Azerbaijan
Current Operations
OSCE Office in Baku
(OSCE Other Field Activities)
Since: 11/99
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Aserbaidschan bleibt in Familienbesitz (15.10.2003)
(Quelle: Die Welt) In Aserbaidschan wird heute ein neuer Präsident gewählt. Der Ausgang steht mit an Sicherheit grenzender Wahrscheinlichkeit schon fest. Ilcham Alijew (41), daran zweifelt man in der Hauptstadt Baku nicht, wird seinen 80-jährigen Vater Geidar Alijew im Präsidentenamt beerben.
Election Observation Mission to Report on Preliminary Findings (14.10.2003)
(Quelle: osce.org) The Mission is a joint undertaking of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Over 600 international short- and long-term observers are following the election campaign.
Government Rejects OSCE Criticism (09.10.2003)
(Quelle: RFE/RL) Presidential administration head Mekhtiev met in Baku on 8 October with Ambassador Peter Eicher, head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Election Observation Mission for the 15 October presidential election. Mekhtiev rejected as lacking in objectivity the OSCE's concern over reports of widespread violations of the election law and harassment of opposition candidates and their supporters.
Heidar Aliev Withdraws from Presidential Race (07.10.2003)
(Quelle: ISN) Veteran Azeri President Heidar Aliev, undergoing treatment in the US, may not return home for presidential elections on 15 October, but will be back by the end of the month, a top official said on Tuesday. Aliev, who has dominated politics in the oil-rich former Soviet republic since the late 1960s, pulled out of the presidential race last week and urged voters to back his son Ilham, prime minister and his constitutional successor.
Poll Boosts Opposition Confidence (06.10.2003)
(Quelle: eurasianet.org) Opposition leaders in Azerbaijan are encouraged by a recent poll that shows a significant decline in support for the ruling party candidate, Ilham Aliyev. The polling data’s release comes at a time when campaign-related violence is escalating, raising international concerns about stability in Baku.
Opposition gründet Wahlbündnis (30.09.2003)
(Quelle: Deutsche Welle Monitor) Gestern (29.9.) hat … die Gründungskonferenz des Bündnisses 'Unser Aserbaidschan' stattgefunden, das bei den Präsidentschaftswahlen die Kandidatur des Führers der Partei 'Musavat', Isa Gambar, unterstützt. Das Bündnis wurde von mehr als 30 Parteien, mehr als 100 gesellschaftlichen Vereinigungen sowie von bekannten Vertretern der Öffentlichkeit und Wissenschaft gegründet.
Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe Visits Baku (13.09.2003)
(Quelle: eurasianet.org) The European delegation … is expected to meet Azerbaijan’s main presidential contenders, election officials and representatives of the judiciary. … The PACE delegation’s four-day visit comes just after experts from the Council of Europe’s Council of Ministers strongly criticized Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia for failing to fulfil pledges made when they joined the Strasbourg-based assembly nearly three years ago.
OSCE Begins Deployment of Election Observers (11.09.2003)
(Quelle: osce.org) The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has begun its Election Observation Mission to monitor the presidential election in the Republic of Azerbaijan, scheduled for 15 October, with the deployment of 30 international election experts from 18 OSCE participating States.
OSCE, Council of Europe Concerned about Harassment of Media (10.09.2003)
(Quelle: osce.org) Walter Schwimmer, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Freimut Duve, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today made the following joint statement regarding the media situation in Azerbaijan. 'We are deeply concerned by the continuous reports regarding harassment of the media and intimidation of journalists in Azerbaijan.”
Opposition Fails to Choose Leader (29.08.2003)
(Quelle: IWPR) President Aliev's regime improves its election chances as a London opposition meeting ends in failure. … (T)he meeting broke up with only a shared commitment to form a new body called the Union of Democratic Stability to monitor the fairness of the elections, and an appeal to the international community to send observers to the polls. There was no agreement on the main point on the agenda - a joint candidate to avoid splitting the opposition vote.
OSCE Meeting Tries to Resolve NGO Registration Problem (12.08.2003)
(Quelle: OSCE) The problems facing local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in registering with state authorities is the focus of a meeting which opened today in the Azeri capital, Baku. Through this meeting, which is the first in a series of meetings supported by the OSCE Office in Baku, organizers intend to contribute to resolving the registration problem and thus to the further development of civil society in Azerbaijan.
Karabakh Ceasefire Under Strain (11.08.2003)
(Quelle: Institute for War and Peace Reporting) As Azerbaijan prepares for a presidential election in October and an expected change of regime due to the ill health of President Heidar Aliev, the region is bracing itself for new tensions in the unresolved Armenian-Azeri dispute over Nagorny Karabakh. … The nightmare scenario for the Karabakh conflict is that, at a time of political instability in both Azerbaijan and Armenia, a small flare-up on the ceasefire line could escalate into a serious bout of fighting.
Proteste gegen Alijew (11.08.2003)
(Quelle: NZZ) Anhänger verschiedener Oppositionsparteien haben am Samstag in Baku gegen die Ernennung Ilham Alijews, des Sohns von Präsident Alijew, zum Regierungschef demonstriert. Bei der bewilligten Demonstration, an der über 10 000 Personen teilnahmen, wurden der Rücktritt Ilhams sowie freie und faire Wahlen gefordert.
Haidar Aliyev Seeks Treatment in the US (06.08.2003)
(Quelle: eurasianet.org) The move comes amid escalating tension in Baku over the elevation of the president’s son, Ilham, to prime minister, and the looming possibility of a dynastic political succession. … That top Turkish military officials appeared to be involved in the decision indicates that Aliyev’s health is viewed as a sensitive geopolitical issue with potential ramifications for Caspian Basin oil and gas development and the construction of energy export routes.
Who is Ilham Aliyev? (05.08.2003)
(Quelle: eurasianet.org) Now that Ilham Aliyev has become Azerbaijan’s prime minister, setting in motion a long planned political transition, perhaps the most asked question in Baku today is whether President Heidar Aliyev’s son possesses the skills and charisma to last at the top of the country’s political pyramid. … Opinions on Ilham’s leadership ability are decidedly mixed. In recent years, as plans for a transfer of power from father to son took shape, Ilham has had to contend with rumors that he is not particularly interested in politics.
Alijev Jr.wird Ministerpräsident (04.08.2003)
(Quelle: Die Welt) Das aserbaidschanische Parlament hat den Sohn von Staatspräsident Geidar Alijew, Ilham Alijew, zum Ministerpräsidenten ernannt. Es kam damit einer Bitte des erkrankten Staatspräsidenten nach. Ilham Alijew kann nun gemäß einer Verfassungsänderung vom vergangenen Jahr das Amt des Staatspräsidenten übernehmen, sollte sein 80-jähriger Vater dazu nicht mehr in der Lage sein.
Alijev gegen Alijev (30.07.2003)
(Quelle: SZ) Wer gegen Hejdar Alijew antritt, sollte mit allem rechnen, nur nicht mit einem Sieg. … Bei den Wahlen im Herbst jedoch wird erstmals ein Kandidat mit besten Aussichten antreten, den langjährigen Potentaten im Amt zu beerben – sein Sohn Ilham. … Doch die Vermutung drängt sich auf, dass mit der doppelten Alijew-Kandidatur vor allem die politische Erbfolge-Dynastie in dem Kaukasus-Staat gesichert werden soll.
EU Special Representative Rules Out Direct Involvement (14.07.2003)
(Quelle: RFERL) Recently appointed EU special representative for the South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie announced in Yerevan on 11 July that he is not empowered to engage the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict-settlement process. … The Finnish diplomat added that, if needed, he is willing to contribute to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group's mediation effort, but stressed that 'the solution to the conflict should be found in the region and international organizations can only promote implementation of agreements achieved.'
OSCE Meeting on Reform of Azerbaijan´s Border Service (14.07.2003)
(Quelle: osce.org) An OSCE roundtable on the reform of Azerbaijan's border guard service opened today in the Azeri capital, Baku. The two-day event, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Office in Baku, provides an opportunity for Azeri experts to get acquainted with the experience of European border services that have already undergone successful transformation from a military structure to a professional and demilitarized border police.
Second Border Incident within a Week (07.07.2003)
(Quelle: BBC World) The Defence Ministry in Azerbaijan says two Azeri soldiers have been killed and four injured in a clash with Armenian forces on the border with the separatist enclave of Nagorno Karabakh. The ministry said five Armenian soldiers were also killed in the clash, which took place over the weekend and lasted for one-and-a-half hours. … The attack is the second within a week, after an Azeri serviceman was killed in a shoot-out on 1 July.