initial capacity is expected to reach 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Around six billion cubic meters of this gas will be delivered to Turkey and the rest of the volume to Europe.

Turkey will receive gas in 2018, and after the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is constructed the gas will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.

BP and the TANAP consortium signed March 13 a shareholder agreement, according to which, BP will become one of the shareholders of TANAP. The agreement is one of the main documents for BP's ownership of a stake in the TANAP project.

Following the completion of a legal implementation procedure, TANAP's shareholders list will be as follows: SOCAR - 58 percent, Botas - 30 percent and BP - 12 percent.

Edited by CN

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has disseminated an information, APA reports.

Some Armenian e-media reported that an outpost of the Azerbaijani armed forces was destroyed by Armenian military and the Azerbaijani side suffered heavy losses. This information is wrong and baseless, said the statement of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry dated Sept.25.

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 25

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

The State Committee for Securities of Azerbaijan registered the issue prospectus of ordinary registered book-entry shares of Aqrolizing OJSC worth nearly 119 million manats, the message of Baku Stock Exchange said Sept. 24.

Some 59,499,770 shares of the leasing company with a nominal value of 2 manats each have been issued within the framework of the emission.

The placement underwriter is Unicapital JSC.

Authorized capital of the bank will reach 313.52 million manats as a result of the emission. The total capital of the bank amounts to 203.75 million manats as of late 2014.

Aqrolizinq JSC is on the balance of the Ministry of Agriculture and was established October 23, 2004.

The company's activity is aimed at improving the agricultural sector and support of entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan through the acquisition and leasing of agricultural machinery to local land owners.

Edited by CN

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku. Javid Zeynalli '" APA. Some 753 pilgrims died, 887 were injured as a result of crush in Mecca, Turkish Milliyet newspaper reported.

According to the information, most of those died in Mecca's crush were the citizens of African countries.

More than 4,000 rescuers are working on the scene, and 220 ambulances were deployed to the site.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990.

***

Baku - APA. At least 717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say, APA reports quoting BBC news.

Another 805 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite.

***

Baku - APA. The death toll from a stampede during the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Thursday has risen to 453 people of various nationalities, the Saudi civil defense said, APA reports quoting Reuters.

It said that the crush, caused by large numbers of people gathering at Mina, outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, had left 719 people injured.

The crush happened in the Mina valley, a few miles outside Mecca, where pilgrims stay for several days during the climax of the pilgrimage in a camp city of 160,000 tents.

***

Baku - APA. The stampede occurred during the ritual known as "stoning the devil" in the tent city of Mina, about two miles from Mecca.

"We have a stampede accident in Mina and civil defense is dealing with it," Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said.

The latest death toll, according to the civil defense ministry, is 310 but the numbers have been climbing steadily throughout the day.

Officials deployed 4,000 workers and 220 ambulances and other vehicles to Mina to help with the disaster.

***

Tragedy occurred during Hajj pilgrimage

Baku - APA. A stampede killed 220 people and left 450 others wounded at Mina, Saudi Arabia officials said.

APA reports quoting CNN that the stampede occurred during the ritual known as "stoning the devil," where crowds of pilgrims throw stones at a rock wall meant to symbolize a rejection of evil.

The news comes just two weeks after 107 people were killed and after a crane crashed into the middle of Saudi Arabia's Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Gas pipelines with a total length of 1,100 km were built by SOCAR Georgia Gas across the country and 34,000 subscribers were supplied with gas in 2014, the Sputnik Georgia news agency said with reference to the message of the company Sept. 24.

The number of SOCAR Georgia Gas subscribers for eight months of 2015 increased by 10.27 percent and amounted to 475,737 people. The company rendered service to 378,778 subscribers in 2014, according to the agency.

In comparison with January-August 2014, the number of subscribers increased by 14.39 percent.

The highest growth was recorded in 2013. During the reporting period, the number of subscribers increased by 218.3 percent (by 215, 261 subscribers).

The number of potential and existing subscribers of SOCAR Georgia Gas has increased by 439.4 percent (from 83,449 to 430,304 subscribers) in 2010-2015.

SOCAR Georgia Gas carries out gas supply to Georgia according to the plan agreed with the ministry of energy. The document includes a list of towns and villages in which it is planned to carry out the work on gas supply in the reporting period.

SOCAR Georgia Gas participates in the gas supply program since 2008. Gas supply of 230 towns and villages on a national scale was implemented, as well as a pipeline with a total length of 3,500 kilometers built within the framework of the first phase of the program envisaged for 2008-2013. The conducted work made it possible for 175,000 new subscribers to connect to the distribution grid for the period.

Memorandum on the implementation of the second phase of the gas supply program was signed between the government of Georgia and SOCAR Georgia Gas in 2013. The second stage covers the period from 2013 to 2017. Gas pipelines with a length of 1,100 kilometers were built throughout the country and 34,000 subscribers supplied with gas in 2014.

SOCAR Georgia Gas will complete the large-scale gas supply project in 2017.

Edited by CN

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 23

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

Iran signed $21 billion worth of contracts in the aviation field on the sidelines of the MAKS-2015 International Aviation and Space Salon held in Russia in August, Manouchehr Manteghi, secretary of Iran 's Technology Development and Knowledge-based Aviation and Aeronautical Industries Headquarters said.

Some of the aforementioned contracts are for buying Russian twin-engine Superjet 100 aircraft, Manteghi said, Iran 's semi-official ISNA news agency reported Sept. 23.

He did not disclose further details about the contracts.

Iranian airlines are interested in using the aircraft in their fleet, Manteghi said, adding alongside with buying the planes, Tehran plans to indigenize plane-manufacturing technology to build some parts of the aircraft inside the country.

The 108-seat Sukhoi Superjet is the first new airliner Russia has developed since the fall of the Soviet Union.

It was earlier announced that three Iranian Kish Air, Zagros and Caspian airlines have held talks with Russian Sukhoi to buy Superjet 100 aircraft.

It is while Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi said Sept. 22 that no negotiations have been made with the Russian aircraft manufacturer, and all the talks have been made with Airbus and Boeing. Iran has no plan to use Russian Sukhoi to revamp its aviation fleet, the minister added.

Manteghi further said that grounds were prepared for cooperation with companies from the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, and Germany in the aviation area.

The MAKS-2015 exhibition laid grounds for Iran's future cooperation with foreign companies in the fields of commercial helicopters and drones as well as technology transfer in the area of commercial aircrafts' design and manufacturing, he added.

Tehran has held negotiations with Airbus as well as other French, Russian, German and Czech companies to buy aircraft parts, Manteghi noted.

Director of Iran 's Civil Aviation Organization Mohammad Khodakarami said on August 30 that the country is planning to buy 90 passenger airplanes each year as part of efforts aimed at renovating its civil aviation fleet. Iran is going to buy Airbus and Boeing airliners and the annual purchase of 80 to 90 airplanes is the first phase of the renovation program, he added.

Iran's four largest carriers -- Iran Air, Aseman Airlines, Mahan Air and Iran Air Tours -- all have average fleet age above 22 years, according to the Iranian media outlets.

Edited by CN

Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh

Stay up to date with latest Iran news on our specialized Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

Thinking about Baku as your next vacation destination? Many budget tourists seem to think that the capital of an oil-producing country is not their cup of tea. However, magnificent Baku can be affordable to anyone that wants to enjoy its hospitability.

Traveling to Baku is easy by air, as Azerbaijan has a modern airport, but other modes of transport such as by train, bus, bike, hitchhiking, or even ferry are often overlooked.

To see the all beauties of the city, it is better to stay in the city center. For this purpose, try Baku hostels. There are not so many, but you can find them via popular travel websites. As there are only a few hostels in the city, you will need to reserve a place. Prices start at 15 manats ($14.30).

You can also find guesthouses where you will be able to stay alone, but the price and the atmosphere cannot compare with those in hostels. Try your luck with couchsurfing as well, since it is now gaining popularity in the country.

Those who plan to come to Baku in the years to come will be able to enjoy more cheap hostels in the capital, as their construction is now on the agenda.

As you put your luggage to your hostel, you will probably need to have a bite. There are many places to eat cheap but tasty in Baku. You should pay attention to cozy restaurants with national cuisine. Here you can enjoy delicious kebabs and spicy national soups at affordable prices. Do not forget to have a look at prices before ordering food.

If you are not hungry, just get a refresh at the local traditional cafГ©, or ''chaykhana,'' where you can drink full-flavored tea out of the popular ''armud'' glass in the shape of pear.

Now you want probably travel around the city. Bear in mind, that taxi is not a cheap affair in Baku. However, you will be pleasantly surprised with public transportation prices. Catching a ride on the bus or Baku Metro is costs only $0.19, and the new Baku Card works on both.

There is also an opportunity to save while visiting museums around the city. Some museums are free, like one of a kind museum of Miniature Books, others provide free entrance once in a month, like Azerbaijan History Museum and Carpet Museum, which are the most advisable to visit.

While buying souvenirs from Baku do not forget toВ bargain, as experienced tourist may measurably bring down the price.

You should definitely visit Baku bay and the national Seaside Park, which is also free of charge. The park stretches for several kilometers, and evenings are the best time to visit. While walking here you will encounter the Yarat Center, to discover the Azerbaijani modern art.

Most of the exhibitions are free in Baku, so you can save to visit the futuristic Heydar Aliyev Center, designed by popular architecture Zaha Hadid.

Baku is a compact city and you can walk around the city center to see most of the attractions and a mix of architecture. There is also the opportunity to rent a bike along the promenade.

Do not forget to make a trip to the Caspian Sea if you will be in Baku during the warm season. Here you can drink tea admiring the view or take a dip if there are lifeguards on the territory.

As you will see, Baku is a very hospitable and amicable city, and everyone will be ready to help you no matter what you will need and despite of time of day. Come and taste the Eastern hospitality on the back of the Western appearance of Baku.

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.25

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

A major road accident took place in the southern province of Nigde, Turkey, which left 13 people dead, the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper said Sept.25.

All the dead were Turkish citizens, according to preliminary data.

Edited by CN

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation have jointly acquired landmark retail property Kirarito Ginza in Tokyo, Japan for JPY 52.3 bn, AzerTag reports.

This is Sofaz's first real estate investment in Japan. The property was purchased from Elliott Advisors Asia Limited and Orix Corporation.

Kirarito Ginza is located in Chou Avenue, Ginza, which is the most prestigious retail location in Japan. The property was built in 2014 and is one of the very few trophy assets recently completed in Ginza area. The gross floor area (GFA) of the property is approximately 15,647 m2. The asset is let to 47 tenants.

Commenting on the acquisition, Shahmar Movsumov, Executive Director of SOFAZ, stated: "We are delighted to have made our first foray into the Japanese real estate market. Our investment rationale for this asset is based on its capital preservation capacity, it is the best quality asset in the best location, coupled with its return enhancement potential over medium to long term."

The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan, the sovereign wealth fund, was set up in December 1999 by the Presidential Decree as an extra-budgetary entity which accumulates and manages oil and gas revenues of the country. The Fund's primary objectives are to help maintain macroeconomic stability in the country and to generate wealth for present and future generations. As of 01 July, 2015, assets of SOFAZ totaled USD 35 billion. Purchase of this property was realized in accordance with the amendments under the Presidential decree в„- 519 dated October 27th, 2011 made to "Rules on management of foreign currency assets of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan". By the investment policy overall value of the investment portfolio can be invested into the gold, equities and real estate with maximum limit of up to 5 % per each financial tool.

"We are focused on the training of professional guides."

The Sightseeing Tour Agency launched in Azerbaijan.

According to Oxu.Az, the statement came from the chairman of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AzTA) Nahid Bagirov while speaking to Trend.

According to him, the work of the Bureau is scheduled to begin in mid-October. It will be created at AzTA. The Agency will establish a two-month course for the future guides.

After passing the course the guides will need to pass the exam and get a certificate of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. About 20 people who want to take courses have already addressed, Bagirov said.

"We are focused on training of professional guides who speak several languages. I think that this will give a great impetus to the development of this sphere," Bagirov said.

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Iranian joint venture Renault Pars has officially launched the Renault Sandero assembly line.

The car is being produced by the Iranian carmaker and will feature both manual and automatic transmission models, Iranв's IRIB reported on September 22.

''Despite all the problems as a result of the sanctions, we managed to design and manufacture Sandero in two years,'' said Mehdi Jamali, managing director of Iranian carmaker Saipa.

He noted by the end of the year (March 20, 2016), 10,000 Sandero will be manufactured.

Sanderoв's consumes 7.6 liters and 5.3 liters of gas per 100 kilometers, respectively. It meets euro-4 standards.

Renault Pars is an Iranian joint venture established in 2004 and owned by Renault and Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran. The company is in charge of managing the assembly of completely knocked down Renault cars by local manufacturers Iran Khodro, Saipa and Pars Khodro.

The race has tightened for foreign automakers to access Iranв's auto market. European manufacturers, which were forced to leave the Iranian market under international sanctions, are now striving to regain a share in Iranв's vast car market.

Representatives from the French automobile industry were also attempting to restore their previous share of the Iranian auto market.

French Peugeot wants to establish a 50-50 joint venture with Iran to produce cars. Iranian officials said the French auto giant Peugeot is already in advanced stages of talks to provide parts to the leading Iranian carmaker, Iran Khodro.

Renault had to suspend doing business with Iran in 2013 after stricter sanctions were imposed that specifically included tough restrictions on banking transactions within the country. The French major reported a huge fall in profits for the first half of 2013 after writing off the entire value of its business in Iran. The firm suffered a loss of 512 million euros (680-million-dollars) after ceasing activity in the Islamic Republic.

The automobile industry accounts for nearly 10 percent of Iranв's gross domestic product. The latest data shows that Iran ranks 18th on the list of the worldв's top auto manufacturers. However, the countryв's automotive industry requires modernization after years of sanctions.

Sanctions on Iran hit the automotive industry hard, slicing production by 1 million units from its peak of 1.6 million in 2011 and leading to 100,000 job redundancies.

Iran is one of the biggest producers of cars in the region.

The US authorities have confirmed that the presidents of Russia and the United States will meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

"We can confirm that the two presidents will meet in the context of the UN General Assembly," a high-ranking official at the US Administration told TASS.

"Given the situations in Ukraine and Syria, despite our profound differences with Moscow, the president believes that it would be irresponsible not to test whether we can make progress through high-level engagement with the Russians," he said.

Contacts between Putin and Obama have been very rare following tensions over the Ukrainian crisis. The last meeting took place in November 2014 at the APEC summit in China. In the past months the two presidents had only three telephone conversations.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sept. 25

By Demir Azizov- Trend:

No Uzbek citizens were among the victims of the tragedy that occurred near Mecca, the press service of the committee for religious affairs under the government of the country said.

It was reported that more than 700 people were killed in the valley of Mina in Saudi Arabia as a result of a stampede Sept. 24, according to recent data.

"During the incident, our pilgrims were coming back from the valley of Muzdalifah to Mina," said the message. "No Uzbek pilgrims were injured, and they continue to make the pilgrimage."

Earlier it was reported that 5,200 Muslims from Uzbekistan will make this year's pilgrimage to Mecca.

Edited by CN

Follow us on Twitter @

The office of Azerbaijan`s Embassy has been inaugurated in Bratislava, AzerTag reports.

The opening ceremony was attended by Slovak state and government officials, including former President Rudolf Shuster, parliamentarians, representatives of the diplomatic corps.

Speakers at the event included Azerbaijani Ambassador to Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia Qalib Israfilov, Slovak State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Igor Slobodnik, and the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large Fakhraddin Qurbanov. They hailed the opening of the Embassy`s office in Bratislava as a new chapter in the relations between Azerbaijan and Slovakia.

One of the Azerbaijani pilgrims who went to Hajj died suddenly, Representative of the Caucasian Muslims Office told APAв's correspondent in Mecca

A 55-year-old Azerbaijani pilgrim Fakhraddin Zeynalli suddenly died after casting stones at satan at Mina valley and sacrificing. It is reported that he died of a heart attack. It is not clear when the pilgrims will be buried.

Two other Azerbaijani pilgrims' health deteriorated due to sunstroke.

Both of two pilgrims hospitalized. Their life is not in danger.

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 25

Trend:

Some 887 pilgrims were injured as a result of crush in Mecca, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Saudi Arabia said, Hurriyet reported Sept. 25.

According to the information, the death toll may increase.

Some 753 people died as a result of crush in Mecca.

More than 4,000 rescuers are working on the scene.

Pilgrims this year have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed over 100 people and injured over 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

Follow us on Twitter @

Moscow '" APA. Increasing Russian military support to the Assad regime in Syria and statements that Russia will continue to provide military aid to this country is in the spotlight of world media.

A number of questions arise: Why is Russia providing military support to Syria? And why does it want to station a military contingent in this country? Or is Moscow actually capable of doing this? What would possibly be awaiting Russia in case it succeeds in making this plan a reality? A second Afghanistan?

The answer of the first question is clear to many. The West and the Arab world are incapable of fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist organization, which poses a major threat to the region as well as Russia, or are just unwilling to fight. Claims that what ISIL is doing correspond to the West's interests in the region are becoming more and more strong. We are talking about the attempts to overthrow the Assad government. Iran, one of the most powerful states in the region, is unable to combat ISIL either. This is why Russia has recently increased its support to the Assad government. Moscow sees Syria as the fist line of defense against the black-flagged ISIL threat. This line can be called the Russia-Mediterranean line as well. Russia seems determined to do whatever it takes so that the ISIL threat may die out in Syrian territory itself and that no ISIL revolution may arise in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The immediate crackdown on the latest events that took place in Tajikistan and the Kremlin's adequate reaction to this suggest that Moscow always maintains this threat under its control. A single spark would be enough for an ISIL revolution to start in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - the two Central Asian countries that have "softer" frontiers with Afghanistan. Moscow is extremely careful of this spark making its way from Afghanistan into that region.

As for the second question, there are two different opinions. According to official statements, Russian military-transport planes only carry humanitarian cargo to the military air base in Latakia, Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry has said that this cargo contains food and necessary items for the people suffering from the conflict.

Different sources claim that Syria is being provided with not only humanitarian aid, but also military-technical assistance, military experts and special forces which will fight by the side of the government forces. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said information about Russia's military support to Syria is not news, noting the Russian troops exist in Syria since the period of the Soviet Union. This statement confirms Russia's ongoing military-technical assistance to Syria as well as increases the likelihood that Russian military is fighting and will fight against ISIL. Moscow, of course, denies this, but at the same time alludes to the fact that under certain circumstances it may send troops to Syria. To the question about the participation of Russian troops in military Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "If there will be any appeal by President Bashar al-Assad within the framework of bilateral relations and bilateral dialogue, of course, this issue will be considered then."

The response to the question "What Moscow expects in case that it will deploy troops to Syria?" is not only limited to the likelihood that the West will toughen economic and financial sanctions on this country. Indeed, the West criticizes this activity of Moscow, threatening it with sanctions and isolation. The US and the European Union accuse Russia of its willful intervention in the situation in Syria. However, the Kremlin has strong argument for it. Thus, Russia will deploy troops to Syria upon the permission and support of Syria's legitimate government. Though the West doesn't consider the Assad government legal, there is no owner of legitimate government in Syria except him. Only Bashar al-Assad can consent to a foreign country's deploying troops in his country to assist in the conduct of military operations. In this respect, Russia's argument is very strong. Therefore, the West has no ground to accuse Russia of tyranny. On the contrary, Russia can blame the Western countries with this argument.

The second key issue is that the West is deliberately pushing Russia into the Syrian swamp. Syria could bring an end to modern Russia, as Afghanistan brought an end to the Soviet Union. Today, Russia sees ISIL as a real threat to its national security. ISIL activities have been prohibited by law in the territory of the Russian Federation. The name of the organization was included in the list of terrorist organizations. Russia has only taken these steps against the ISIL so far. In its turn, ISIL is threatening Moscow with terrorist attacks and stating that these attacks will be carried out by the militants from the North Caucasus. However, Russian entry into an open war with ISIL in Syria raises the question of which acts will this terrorist organization commit within the borders of Russia. No one is insuring Russia against terrorist acts within its territories if it will deploy troops to Syria to fight against ISIL. The other issue is Syrian people's attitude toward Russian troops. No one can guarantee that the Syrians will friendly welcome the Russians, because they gained the painful experience of Afghanistan. As the ideologies of Taliban fighting against the Russians in Afghanistan and ISIL are the same, Moscow is most likely to face the second Afghanistan.

Farid Akbarov, APA Analytical Center

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 25

Trend:

4 Turks were killed in Hajj stampede in Mecca on Thursday, Hurriyet newspaper reported Sept. 25.

According to officials from Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, 5 other Turkish pilgrims still missing after Mecca stampede.

717 pilgrims died and 863 more were injured as a result of crush in Mecca.

Follow us on Twitter @

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sept. 23

By Demir Azizov- Trend:

Uzbekistan Railways JSC will electrify a new section of the Pap-Kokand-Andijan railway, which is a continuation of Angren-Pap line by 2020, said the message of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan.

The document said that the completion of the construction of Angren-Pap electrified railway line is provided in July 2016, and the cost savings is expected compared to the approved feasibility study (FS) of the project "Construction of Angren-Pap electrified railway line."

The government of the republic approved the proposal of Uzbekistan Railways for the electrification of the Pap-Kokand-Andijan railway section with a length of 186 kilometers, with the inclusion of these works in the project "Construction of Angren-Pap electrified railway line within its total approved cost".

Financing of Pap-Kokand-Andijan section electrification will be funded by savings from the Angren-Pap project.

The government allowed Uzbekistan Railways and Uzbekenergo companies to begin the construction of external power supply facilities of Pap-Kokand-Andijan section simultaneously with the design and development of the construction documents.

Uzbekistan started construction of the Angren-Pap new electrified railway in July 2013. The railway line with a length of 129 km would run through the Kamchik pass and link the three oblasts in the east of the country - Andijan, Namangan and Fergana - with the remaining part of Uzbekistan.

The project worth $1.8 billion is financed through the state budget, Uzbek railway company's own funds and loans of the international financial institutes. Construction is to be completed in late 2017.

Edited by CN

Follow us on Twitter @

At least 62 people were injured and 200 houses damaged in Thursday evening's earthquake that hit Papua in easternmost Indonesia, a spokesman of the country's national disaster management agency told Xinhua on Friday.

Among the injured, 17 are in serious conditions, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman, told Xinhua over the phone.

The number of victims and the size of damage are expected, he said.

The earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale jolted West Papua, also forced panic evacuation of some locals and tents are needed to shelter those whose houses were damaged, Sutopo said.

The intensity of the quake, with a depth of 10 km under the sea was, felt at 4 to 5 MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) at Sorong town, 3 to 4 MMI at Rajaampat town and 2 to 4 MMI at Manokwari town, he said.

However, no trace of tsunami has been monitored, said an official of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as it sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone called "The Pacific Ring of Fire."

Follow us on Twitter @

"As previously informed, Sheikh Rashid died as a result of heart attack at the age of 34 years"

Baku. Malahat Najafova - APA. The information spread by the media referring to FARS news about the fact that Sheikh Rashid bin Muhammad Al Maktoum, son of the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has been killed in the Yemeni revolutionary forces' attack in Ma'rib province is absolutely false and untrue, the UAE Embassy in Azerbaijan told APA on Sept.22.

Iran's FARS news reported yesterday that Sheikh Rashid and a number of other UAE forces were killed in a Yemeni forces' Katyusha attack in Ma'rib province.

Five missing Turkish pilgrims have been found while another 13 remain unaccounted for following Thursday's stampede near Mecca that left more than 700 Hajj pilgrims dead on the first day of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Anadolu agency reported.

According to officials from Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, the five recovered pilgrims are all in good medical condition.

Efforts to locate the remaining 13 missing pilgrims, meanwhile, remain ongoing.

More than 750 Hajj pilgrims were killed Thursday morning - and at least 800 injured - in a stampede that took place near the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

According to Saudi figures, some 2 million Muslims from around the world are participating in this year's Hajj pilgrimage.

Thursday's deadly stampede comes two weeks after 107 people were killed by a crane that collapsed in Mecca's Grand Mosque, which had been teeming with worshippers at the time of the accident.

Follow us on Twitter @

Iran is on course to earn $2 billion this year from exports of horticulture products, including fruits and herbs, an Agriculture Ministry official says, Press TV reported.

Pistachios, dates, pomegranates, apples, kiwifruit, raisins, saffron and tea constitute the bulk of the exports, which have risen notably in the past three years, deputy head of the ministry's gardening affairs Mohammad Ali Tahmasbi said Thursday.

Last year, Iran produced more than 16 million metric tons of fruits, vegetables and herbs, asserting its first place for pomegranate harvest, the third for dates, the fourth for kiwifruit and the fifth for figs for a second year in a row, he said, citing UN figures.

Iranian fruits, vegetables and herbs, known for their organic production and superior taste, are currently a regular staple in the food basket of some 240 million people around the country.

Tahmasbi said Russia and Central Asian nations are the new customers of Iran's horticultural products, adding exports are expected to rise also due to the removal of sanctions.

Because of its unique ecology, Iran is the largest fruit producer in the Middle East and North Africa where the diversity of climatic zones makes it possible to cultivate a variety of crops.

The Iranian plateau is believed to be the homeland to a number of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants such as Persian walnuts, pomegranates, peaches, spinach and tulips.

Gardening is done on 2.6 million hectares of land, including 800,000 hectares of orchards irrigated with pressurized systems, Tahmasbi said.

Iran has also a modest flower farming sector in which 2.55 billion stalks of cut flowers are produced a year in conservatories or open grounds.

Agriculture in Iran accounts for about one-fourth of the gross national product and employs about two-fifths of the labor force.

Stay up to date with latest Iran news on our specialized Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei declares three days of national mourning following the deaths of several hundred Hajj pilgrims, including at least 125 Iranian nationals, in the holy city of Mecca, Press TV reported.

"Offering condolences to the bereaved [families of killed pilgrims], I declare three days of national mourning in the country," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a message on Thursday.

"The Saudi government is obligated to shoulder its heavy responsibility in this bitter incident and meet its obligations in compliance with the rule of righteousness and fairness. Mismanagement and improper measures that were behind this tragedy should not be overlooked," the Leader said.

The disaster created a "great grief" in the Islamic world, the Leader said, condoling with the survivors and mourners throughout the Muslim community and extending all possible assistance to the pilgrims of other countries.

The administration of President Hassan Rouhani also issued a statement, noting that the Saudi government is responsible for the consequences of disregard of its obligation of guaranteeing security for the pilgrims.

It called on the Saudi government to "identify the factors that caused this incident", help repatriate the bodies of the dead to Iran quickly and provide treatment to the injured.

Saudi authorities say 717 people have been killed while Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization puts the death toll at more than 1,300.

Stay up to date with latest Iran news on our specialized Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @

details added (first version posted at 15:13)

Head of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi said Thursday that in Hajj stampede in Mena as many as 95 Iranian pilgrims have been confirmed dead with 150 others injured, IRNA reported.

Speaking to IRNA, Ohadi said that according to statistics released by Saudi officials, 1,200 pilgrims have lost their lives and 1,500 others have been injured.

Following the deadly incident during Hajj rituals, 200 medical teams were dispatched to the scene to help those injured, Ohadi said.

He said that Saudi hospitals have difficulty for accepting the injured pilgrims and do not allow Iranian doctors to enter and help.

Noting that most of the victims are from Nigeria, India and Pakistan, Ohadi said that at present bodies of a large number of the victims and injured persons are still on the ground.

Stay up to date with latest Iran news on our specialized Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.24

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed the condolences to Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King of Saudi Arabia Sept.24.

"Your Highness, Dear brother, We have been deeply saddened by the news of a stampede during Hajj pilgrimage, in which a large number of pilgrims were killed and injured. On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my deep condolences to you, families and loved ones of those who died, and wish those injured recovery. May Allah rest the souls of those who died in peace!"

Follow us on Twitter @

Pope Francis told Congress on Thursday that the United States should reject hostility to immigrants and treat them humanely, directly addressing a thorny subject that is dividing the country and stirring debate in the 2016 presidential campaign, Reuters reported.

In the first speech by a pope to a U.S. Congress, the Argentine pontiff said the United States "must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past," when dealing with immigrants.

"Building a nation calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility," the 78-year-old Francis told the Republican-dominated legislature.

Aversion to illegal immigrants has featured heavily in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Front-runner Donald Trump says he would deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants if he were elected to the White House and has accused Mexico of sending rapists and other criminals across the border.

Speaking in English to lawmakers and other dignitaries packed into the House of Representatives, Francis said America should not be put off by the number of immigrants who are trying to make it their home.

"We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal," he said.

The pope described himself the "the son of immigrants" from Italy who settled in Argentina last century.

Several Republican presidential candidates were in the audience, including Ben Carson who caused controversy this week by saying a Muslim should not be U.S. president.

Francis addressed Congress the day after he raised other political issues such as climate change and inequality in a speech at the White House on Wednesday, the first full day of his six-day trip to the United States.

Follow us on Twitter @

details added (first version posted at 15:13)

As many as 43 Iranians were killed and tens of others were injured in Hajj stampede in Mena on Thursday, IRNA reported.

Head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi said on Thursday that the injured are in an acute condition.

Ohadi said the routes leading to the point for stoning are still blocked, making it difficult for the relief aid workers to rush aid to the victims.

He said that bodies of a large number of the victims are still on the ground and the relief aid workers are in efforts to collect and transfer them. 'The precise number of those killed or injured will be announced in the next hours,' he added.

The Hajj stampede in Mena killed more than 453 Hajj pilgrims and about 791 others injured.

Ohadi said the bitter incident is caused by failure of the Saudi security organs to manage the rituals.

He added that the Saudi officials had blocked two ways leading to the stoning point, thus causing the large crowd of the pilgrims.

Stay up to date with latest Iran news on our specialized Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Some 805 pilgrims were injured as a result of crush in Mecca, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Saudi Arabia said Sept. 24.

According to the information, the death toll may increase.

Some 717 people died as a result of crush in Mecca Sept. 24.

More than 4,000 rescuers are working on the scene.

Pilgrims this year have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed over 100 people and injured over 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

The construction industry is hitting record in Kazakhstan's housing sector, Ranking.kz analytical service said.

"A maximum rate of commissioning the residential buildings - 719,000 square meters (almost a third more than last year) was reached in August," a statement said.

The area of residential buildings commissioned in Kazakhstan amounted to 719,600 square meters in August, which is by 30.5 percent more than last year. Some 3,259 apartments and 2,931 individual houses were commissioned on a turnkey basis.

The top three leaders of the housing construction are Astana, Almaty and Almaty region. The highest rate of growth was observed in East Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan and Akmola regions. As of the month, 12 regions improved last year's figures.

More than a half of the housing commissioned in August was built as part of individual housing construction. By July 2015 the share of residential buildings commissioned by the public sector has doubled up to eight percent.

---

follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova

Follow us on Twitter @

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sept. 24

By Demir Azizov- Trend:

The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recently approved a loan worth $ 150 million to implement the high-voltage power grid modernization project in the north-western region of Uzbekistan, the bank said Sept. 24.

The project worth $ 255 million includes the construction of a 364 kilometer-new power transmission line. It will connect the Takhiatash thermal power plant, the Khorezm substation and Elikkala substation, as well as the construction of three substations in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm.

Moreover, the existing Khorezm substation will be rehabilitated and expanded and a new 500/220 kV substation will be built in Elikkale.

The government of Uzbekistan and Uzbekenergo JSC will allocate $ 105 million for the project implementation.

The project covers four years and it is expected to be completed in late 2019.

"The allocation of these funds was a continuation of the work on strengthening the power grid of the most northern region of Uzbekistan," a statement said.

It was previously reported that ADB approved the allocation of $ 300 million for the modernization of the Takhiatash thermal power plant in July 2014. The project worth $ 700 million includes the construction of two combined cycle gas turbines with a capacity of 280 MW each by decommissioning obsolete blocks of the thermal power plant. The project is planned to be completed in 2020.

Besides an ADB loan, the project will be financed from the Reconstruction and Development Fund of Uzbekistan in the amount of $ 270 million, budgetary funds worth $ 130 million and Uzbekenergo's equity.

At present, there are 45 power plants in Uzbekistan with a total capacity of about 13,800 megawatts.

Up to 90 percent of all electricity is generated by 10 thermal power stations of Uzbekenergo JSC with a total installed capacity of 10.6 million kilowatts.

Uzbekenergo JSC increased electricity generation by 2.3 percent up to 55 billion kilowatt hours in Uzbekistan in 2014 compared to 2013.

The potential capacity for the electricity generation is 56-57 billion kilowatt hours.

Uzbekistan became an ADB member in 1995. Currently, it is the largest recipient of loans from this financial institution in Central Asia. ADB has allocated around $5 billion for the implementation of over 40 investment projects with the total estimated cost of over $14.5 billion.

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Bulgaria is ready to complete the deal on constructing the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) to neighboring Greece, however, it waits for a decision of the new government in Athens, Nikolay Nikolov, Deputy Energy Minister of Bulgaria, said, Reuters reported.

Bulgaria intends to build the interconnector to reduce dependence on Russian gas and turn the country into a regional energy hub. But the 182-kilometer-interconnector construction project has been repeatedly delayed when a decision was made to implement it first in 2009 following the disagreements between Russia and Ukraine over gas prices.

"IGB aims at gas transportation from Azerbaijan and through LNG terminal in Greece," he said. "As a result of the current deferral, the project will be completed at the end of 2018, rather than in the middle of 2018 as it was planned."

Bulgarian State Energy Holding has 50 percent in this project. The remaining 50 percent is owned by the Greek DEPA operator and Italy's Edison company. In this project, the capacity is estimated at 5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

"We expect the signing of the final investment agreement," he said. "This depends on our Greek colleagues. We expect that the agreement will be signed as soon as possible to start implementing the project. Our government is negotiating with the European Commission for financing the interconnector construction. Brussels has already allocated 45 million euro. We hope that we will get more money."

He said that the bridge, linking the IGB to the Romanian gas transportation system, will be constructed in 2016. Earlier, the government announced a new tender for the construction of the bridge component under the Danube river, suspended by the previous contractors.

IGB (Greece-Bulgaria inter-connector) is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field.

IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans-Adriatic pipeline via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.

A Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation was signed between TAP and ICGB in January 2014.

The document gives an opportunity for cooperation between the two companies that will work together on connecting the pipelines in the vicinity of Komotini (Greece), which will open the way for new supplies of gas to the gas distribution network in Bulgaria, and further to the South-Eastern Europe.

TAP project is designed to transport gas from the Caspian Sea region to Italy's south through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea and further to West Europe. The total length of the pipeline will near 870 kilometers.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Bulgaria is ready to complete the deal on constructing the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) to neighboring Greece, however, it waits for a decision of the new government in Athens, Nikolay Nikolov, Deputy Energy Minister of Bulgaria, said, Reuters reported.

Bulgaria intends to build the interconnector to reduce dependence on Russian gas and turn the country into a regional energy hub. But the 182-kilometer-interconnector construction project has been repeatedly delayed when a decision was made to implement it first in 2009 following the disagreements between Russia and Ukraine over gas prices.

"IGB aims at gas transportation from Azerbaijan and through LNG terminal in Greece," he said. "As a result of the current deferral, the project will be completed at the end of 2018, rather than in the middle of 2018 as it was planned."

Bulgarian State Energy Holding has 50 percent in this project. The remaining 50 percent is owned by the Greek DEPA operator and Italy's Edison company. In this project, the capacity is estimated at 5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

"We expect the signing of the final investment agreement," he said. "This depends on our Greek colleagues. We expect that the agreement will be signed as soon as possible to start implementing the project. Our government is negotiating with the European Commission for financing the interconnector construction. Brussels has already allocated 45 million euro. We hope that we will get more money."

He said that the bridge, linking the IGB to the Romanian gas transportation system, will be constructed in 2016. Earlier, the government announced a new tender for the construction of the bridge component under the Danube river, suspended by the previous contractors.

IGB (Greece-Bulgaria inter-connector) is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field.

IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans-Adriatic pipeline via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.

A Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation was signed between TAP and ICGB in January 2014.

The document gives an opportunity for cooperation between the two companies that will work together on connecting the pipelines in the vicinity of Komotini (Greece), which will open the way for new supplies of gas to the gas distribution network in Bulgaria, and further to the South-Eastern Europe.

TAP project is designed to transport gas from the Caspian Sea region to Italy's south through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea and further to West Europe. The total length of the pipeline will near 870 kilometers.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Some 719 pilgrims were injured as a result of crush in Mecca, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Saudi Arabia said Sept. 24.

According to the information, the death toll may increase.

Some 453 people died as a result of crush in Mecca Sept. 24.

More than 4,000 rescuers are working on the scene.

Pilgrims this year have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed over 100 people and injured over 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

---

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Most of those died in Mecca's crush are the citizens of African countries, Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported Sept. 24.

According to the preliminary data, ten Turkish citizens are among the injured.

According to the TV channel, most of the pilgrims died after falling from a bridge (over 6 meters).

Some 310 people died and 450 were injured as a result of crush in Mecca.

It is not ruled out that these are not the final figures.

More than 4,000 rescuers are working on the scene.

Pilgrims this year have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed over 100 people and injured over 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

---

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The death toll in Mecca's crush may increase, the civil defense ministry of Saudi Arabia said Sept. 24.

The dead pilgrims are being identified.

Some 310 people died and 450 were injured as a result of crush in Mecca.

More than 4,000 rescuers are working on the scene.

The Azerbaijani embassy in Saudi Arabia is clarifying whether the Azerbaijani citizens are among the dead and injured in Mecca's crush, Hikmet Hajiyev, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan foreign ministry, told Trend Sept. 24.

Meanwhile, the Caucasian Muslims Office is trying to contact with Azerbaijani pilgrims in Mecca, Mugaddas Payizov, the head of the international relations department of the Caucasian Muslims Office told Trend earlier.

Payizov said that there are some 2600 pilgrims from Azerbaijan in Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj.

Pilgrims this year have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed over 100 people and injured over 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

---

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

At least 12 Iranians are among 310 people died as a result of crush in Mecca, Ali Marashi, head of Hajj medical center of Iran's Red Crescent Society said.

Some 24 Iranian pilgrims were also injured in the incident, Marashi said, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

The crush occurred during the hajj outside holy city in Saudi Arabia, when the pilgrims were performing the symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars. This year over two million pilgrims are performing the Hajj.

A total of 61,000 Iranian pilgrims are in Saudi Arabia for Hajj rituals.

It was also reported about 450 injured.

This year pilgrims have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed more than 100 people and injured at least 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh

Stay up to date with latest Iran news on our specialized Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @

details added (first version posted at 13:27)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The Azerbaijani embassy in Saudi Arabia is clarifying whether the Azerbaijani citizens are among the dead and injured in Mecca's crush, Hikmet Hajiyev, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan foreign ministry, told Trend Sept. 24.

Some 310 people died and 450 were injured as a result of crush in Mecca, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Saudi Arabia said earlier.

The ethnicity of those dead and injured has not been disclosed.

The crush occurred during the hajj outside holy city in Saudi Arabia, when the pilgrims were performing the symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars. This year over two million pilgrims are performing the Hajj.

Meanwhile, the Caucasian Muslims Office is trying to contact with Azerbaijani pilgrims in Mecca, Mugaddas Payizov, the head of the international relations department of the Caucasian Muslims Office told Trend Sept. 24.

Payizov said that there are some 2600 pilgrims from Azerbaijan in Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj.

Pilgrims this year have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed over 100 people and injured over 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

---

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

details added (first version posted on 13:27)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Some 310 people died as a result of crush in Mecca, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Saudi Arabia said Sept. 24.

The ethnicity of those dead and injured has not been disclosed.

The crush occurred during the hajj outside holy city in Saudi Arabia, when the pilgrims were performing the symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars. This year over two million pilgrims are performing the Hajj.

Meanwhile, the Caucasian Muslims Office is trying to contact with Azerbaijani pilgrims in Mecca, Mugaddas Payizov, the head of the international relations department of the Caucasian Muslims Office told Trend Sept. 24.

Payizov said that there are some 2600 pilgrims from Azerbaijan in Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj.

Pilgrims this year have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed more than 100 people and injured at least 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

---

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

By Sara Rajabova - AzerNewsВ 

Azerbaijani music lovers will be mesmerized by performances of magnificent Italian music in Baku.

Azerbaijanв's capital city of Baku will host a concert program featuring Italian and Azerbaijani musicians on September 25.

The concert, called "Baku Canta Napoli," will be held as part of the prestigious Uzeyir Hajibeyov International Music Festival dedicated to the 130thВ anniversary of the father of Azerbaijani music, Uzeyir Hajibeyov.

On eve of the concert, its organizers Italian composer Francesco Maggio, Azerbaijani composer Gunay Mirzayeva, and Italian conductor Fabrizio Festa, who will direct the Hajibeyov Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra accompanied by soprano Tiziana Scandaletti and pianist Riccardo Piacentini shared the impressions and expectations from the upcoming concert.

Mirzayeva stated that the project is organized by the Italian Embassy in cooperation with the Azerbaijani Culture and Tourism Ministry and Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

Maggio said as it can be inferred from the title of the concert -- 'Baku sings Napoliв' -- the program will be based on the notes of classical Neapolitan songs.

Songs such as "Come back to Sorrento" by Ernesto de Curtis, "O Surdato nnamurato" Henry Cannio, "Funiculi 'Funicula'" by Luigi Denza and "O Sole Mio" by Eduardo Capua will be performed.

The only Azerbaijani music performed at the concert will be the work by Mirzayeva, composed in the tarantella style. The composition is a synthesis of the Azerbaijani and Italian music and will be dedicated to the 130thВ anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyov.

Maggio said the Neopolitan songs were reworked by the young musicians and new shades were added to them. These compositions were brought together by the Cluster association of composers, which is located in Italyв's Lucca city.

The concert also features a composition by Piacentini inspired by the works of famous Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti and synthesizing classical and modern music.

Maggio also added that this concert is organized in the spirit of Azerbaijani and Italian friendship. Italian soprano Scandaletti and Azerbaijanв's famous tenor Samir Jafarov will sing "O Sole Mio" and "Funiculi 'Funicula'" as duets.

Discussing the upcoming event, Festa said the goal of the musicians is to delight the Azerbaijani audience. He said the concert program is very well conceived.

''Maggio did good work in creating a combination of different contemporary music with traditional Neopolitan songs. It is important for Italian lyrical traditions,'' he said.

Festa considered that for the Azerbaijani audience, this concert will be very special and the audience will be comforted by such kind of music.

Noting that last year she also visited Azerbaijan for a concert, Scandaletti said she is looking forward to working and singing with Azerbaijani tenor Jafarov.

She said it will be nice experience for the audience to hear the soprano and tenor, and in the meantime listen to both Azerbaijani and Italian music.

Piacentini, for his part noted that it is great to join different traditions and experiences. He said in the modern world, it is important to preserve the identities of different cultures, adding that it is also necessary to find a way to bring different cultures together.

He said the concert will be a wonderful opportunity to realize this goal.

Maggio recalled that he is trying to build a bridge between Azerbaijani and Italian music.

He added that though he is Italian, he leaves in Germany and there, established an Azerbaijan cultural center with the help of the diaspora. The center frequently holds concerts and promotes Azerbaijani music, according to Maggio.

Furthermore, the musicians said unfortunately Azerbaijani music is not so popular in Italy. However, they praise the works of Hajibeyov, such as the 'Korogluв' opera and other works that could be very popular in Italy if performed on big Italian stages.

Azerbaijani-Italian cultural relations were given an incentive since the Italian city of Naples and the Azerbaijani capital Baku were declared sister cities in 1972. However, relations between the two countries actually have a long history, which can be traced back to travelers visiting Azerbaijan in the Middle Ages, including Marco Polo.

Different paintings of well-known Italian artists are available in the museums of Azerbaijan, and a lot of carpets and jewelry items made in Azerbaijan are held in numerous museums and private collections in Italy.

Some legendary singers of Azerbaijan such as Bulbul and Muslim Magomayev mastered the basics of opera art in Italy. Many cultural events have been held in both Italy and Azerbaijan.

details added (first version posted at 13:27)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Some 150 people died, 450 got injured as a result of crush in Mecca, TRT Haber TV channel reported Sept. 24. The crush occurred during the hajj outside holy city in Saudi Arabia.

The ethnicity of those dead and injured has not been disclosed, the TV channel reported. Previous reports said some 107 people died and 238 got injured.

Pilgrims this year have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed more than 100 people and injured at least 200.

The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994.

More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).

---

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

details added (first version posted at 13:27)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Some 150 people died, 450 got injured as a result of jam in Mecca, TRT Haber TV channel reported Sept. 24.

The ethnicity of those dead and injured has not been disclosed, the TV channel reported.

Earlier, some 107 people died and 238 people were injured as a result of the incident in Mecca.

---

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani left Tehran for New York on Sept. 24 to attend the 70th United Nations General Assembly which will kick off on September 25.

Rouhani will hold meetings with heads of states and officials of other countries during his five-day stay, Iran's official IRIB news agency reported.

He will also deliver a speech at the UN meeting. The Iranian president is scheduled to meet Iranians living in the US and have interviews with different TV networks.

This is the third visit of Rouhani to New York since he became Iran's president in August 2013. Prior to his departure to New York, the Iranian president said that Iran will implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the best way.

He further said that the nuclear deal was a big achievement not only for Iranian people also for global peace.

Rouhani also added that all nations around the world as well as in the Middle East region will benefit from the nuclear deal results.

After several months of talks, on July 14, Iran and the P5 1 (US, Russia, China, France, UK, and Germany) announced a final accord dubbed JCPOA, curbing Iran 's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions against Tehran.

Stay up to date with latest Iran news on our specialized Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @

Azerbaijani table tennis players will vie for medals at the LIEBHERR 2015 ITTF-European Championships to be held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, from September 25 to October 4.

The 10-day Championships will take place at the International Exhibition Centre "Ekaterinburg Expo", with six gold medals up on offer: men's team, women's team, men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles.

/By AzerTac/

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham has called the recent comments made by US Secretary of State John Kerry regarding Iran's role in Syria "unrealistic".

"The US Secretary of State's comments are not reflecting the Syrian realities and should be considered as physiological projection," Afkham said, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported Sept. 24.

On Sept. 22, Kerry called on Russia and Iran to help with diplomatic efforts to end the four-year conflict in Syria.

The US top diplomat said that Washington is ready to engage in a dialogue to promote a peace agreement that would see Syrian President Bashar al-Assad removed from power.

Meanwhile the Iranian spokeswoman said that the US and its allies' stances towards the Syria and setting conditions are the main obstacles against resolving the crisis in Syria.

She also called the US to put aside its former "wrong policies" regarding the Syria help settling the crisis.

Afkham further said that the Islamic Republic has always supported political solution and formation of Syrian-Syrian dialogue as the unique path to ending the war.

Tehran and Moscow share the same stance towards Syria, supporting the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. The Islamic Republic views the Syrian regime as its main strategic ally in the region and as part of an "axis of resistance" against Israel.

The Syrian opposition claims that Iranian military forces are fighting against them, while Iran dismisses the claims, saying that Iran only has advisors in Syria, to transfer its military experience to the Syrian army.

During the conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, more than 150,000 people have been killed in the country and over 4.2 million have become refugees in Syrian territory and two million have fled to neighboring countries.

Stay up to date with latest Iran news on our specialized Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter @

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Fitch Ratings has published Eximbank Kazakhstan's (Exim) Long-term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of 'B-'. The Outlooks are Stable.

Long-term foreign and local currency IDRs: published at 'B-'; Stable Outlook

Short-term foreign-currency IDR: published at 'B'

National Long-term rating: published at 'B (kaz)'; Stable Outlook

Viability Rating: published at 'b-'

Support Rating: published at '5'

Support Rating Floor: published at 'No Floor'

Senior unsecured debt ratings: published at 'B-'/'B (kaz)'; Recovery Rating at 'RR4'

Exim's IDRs are based on the bank's Viability Rating (VR), which reflects a narrow franchise, weak asset quality, high reliance on shareholders for funding and modest profitability. The ratings also take into account currently solid capital ratios, the statement said.

Exim is a part of a broader business of its shareholders, who are also majority owners of one of the largest private electricity companies in Kazakhstan, Central-Asian Electric-Power Corporation (CAEPCo, BB-/Outlook Negative). Fitch does not explicitly factor in support from CAEPCo into Exim's ratings, but the bank's credit profile benefits from the shareholder's ability to originate business for the bank on both sides of its balance sheet.

Exim's asset quality is assessed as weak. Although its reported NPL ratio was low at 0.8% at end-2014, some 45% of gross loans were restructured, about half of which is financing of real estate assets, which generate little cash-flow at present. Reserves covered only 46% of NPLs and restructured loans, while unreserved part accounted for a high 1.6x of Fitch core capital (FCC) at end-2014.

Profitability is weak with return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) for 2014 of 0.5% and 2% respectively. The quality of earnings is weak since around 80% of net income generated in 2014 was represented by accrued but not received interest income, the statement said.

Fitch estimates that on a cash pre-impairment basis Exim incurred a small loss in 2014. Profitability remained flat in 1H15, based on the regulatory accounts, but cash generation from the loan book has improved.

Capitalisation is a positive rating factor with Tier 1 and total capital ratios standing, respectively, at a high 22.3% and 26.1% at end-1H15.

Fitch estimates that capital buffer is sufficient for the bank to fully cover unreserved high-risk restructured loans with reserves without breaching the minimum regulatory requirements.

Exim is predominantly funded by customer accounts, of which 61% are from shareholders' companies and a further 13% are deposits serving as collateral for certain loans - both of these funding sources are fairly stable. Liquidity buffer, net of potential wholesale repayments, covered a reasonable 60% of non-related customer accounts at end-1H15.

Foreign currency liquidity is tight, but the risk is mitigated by the absence of foreign currency debt repayments over the next year.

Significant improvement of asset quality metrics while maintaining solid capital position, and greater funding diversification may lead to a rating upgrade. Weakening in the liquidity profile and asset quality may lead to a rating downgrade.

The Support Rating '5' reflects Fitch's view that support from the bank's private shareholder, although possible, cannot be reliably assessed. The Support Rating Floor of 'No Floor' is based on Exim's low systemic importance which is not expected to be revised over the next year.

---

follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova

Follow us on Twitter @

Structural crises open up opportunities for introducing technological and institutional innovations.

The statement came from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in his article titled New Reality: Russia and Global Challenges published on Wednesday by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily for the Voprosy Ekonomiki (Economic Issues) journal, ITAR TASS reports.

"A crisis is always both a threat and an opportunity," Medvedev said explaining that during structural crises there emerges a chance to "qualitatively improve positions on the world's economic and political map" rather than a danger to "drastically lag behind."

"Breakthroughs lsquo;from third world to first' (if we use an expression of (Singapore's late Prime Minister) Lee Kuan Yew who led Singapore to success) occur, as a rule, in conditions of structural crises when there arises an opportunity to spot innovations and introduce them, provided that innovations are both technological and institutional," the Russian prime minister said.

"It can be proved by practice and experience of the countries that managed to wrench themselves free from economic backwardness - from Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union to Finland, South Korea and Singapore," he said.

Medvedev called on the readers to draw attention to the rise in competition for human resources all around the world, "which becomes the key factor for any country in solution of strategic tasks."

"And even now we can suppose that in the foreseeable future it will reach a new level, for example in solving the problem of quality of machine translation, as removal of language barriers will skyrocket the dynamism of human resources' movements between countries," he said.

Besides, a growth in inequality is topping the economic and political agenda - "as a factor both affecting the level of social and political stability and possibly restraining economic growth.".

Baku '" APA. Massive amount of raindrop late on Tuesday in Turkey's tourism resort town, inundating the district with so much water that cars were floating in the streets.

The three-hour rain was so intense that flash floods quickly enveloped many streets of Bodrum in MuДџla district, an Aegean resort town, causing huge phsyical damage in a district that is closing its tourism season, Today Zaman reported.

The damage was mostly visible in Ећakir and Dere street, where at least 20 cars were dragged away by flash floods. Access to streets was blocked due to the floods.

Dozens of houses and businesses were flooded, causing physical damage. Residents complained about urban restructuring that led to the floods. At least eight people who were injured as a result of the incident were taken to Bodrum State Hospital.

One Georgian serviceman has been killed and another has been injured while on duty in Afghanistan.

Both soldiers were part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.

The fatally wounded serviceman was Vasil Kuljanishvili from the fourth mechanised brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces.

The injured soldier, Paata Rostobaia from the same brigade, suffered severe injuries. Military doctors said he was now in a stable condition and would soon be transferred to Germany for better medical care.

Georgia's Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli said the tragic incident took place while the soldiers were patrolling their area of duties.

"There was no attack on the base or anything like this," she said.

"We spent the whole night with the deceased soldier's family last night and I rarely have seen a young woman, a mother taking the news of her son's death so heroically."

Today's Governmental meeting in Tbilisi opened with a moment of silence in honour of the fallen soldier.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili expressed his "deepest sorrow" over this "tragedy" and said the state would give 100,000 GEL compensation to the family and all funeral expenses would be covered by the state.

President Giorgi Margvelashvili also expressed sadness about the death of the soldier and said it was a "terrible loss" for the entire nation.

Georgia has committed about 750 troops to the Resolute Support mission, meaning the country remained the largest non-NATO contributor to Afghanistan.

In July 2014 Georgian troops ended their four-year long deployment in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand.

Between 2010 and today, Georgia has lost 31 soldiers and 275 have been wounded in NATO peace missions in Afghanistan.

Iran is to submit plan of action to UN General Assembly to implement WAVE.

Iran intends to devise and submit a plan of action to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to implement a resolution that is aimed at fighting extremism and that was originally proposed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani two years ago, PressTV reports.

The Islamic Republic aims to prepare and submit the plan of action to the UNGA in a bid to implement the World Against Extremism and Violence (WAVE) resolution, said Iranian Foreign Mohammad Javad Zarif in a meeting with UNGA President Mogens Lykketoft in New York on Wednesday.

In December 2013, the UNGA overwhelmingly voted to approve President Rouhani's WAVE proposal, which called on all nations across the globe to denounce violence and extremism. The Iranian president had made the proposal in his address to the UN Disarmament Conference in New York on September 25, 2013.

lsquo;To solve Syria crisis, no player should be excluded'

In his Wednesday remarks, Zarif also touched upon the deadly conflict in Syria, saying a political solution is the only way out of the crisis in the Arab country.

The photo shows Takfiri terrorists near the frontline in the al-Zahra area on the northwestern outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, August 24, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has proposed a plan in this regard, which, if accepted by the involved players, can hopefully resolve the conflict," he said.

Iran's top diplomat further warned that excluding any of the regional players can only delay the process of settling the conflict in the war-ravaged country.

Tehran would not like to exclude any government or player from the peace process in the region, Zarif stressed.

Syria has been grappling with a foreign-backed militancy since 2011. The Takfiri militants, who currently control areas across Syria as well as northern and western Iraq, have been carrying out horrific acts of violence, including public decapitations, against Iraqi and Syrian communities.

Armenian armed units intensively fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces and border villages from different caliber weapons again.

The Defense Ministry said that as Armenian armed units fired on the positions of Azerbaijani armed forces in Kamarli village of Gazakh district from the positions in Dovekh village of Noyemberyan district on September 23, civilian Dursunova Esmira Aslan was injured. After receiving first medical aid, she was taken to Diagnostics Center in Gazakh district. She is in critical but stable condition.

"Such provocative acts by Armenian side are always committed on the remarkable days and aimed at involving Azerbaijan Armed Forces in provocation on the borderline. Defense Ministry notes that in order to silence the enemy, our Armed Forces made shots on Armenia's trenches and positions. We state again that the responsibility for casualties and devastation in the enemy side falls on the opposite side".

Azerbaijani Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov has met newly-appointed Ambassador of Belarus Gennady Akhramovich.

The Minister congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment, and wished him success in his diplomatic mission.

The sides discussed educational relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus.

/By AzerTac/

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 23

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Georgia is still interested in building an oil refinery in the port of Poti, Georgian Deputy Energy Minister Mariam Valishvili said in an exclusive interview with Trend Sept. 23.

She said that the construction of the refinery is among the priorities of Georgia.

The Georgian government announced a contest for the expression of interest in connection with the oil refinery development project in Poti in October 2014.

Three companies, namely, New Artway Ltd, Lohrmann International and OTC Consortium, participated in the contest. The contest completed in July 2015. But all participants were disqualified when they did not submit all documents indicated in the tender conditions.

"We do not have a winner," she said. "We urged to deliver additional information to review the received offers."

"No decision about this project and a repeated contest for the expression of interest for the construction of a refinery in Poti was made," she said.

Valishvili said that the offers for the refinery construction in other cities of Georgia - on the territory of Batumi and Supsa were received from foreign investors.

"But these proposals are being considered by the Georgian Ministry of Economy," she said.

According to Georgia's requirements, a refinery must be commissioned in Poti by late 2018. It must produce Euro-5 fuel or light and middle distillates and other petroleum products that meet the standards stipulated by the Georgian legislation. Some 20 percent of the refinery output must be supplied to the local market at a 10 percent discount. At least 90 percent of the employees of the new refinery must account for Georgian citizens.

Edited by CN

---

follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova

Follow us on Twitter @

OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs will today meet with Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers in New York.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs will today meet with Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers in New York, US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick wrote on his Twitter page, APA reports.

"We look forward to productive talks", Warlick said.

The co-chairs will firstly meet with the ministers one-on-one, then together.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov left for New York on September 23. He will also attend the session of the UN General Assembly.

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Russia has not determined its position on Syria yet, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, the Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported Sept. 24.

---

follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu

Story still developing

Follow us on Twitter @

Eid prayer was today performed in Tezepir mosque, Baku.

APA reports that Eid prayer was performed behind imam, akhund Haji Jalil Shahbazov. Then the believers congratulated each other on the occasion of holiday.

The Caucasus Muslim Office said that Eid prayer was performed in all mosques.

This year Eid al-Adha is celebrated on September 24-25.