AZERBAIJAN’S YOUTH AND SPORT MINISTER HOLDS NEWS CONFERENCE ON HIS 100TH WORKING DAY
Azeri Press Agency
May 19 2006
Azerbaijan’s Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov held a press
conference on the occasion of the 100th day of his appointment to
this post today (APA). The minister reported on measures and youth
and sport events held in the country during his activity.
Mr.Rahimov said that the state-funded Mortgage interest will be
reconsidered soon and declined to rule out decrease of costs.
Stressing that building of apartments for new couples is being
reviewed too.
Minister Rahimov also informed about the three-sided meeting between
Azerbaijani, Armenian Football Federation heads and UEFA special
commission in Nyon, Switzerland, for determination of a venue for
the match between Azerbaijani and Armenian football teams.
“We informed the UEFA representatives about our bad relations with
Armenians. There is skirmish on the frontline everyday We told them
that Armenians killed nearly ten Azerbaijani soldiers and officers
on the frontline in the past five months. So, it is impossible to
receive Armenian team in Baku. I think the members of UEFA special
commission for this problem understood us. Though they said they will
review this issue, no specific date was shown,” The Minister reported.
Commenting on Armenian Football Federation president Ruben Ayrapetyan’s
statement “UEFA has decided the match venue and ordered the federation
heads not to publicize it”, Rahimov called this nonsense. He said if
it were true, the Azerbaijani side would have known this too.
“It is true, UEFA officials ordered us not to inform the media about
the three-sided meeting held in Switzerland. But I don’t think there
is anything wrong in making it public. As coming to Ayrapetyan’s
statements, they are false,” he said.
The Minister also stressed importance of making our Olympic Games
champions Igor Ponomaryov, Kamandar Majidov, who are abroad, to return
home country to reinforce development of our sport.
“I think, relevant sports federations in the country should deal with
this. I have been recently informed that there is our compatriot in
Munich in Germany, who can play football very well, and her mother
works in Indian embassy. We invited him to Baku to evaluate him,”
the Minster noted.
Rahimov also admitted a number of shortfalls in the activity of the
Ministry. He said it is the Ministry’s fault that Azerbaijani bronze
medal winners of the recent European Greco-Roman Wrestling championship
in Moscow, Rovshan Bayramov and Fuad Aliyev wore uniforms of their
clubs not that of Azerbaijani national team while wrestling.
“The Wrestling Federation was to inform us about the lack of uniforms,”
Rahimov noted.