N E W S L E T T E R Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan

N E W S L E T T E R Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan 275 Slater Street, Suite 904. Ottawa ON K1P 5H9 Canada Tel: (613) 288 0497 Fax: (613) 230 8089 E-Mail: [email protected]

October 7, 2009 пїЅ 19

Azerbaijani Ambassador Presents His Credentials

On October 2^nd, H.E. Farid Shafiyev, the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Canada presented the credentials to H.E. Michaelle Jean, Governor-General of Canada. H.E M. Jean praised political and trade relations established between Azerbaijan and Canada. She said that Canada supports diplomatic talks between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and efforts of OSCE Minsk Group in the resolution of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. In an one-on-one meeting, the Ambassador and Governor General exchanged their views on cooperation between the two countries in different areas. After the presentation ceremony, a reception was given by the Embassy, which brought together the Canadian public, the Azerbaijani community in Canada and heads of the diplomatic corps accredited in Ottawa.

Nakhchivan Hosts 9th Summit of Turkic-Speaking Countries` Heads of State

On October 3, President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Presidents Abdullah Gul of Turkey, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev of Kyrgyzstan as well as vice-chairman of TurkmenistanпїЅs Cabinet of Ministers Khydyr Saparliyev at the 9th summit of the Turkic-speaking countriesпїЅ Heads of State in Nakhchivan, autonomous republic within Azerbaijan. Addressing the Head of States, President Aliyev stressed the opportunities for strengthening the unity between Turkic-speaking countries given the high-level bilateral relations and political cooperation within international organizations. Speaking about the strategic, historical and cultural importance of the region President also said: пїЅOur presence here in Nakhchivan, an ancient Azerbaijani land, our talks, the summit and documents we will sign at its end will cement our unity even more. It should be noted that foundations for AzerbaijanпїЅs independence were laid here in NakhchivanпїЅ. Following the summit, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey signed the Nakhchivan Agreement on the establishment of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking countries. The Heads of State then signed the Nakhchivan declaration where they committed themselves to strengthen the bilateral and multilateral cooperation in different fields, to promote political consultations in regional and global security issues.

Baku Hosts International Conference on Defense Policy and Strategy

An international conference entitled пїЅDefense Policy and StrategyпїЅ was held in AzerbaijanпїЅs capital, bringing together the countryпїЅs officials, NATO experts and foreign military attaches. Opening the event, AzerbaijanпїЅs Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Araz Azimov said NATO must ensure security not only of its members, but also its partners. пїЅAzerbaijan is ready to review conceptual aspects of its cooperation with NATO. We need to increase the quality of our work under joint programs. Strategic partnership and cooperation with NATO must be based on mutual trust.пїЅ Jiri Sedivy, NATO`s Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning, said that collective defense and security are key priorities for the alliance. Sedivy said NATO was working on a new strategic concept and that it would be put on discussion during the organizationпїЅs next year summit in Lisbon. The conference has been co-organized by the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry and NATO.

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan Sign Agreements

EmbassyпїЅs Newsletter is compiled from various sources