Baku Today, Azerbaijan
July 8 2004
Minsk Group Co-chairs to Visit Region
Co-chairs of the Minsk group of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are planning to visit the region late
this week, ANS reported on Thursday.
The co-chairs, Yuri Merzlyakov of Russia, Stephen Mann of the United
States and Anri Jackolen of France will first arrive in the Armenian
capital of Yereven on July 10.
Then the mediators will visit Baku and Khankendi (Stepanakert), the
central town of Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Interfax
July 8 2004
Armenian NPP to shut down for overhaul on July 23
Yerevan. (Interfax) – The Armenian nuclear power plant, operated by
ZAO Inter UES of Russia, will shut down for an overhaul and refueling
on July 23 and not, as planned, on July 15, Armenian State Atomic
Energy Oversight head Ashot Martirosian told Interfax.
The decision was made because the plant is currently low on fuel.
The plant was originally scheduled to shut down on July 15, “but the
plant reduced capacity because of high waters from the spring
flooding and the diversion of water resources to generate
electricity,” Martirosian said.
The work will last 65 days, during which, after the nuclear fuel is
loaded, an overhaul is planned for the reactor and two operating
turbines of the second generating unit. One-third of the new fuel
consignment, some 100 cassettes, will be loaded and paid for by
Russia. This should be sufficient for the plant to work until summer
2005, Martirosian said.
The Armenian NPP generated 1.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity
in 2003, 36% of total electricity generation in Armenia.
ZAO Inter UES of Russia, which exports and imports electricity to
Russia and other countries, took over management of the plant in
September 2003. Inter UES is a subsidiary of Unified Energy System
(UES) of Russia, with 60% of the shares, and state-run enterprise
Rosenergoatom, with 40%.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BBC News
July 8 2004
Musharraf seeks Azerbaijan deals

By Chloe Arnold
BBC correspondent in Baku

Musharraf will be looking for agreements on oil and gas
The president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, is beginning a two-day
visit to the oil-rich former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan on
Thursday.
The countries have signed military accords in the past, and the visit
is likely to result in closer ties between the two mainly Muslim
nations.
The leaders of Azerbaijan and Pakistan make unusual partners.
Historically, the two countries have had little to do with each
other. But General Musharraf’s visit will put the seal on a
burgeoning relationship.
Oil and gas deals
In the past year, the two countries have already signed a defence
co-operation deal under which Pakistan is helping to train officers
from Azerbaijan.
This week’s visit, the first by a Pakistani leader to Azerbaijan, is
expected to produce further accords on economic co-operation, which
would enable Pakistan to buy oil and gas from Azerbaijan’s vast
offshore fields.
With its eight million population, Azerbaijan is tiny compared to
Pakistan, home to more than 150 million people.
But officials from the two countries say they have much in common.
Both have a majority Muslim population, and both have big issues to
resolve with their neighbours. Pakistan is in conflict with India
over Kashmir, while Azerbaijan is in dispute with Armenia over the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
A spokesman for Pakistan’s embassy in Azerbaijan said General
Musharraf’s visit was an opportunity for the two partners to deepen
their friendship.

Art Museum Network News
July 8 2004
Art from the Byzantine Empire Examined in New Getty Exhibition
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 – Sunday, December 5, 2004
J. Paul Getty Museum

“Saint Luke.” New Testament, Byzantine, 1133. Tempera colors, gold
leaf, gold paint, and ink on parchment. Collection: The J. Paul Getty
Museum.
LOS ANGELES, (amnnews.com) – The widespread influence of the
Byzantine Empire on neighboring countries and the enduring legacy of
its art are explored in the new Getty exhibition “Byzantium and the
West,” at the Getty Center, September 14 – December 5, 2004. The
exhibition features manuscripts that showcase the distinctive
brilliance of Byzantine art and highlight the manner in which
different cultures reacted to the artistic heritage of the Empire
over time.
Drawn primarily from the Getty’s rich collection, the works on view
include bound manuscripts, leaves, and a painting, all dating from
the 11th through 17th centuries. Among these are several loans from
other West Coast collections. The exhibition explores the striking
naturalism and courtly splendor that distinguishes Byzantine art, and
examines the diverse ways in which the highly admired style was
emulated by three of Byzantium’s closest neighbors: Germany, Italy,
and Armenia.
The Byzantine Empire, which lasted from 330 until 1453, inherited the
territories and cultural traditions of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Drawing upon the art of classical Greece and Rome, Byzantine artists
continued the naturalistic tradition in their depictions of the human
form. One hallmark of their style was to arrange the folds of
garments to suggest the body underneath the garments. Byzantine art
was also known for its rich visual brilliance. Strongly influenced by
the sumptuous ceremony of the emperor’s court, artists from the
Empire illuminated their manuscripts with bright gold and other
precious materials. The geometric patterns and lush decorations they
used were partly based on motifs found in Byzantine metalwork and
jewelry of the period.
Trade, intermarriage, and military expeditions facilitated the
exchange of ideas and goods between Byzantium and the West.
Paintings, illuminated books, and silk textiles from the Empire were
among the luxury items given away as diplomatic gifts. As rulers in
Western Europe established their centers of power, they looked to
Byzantine models for symbols of imperial greatness. They adopted
Byzantine religious imagery, and artists in the region incorporated
Byzantine themes and styles into their work, reinterpreting and
adapting them to suit their own culture and the interests of their
patrons.
In Germany, the intermarriage of the imperial family with Byzantine
aristocrats in the 900s intensified the connection between the two
peoples. German artists adapted poses from Byzantine art, used bright
patterns inspired by silks from the Empire, and often followed the
naturalistic tradition of depicting Christ as vulnerable and human
rather than as a triumphant figure, much to the disapproval of the
Western Church. They also depicted their subjects dressed in exotic
robes. A German miniature of the Annunciation, created around 1240,
shows the Virgin dressed in a Byzantine costume called a “maphorion,”
with a veil that covers the head and shoulders and a star on her
forehead. In the drapery of the archangel Gabriel, the German artist
also incorporates the bright highlights and angular folds of
Byzantine illumination, but in a departure, he does not follow the
tradition of hinting at the body underneath.
Parts of Italy were once within the boundaries of the Empire, and
strong ties persisted through commercial and military activity,
especially with the beginning of the Crusades around 1095, which
brought about the greatest interaction between Byzantium and the
West. As more people became familiar with the landscape of the Holy
Land, Western artists began to respond to this expanded worldview. An
Italian manuscript created in the late 1200s follows the Byzantine
tradition and sets the Nativity within a mountainous landscape with
the Holy Family taking shelter in a cave, rather than resting in a
stable as described in the Bible. Italian artists also borrowed
imagery, such as the Virgin’s swoon, which is known from a small
number of examples in Byzantine manuscripts of the 1000s, but
flourished in the West only after 1250.
Armenia, the closest eastern neighbor to the Empire, remained an
independent Christian state but looked to the Byzantine Orthodox
Church for inspiration. In an Armenian manuscript, Saint Mark is
shown in the Byzantine manner as a Gospel writer who is bearded and
seated at a lectern. The background of gold is also adopted from the
Byzantine tradition and suggests a heavenly setting for the figure.
The Armenian artist, however, includes more elaborate architectural
details and a distinctive sun, which suggest a natural setting.
Armenian artists also incorporated Islamic art forms into their work.
Years of contact with the Byzantine Empire, Western Crusaders, and
Islamic neighbors allowed Armenian artists to choose selectively from
different artistic traditions, resulting in the development of a
distinct style that reflected the exchange and integration of many
cultural sources.
When the Byzantine Empire ended with the fall of its capital,
Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), to the Ottoman Turks in 1453,
its artistic traditions continued and were sometimes entwined with
innovations of the Italian Renaissance, especially in areas such as
Venetian-ruled Crete. Byzantine scholars who took refuge in Italy
after the fall of the Empire contributed to the sustaining power of
its art and culture, and Constantinople continued to be imagined as
the seat of Christian splendor. Western artists, however, began to
visualize Byzantine courtly splendor in familiar terms. Rather than
depicting the Byzantine emperor in the gold and jewels of an Eastern
ruler, for example, they might show him in the ermine-lined cloak and
crown common to European kings, this time adapting imagery from the
West to Byzantine subjects.
# # #
About the Getty: The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural
and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that
features the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the
Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Grant Program. The J.
Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs are based at the Getty Center in
Los Angeles.
Visiting the Getty Center: The Getty Center is open Tuesday through
Thursday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed Mondays and major holidays.
Admission to the Getty Center is always free. Parking is available
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Additional information is available on the Getty Web site at
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEO.TV
July 8 2004
President Musharraf arrives in Azerbaijan
BAKU: President Pervez Musharraf arrived in the oil-rich former
Soviet republic of Azerbaijan Thursday at the start of a two-day
visit which officials said would cement a growing friendship between
the two Muslim nations.
Pakistan is keen to sell its military hardware to Azerbaijan while
the south Asian state wants to get its hands on Azerbaijan’s sizeable
oil and gas resources.
After landing near Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, Musharraf, who was
accompanied by Pakistan’s first lady Begum Sehba Musharraf, was due
to have talks with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and then ink a series
of agreements.
The Azeri leader told reporters on Wednesday that his country
“attaches great importance to the visit of Pakistan’s president… I
hope (it) will give a new impetus to our relations and lift them onto
a new level.”
The visit was taking place amid tight security. An army general who
came to power in a bloodless coup five years ago, Musharraf has been
the target of several assassination attempts at home.
Azerbaijan is a tiny state of eight million people bordering Iran and
Russia, which in recent years has emerged as a steadfast ally to
Pakistan.
The two countries are united by a common fight against their
neighbours: Pakistan in its conflict with India over Kashmir and
Azerbaijan in a 15-year-old dispute with Armenia over the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pakistani and Azeri diplomats have an informal pact to back each
other when their conflicts come up for discussion in international
forums like the United Nations.
They are also members of the exclusive club of Muslim states which
have sided with the United States in its fight against international
terrorism, offering logistical and military support to US-led
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan were first forged by
Musharraf’s predecessor Nawaz Sharif when he visited Baku in 1995.
The late Azeri head of state Heidar Aliyev — the father of the
current president — made a return visit to Islamabad the following
year.
The two sides concluded a military pact last year. Details are
sketchy, though it is known that Azeri officers are training in
military academies in Pakistan.
Ahead of Musharraf’s visit, an advance party headed by Pakistan’s
Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Chaudhry Nauriz Shakoor
Khan has been in Azerbaijan thrashing out agreements with Azeri
officials.
“Azerbaijan has always supported Pakistan on the Kashmir problem,”
the minister said Wednesday, speaking through an interpreter. “During
the visit…the (two) presidents will sign agreements on friendship
and cooperation.”
That cooperation is likely to include deals on oil and defence, he
said. “If Azerbaijan has spare oil and gas and Pakistan has demand
for them then we can buy them,” said Khan. “We can also offer
Azerbaijan military technology.
Khan said other agreements would pave the way for Pakistani
businessmen to invest in Azerbaijan’s agriculture and tourism
sectors, and that Urdu — Pakistan’s official language — would soon
be taught at Baku State University.
Musharraf is scheduled to fly out of Azerbaijan on Saturday morning.
On Friday he is due to address a special session of the Azeri
parliament, go on walkabout around Baku and attend a concert in his
honour at the State Philarmonic Hall.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
July 8 2004
ONE-ON-ONE MEETING OF PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN AND PRESIDENT OF
PAKISTAN
[July 08, 2004, 18:56:59]
Private meeting of the President of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev
and President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf was held at the President
Palace, on 8 July.
In the course of meeting, heads of state expressed their satisfaction
with the existing mutually beneficial relations founded by the
nationwide leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. It was stated that the
bilateral relations are developing in numerous fields. President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with a great pleasure stressed persistent and
fair position of the Pakistani state related to the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict.
In the meeting, discussed were issues of enhancing bilateral
relations, prospects of cooperation in the international
organizations, problems of international and regional safety and
others.
The meeting passed in an atmosphere of friendly and mutual
understanding

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
July 8 2004
TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN WILL HOLD WORTHY PLACE AMONG WORLD STATES
[July 08, 2004, 20:41:36]
Speaker of Azerbaijan Parliament Mr. Murtuz Alaskarov met at the
Heydar Aliyev Hall of Parliament the Turkish Minister of Ecology and
Forestry Osman Pepe and his entourage on 8 July.
Mr. Alaskarov said that the existing relations between the two
counties have developed thanks to the nationwide leader of Azerbaijan
people Heydar Aliyev and acquired the level of fraternity, AzerTAj
correspondent reports. President of Azerbaijan Republic attaches
special attention to this cause and the mutual links between Turkey
and Azerbaijan are quickly developing and strengthening in all
fields.
Your current visit will give a new impulse to these ties, the Speaker
stressed.
Noting the close links between the parliaments of two countries, said
that chairman of the Great National Assembly of Turkey has invited
him to visit Turkey. Members of the Azerbaijan Parliament will go to
the Northern Cyprus shortly. Adherence by the parliamentarians of the
two countries of the same position is noteworthy. Just as a result of
such policy, Turkey and Azerbaijan will hold a worthy place among the
world states, Mr. Alaskarov underlined.
Then, Murtuz Alaskarov updated the guest on the adopted laws, in
particular, the laws on environment protection, on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict. He also expressed his
gratitude for firm position of Turkey related to the conflict.
Mr. Osman Pepe said that the key goal of the visit is to expand
cooperation in the field of ecology and forestry. The documents to be
signed with the Azerbaijani colleagues will greatly benefit the said
area, he emphasized. He expressed his satisfaction with continuation
of Heydar Aliyev’s policy in the Republic of Azerbaijan. We hope the
policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev will reinforce the position
of Azerbaijan among the world states.
In the meeting, also were shared views on other issues of mutual
interest.

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
July 8 2004
Environment And Forestry Minister Pepe In Baku
”WE SHOULD IMPROVE COOPERATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN”
BAKU – Turkish Environment & Forestry Minister Osman Pepe, who is on
an official visit to Azerbaijan said on Thursday that Turkey and
Azerbaijan should increase cooperation as a matter of friendship
between the two countries.
Pepe met Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Minister
Huseyngulu Bagirov.
Stating that there were significant changes in environment and world
climate, Pepe said that living in a healthy environment was among
basic human rights. Studies on forestation were speeded up in Turkey
recently, Pepe underlined. He also added that cooperation between the
two countries would conribute to the prosperity of both countries.
Bagirov, on the other nad, gave information about Azerbaijani Ecology
and Natural Resources Ministry’s activities.
Stating that there were some problems on fresh water, Bagirov said
that some rivers, including Aras River of Turkey, was polluted in
Armenia at great extent before reaching Azerbaijan. Bagirov noted
that they were concerned to face serious problems in the near future.
He stressed that they could cooperate with Turkish companies on water
treatment and fishery.
Pepe and Turkish businessmen accompanying him, met also Azerbaijani
Economic Development Minister Farhad Aliyev, sources said.
Investment and cooperation opportunities were discussed in the
meeting.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
July 8 2004
Pepe Says They Don’t Ignore Problems In Caucasus
BAKU – Turkish Environment and Forestry Minister Osman Pepe said
Caucasus is a very important for Turkey and they closely monitor
developments in this region.
”We won’t ignore the problems in Caucasus as we are aware how
important this region is,” he said.
Pepe who is actually in Baku was received by Azerbaijani Parliament
Speaker Murtuz Aleskerov today. Speaking at the meeting, Pepe said
Turkey has always supported Azerbaijan, stressing that they always
brought to the attention of the participants, the question of Upper
Karabakh, an Azerbaijani territory under Armenian occupation, in
international fora. ”Turkey always stood by Azerbaijan on this
matter and she would support the decision that Azerbaijani people
will take” he said.
Noting that mutual investments and relations between businessmen were
important to promote friendship between two sister countries, Pepe
said that increase in the volume of investments and commerce will
boost friendship and brotherhood between the two countries.
Aleskerov said, in his part, that relations between Turkey and
Azerbaijan are at a high level, a number of agreements have been
signed in many areas, and the two countries have been cooperating
under the umbrella of international institutions and organizations.
The most serious problem of Azerbaijan is the occupation of Upper
Karabakh by Armenia, Aleskerov said and stated that Azerbaijan has
always gotten support of Turkey on this matter.
Aleskerov said that ”they are in favor of resolving the Upper
Karabakh dispute peacefully and through dialogue, though they have
not get any positive result yet.”
Aleskerov added that he invited Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent
Arinc to visit Baku.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
July 8 2004
MEETING OF PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND PAKISTAN IN ENLARGED STAFF
[July 08, 2004, 18:56:58]
After the private meeting, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and
President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf had a meeting in the enlarged
staff.
President of Azerbaijan greeted the guests once again, thanked for
acceptance of invitation to visit the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The bilateral relations between our countries have a sufficient
speed, President Ilham Aliyev underlined. It pleases us. In 1996,
national leader of Azerbaijan people Heydar Aliyev have visited
Pakistan. After that visit the links between the two countries have
gained quick development. Pakistan and Azerbaijan always support each
other in the international arena and successfully cooperate.
President thanked for the support Pakistan renders to Azerbaijan
Republic. Today, they are successfully developing both in political
and economic-cultural fields. I am especially grateful for support in
the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict.
In the economic field, we have nice prospects and we have already
discussed this. The intergovernmental commission work fruitfully and
I am hopeful that they will receive boost after this visit.
Of course, we have strong cooperation in the humanitarian sphere. Our
peoples have mutual respect and considerations. I am convinced that
after this visit, the friendly relations will further deepen and
strengthen, the President said.
Once again I welcome you. I would like to express my confidence that
after this visit the relations between our countries will develop in
all fields.
***
In the enlarged meeting, in his reciprocal speech, expressing his
gratitude to the head of Azerbaijan state, President of Pakistan
Pervez Musharraf said the two countries have the same position
related to many problems. WE are pleased with your hospitality and
warm reception.
In the private meeting with President Ilham Aliyev we have arrived in
common conclusion. We have common interests in political, economic
and others fields.
Basing on the common roots, I consider we must increase the trade
relations as well.
In the field of defense we have also similar and common interests and
we should expand cooperation in this field. There is a great
potential in the oil-gas sector. We shall benefit from experience of
Azerbaijani oilmen. Cooperation in education and data exchange is
another direction of our mutual action and I think we shall
strengthen co-op and in this field, President Pervez Musharraf
underlined.
***
Then were signing the bilateral documents. Prior to signing ceremony,
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Pakistan Pervez
Musharraf signed joint Declaration. The signed documents included
agreement on cooperation on tourism, customs and mutual assistance,
combat against illegal circulation of narcotics and psychotropic
substances, cooperation in combat against international terrorism and
organized crime.
In the singing ceremony presenting were deputy prime minister of
Azerbaijan Yagub Eyyubov, Pakistani ambassador in Baku Mohammad
Hafiz, ambassador of Azerbaijan in Islamabad Eynulla Madatli.
***
As was stated, the enlarged meeting was followed by a joint news
conference. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of
Pakistan Pervez Musharraf exchanged statements. Then, President Ilham
Aliyev hosted a banquet in honor of President of Pakistan Pervez
Musharraf.