ALL INVALIDS OF THE KARABAKH WAR WILL BE PROVIDED FOR DWELLING HOUSES IN THE NEXT YEARS
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population plans to provide all invalids of the Karabakh war for dwelling houses, Mr. Ali Nagiyev, the Minister has said.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The project "Pensions and Social Protection" is ready principally and in the next time we will determine a total of credit for its realization jointly with representatives of the WB",- the Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population Mr. Ali Nagiev has reported.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: Foundation of 600 thou working places in Azerbaijan is enough executed objective, and this work has started already, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan Mr. Ali Nagiyev has declared.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The delegation of officials of the JC "Gaz" will arrive to Baku for discussing perspectives of the realization of the project of reconstruction of the car plant in Gyanja.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The volume of the industrial production in Azerbaijan made 2 trln manats on January and this is by 4% higher than for the analogous period of the past year.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: On January of the current year 143.353 MM kVt/hou of electric power were exported from Russia to Azerbaijan. Slightlty more than 30 MM kVt/hours were delivered to Russia from Azerbaijan.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: On January of the current year the Azerbaijan Rail Way transported 1.221 MM tons of cargos. This is by 13.9% higher than plan rate and by 8.7% higher than on January of the past year.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: After completion of the development a terminal of the liquidated natural gas (LNG) in the Iranian port Aslavie will be able to ship up to 350 thou bbl of the LNG annually.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The drilling of the third advanced well on the gas condensate field of "Shakh-Deniz" in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian sector is supposed to start on March 1, the agency "Interfax-Azerbaijan" has been informed in the State Oil Company of the Republic.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The Chief of the Russian pipeline monopoly "Transneft" Mr Semen Wainshtock has thought off, how to unload the Turkish straits Bosphorus and Dardanelles from tanker caravans shipped by the Russian oil. Speaking on the oil week in London, the President of "Transneft" said to journalists that the company would be ready to build pipeline in Turkey parallel to the straits.
BAKU.20.02.2004.MEDIA-PRESS: The delegation of the Ministry of Communication of Azerbaijan at the head of the Chief of the Industrial Company "Teleradio" Mr. Rajab Abdurakhmanov went to Moscow for agreeing the schedule of delivering equipment by the Russian ORT Channel in account of redeeming of debt to Azerbaijan for broadcasting on the territory of the country.
By the words of the Minister, there are 1500 invalids of the Karabakh war in Azerbaijan. Annually 120 - 130 persons are provided for dwelling house. Totally since 1997 the Minister of Labor provided 700 families of invalids for flats and houses.
Moreover, the Minister has reminded, besides of dwelling houses, the invalids of war will receive medical service free of charge and as well the aiding by the German technology.
In addition, the Ministry of Labor provides invalids by transport means free of charge. Since 1997 1100 invalids of the Karabakh war received cars "Oka". Annually 1.5 - 2 bn manats are allocated for these purposes.
THE PROJECT OF THE PENSION REFORM IN AZERBAIJAN IS READY, THE TOTAL OF CREDIT SHOULD BE DETERMINED ONLY
By the words of the Minister, the portion of credit of the WB will be used by the State Social Protection Fund for conduction of the pension reform and a part of means will be transferred to the Ministry of Labour.
As Media-Press has been informed in the Baku Representation of the WB, expectedly the given project will be approved up to the end of June. By preliminary data $10 would be allocated supposedly and officials of the WB noted that this total may change during of next discussions.
Introduction of private account cards for each working person and foundation of computer database is one of the components of the project "Pensions and Social Protection of Population"; all information about person, his service length, monthly payments to the Fund of the Social Protection. Such database will simplify significantly a procedure of pension legalization. A pensioner should appeal simply to the Pension Fund not spending time and forces for getting a lot of inquiries. The pension total will be calculated in dependence of a total, which was transferring to the Social Protection Fund for all service length. The State Social Protection Fund will realize this component.
And the Ministry of Labour will be carry out work on improvement of adressness of social payments. As Mr. A. Nagiyev has noted, there are 1.6 MM children, parents of which receive allowances. For the present time this total is the laughable (9 thou manats for each child - less than $1). However, there are also families with satisfactory material state, though they receive allowances in accordance with the law as ones needing in them. If paying out of allowances to materially provided families will be stopped, a total of allowances for the rest families may be increased.
THE MINISTER OF LABOR OF AZERBAIJAN: CREATION OF 600 THOU JOB PLACES IN THE COUNTRY FOR 5 YEARS IS THE REAL GOAL
By his words, in accordance with the last statistical data, unemployment in Azerbaijan makes slightly more than 10% - approximately as in France and Italy, in the successful Germany - 8%. It should be mentioned that in connection with occupation of our lands 300 thou work places have been lost - Media-Press).
The construction of the pipeline Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan and further the gas pipeline Baku - Tbilisi - Erzurum provide already for thousands job places, the Minister of Labor has reported. Besides, now the government negotiates about restoration of the production on the large enterprises. Simultaneously some investment projects are prepared and they also may provide the population for a job.
The last years, the Minister has said, have shown that the agriculture of Azerbaijan has a great potential including export one. Ten thousand working places would be founded in this sphere. However, attraction of foreign investments to this field and foundation of enterprises on processing of agriculture production are required.
THE SPECIALISTS OF THE JC "GAZ" WILL DISCUSS PERSPECTIVES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CAR PLANT IN GYANJA
As "Interfax-Azerbaijan" has been informed in the Ministry of the Economic Development, the Government of Azerbaijan is negotiating simultaneously with several foreign companies intending to adjust production of cars on the Gyanja plant. The Russian investor suggests reconstruction of the enterprise and adjustment of car production with lifting capacity by 7 - 11 tons.
The construction of the car plant in Gyanja started in the 80-s, however for finance difficulties and later for the USSR collapse was not completed. Earlier the government of Azerbaijan negotiated on attraction of the French Company Renault to the production of cars in Gyanja. However, the French side did not insist on allocation of the state guarantees for investments and this does not correspond to the Azerbaijan policy: the government of the Government does not give state guarantees for commercial guarantees. The cost of investments to the project was estimated by $10 MM.
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR THE VOLUME OF THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION MADE 2 TRLN MANATS IN AZERBAIJAN
The productivity of processing industry increased by 21.7% and by 5.4% in sectors of production and distribution of electric energy, gas and water - by 5.4%.
The industrial production by a total of 1.9 trln manats was sent to consumers and production of own production of the industrial enterprises made 1.8 trln manats.
By February 1 unsold production by a total of 726 bn manats were accumulated and this is by 69.23 bn manats higher than on February 1 of 2003. The share of the enterprises of Baku made 78.6% of this total, 8.5% - of Sumgayit, 2.4% - Gyanja, 1.7% - Mingechavir.
ON JANUARY 143.353 MM KVT/HOUR OF THE ELECTRIC ENERGY HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM RUSSIA TO AZERBAIJAN
As the press-service of the JC "Azerenerji" informs, the 330 V HEPS "Derbend" and 110 V HEPS "Yalama" carry out the flows of electric energy between two countries on a base of relevant documents stably and daily. 3 - 4 MM KWT/hour of electric power are delivered from Russia to Azerbaijan in daylight time. In exchange about 1 MM kWt/hour of electric power is returned in reverse direction at nighttime.
ON JANUARY THE AZERBAIJAN RAILWAY TRANSPORTED ABOVE 1 MM TONS OF OIL AND OIL PRODUCTS
As it has been reported to Media-Press in the ARW Office, oil and oil products made above 83% of all cargos or 1.016 MM tons. This is by 15.6% or 263.6 thou tons higher than it has been planned.
We shall note that in 2004 the AzRW plans to increase the volume of cargo transportation up to 18 MM tons and this will exceed real rate of 2003. It is planned to achieve this mainly in account of increase of transit of oil and oil products. The similar growth could be expected and in the past year, however problems with shipment of oil tanks in the Georgian port Batumi prevented to this.
On February - March of 2003 3500 wagons stood idle and significant stoppage emerged on the length of all route from Baku up to Batumi. This affected negatively in its turn on the activity of the Caspian Shipping Company, by tankers of which transportation of the Kazakhstan and Turkmen oil to Azerbaijan is carried out. At the present time there are not problems on processing of cargos being delivered to Poti in account of enlarging of Batumi oil terminal and construction of the Poti oil one. Up to date the tanks are timely returned to Azerbaijan. Daily up to 500 tanks shipped with oil and oil products are delivered from Azerbaijan to Georgia. The park of tanks of the ARW allows transporting annually 16 - 18 tons of this production.
The volume of railway passenger transportation in the country made 370 thou persons on January - the plan has been executed by 107.1%. The volume of received income made 2.6 bn manats.
IRAN ACTIVATES THE PROGRAM OF DEVELOPMENT AND EXPORT OF THE LNG
During existence of this terminal Iran has exported more 43 MM bbl of the LNG. Expectedly, in the next future all export deliveries of this fuel kind from the Iranian oil fields of the South Pars will be conducted through this terminal.
As the Executive Director of the Iranian Company on the Oil products export, Mr. Khojat Kheydary has declared to the agency SANA, the mentioned volume of the LNG has been exported through terminal in Aslavie on 96 large tankers.
At the same time Iran enlarges its tanker fleet provided for the LNG exportation. The French Company Chantier de L'Altantiqe has been selected as the foreign partner in the field of the production of such ships and the agreement on cooperation was signed with it.
The Deputy Director of the Iran United Shipping Company and Shore Industry Mr. Mekhdi Seyf has reported this. By his words, gas transportation is carried out by two methods: by the pipelines and tankers. It would be more economic to transport gas by pipelines in small distances, however specialized tankers should carry out gas transportation in large distances.
Mr.Seyf has noted that Iran has the richest gas supplies (16% from the world ones). The further development of gas fields of the South Pars (11 - 13 phases of the South Pars are destined for the production of the LNG)
It should be necessary to receive certainly relevant license from one of authorized international companies from one of authorized international companies. Negotiations with different foreign companies were conducted with this goal. In the end on September 2003 the agreement with the French Company Chantier de L'Atlantique has been signed. Thus, Iran became the first state in the Middle East and the fourth one in Asia (after Japan, South Korea and China), which had managed to receive such license. To date present time a stage of giving of relevant technologies to Iran has started.
THE DRILLING OF THE THIRD ADVANCED WELL BY "SHAKH-DENIZ" IS PLANNED
The project depth of the well will make about 6.6 thou m. The drilling works will be conducted from the semisubmersible floating drilling rig "Istiglal".
At the present time the works on the second advanced well are completed, and sinking of it was completed on January of 2004. The depth of this well made 6.54 thou m. The drilling of the first advanced well was completed on August 2003. The depth of the well made 6.566 thou m.
The program of advanced drilling on "Shakh-Deniz" provides for preparation of three wells and should accelerate the oil production process after the construction of the production platform on the field.
The shareholders of the project sanctioned "Stage-1" of the development of the gas condensate field "Shakh-Deniz" by a cost of $3.2 bn on February 27, 2003 in Baku.
It includes the installation of platform of TPG-500 type for 15 wells with a capacity of 8.4 bn cubic meters of gas annually, the construction of two underwater pipelines by a length of 100 km of each one (26 - inches pipeline for gas and 12 - inches for condensate) from the platform TPG 500 to the Sangachal terminal. Besides, within frameworks of his stage the installation of gathering of gas and condensate on onshore terminal in Sangachal will be built as well as the South-Caucasus pipeline will be laid from Azerbaijan through Georgia to the Turkish frontier.
The production of the first gas on the field "Shakh-Deniz" is planned by a mid of 2006. Within "Stage-1" 178 bn cubic meters of gas should be produced. By estimations total supplies of the field make 700 bn cubic meters.
Following companies are shareholders of he project: BP - 25,5%, Statoil - 25,5%, LUKAgip - 10%, TotalFinaElf - 10%, ÃÍÊÀÐ - 10%, the Iranian Company OIEC - 10% and the Turkish TPAO - 9%.
"TRANSNEFT" HAS THOUGHT OFF, HOW UNLOAD STRAITS OF BOSPORUS AND DARDANELLES
As it is known, long time ago Bosporus and Dardanelles have been the most "narrow place" at oil transportation from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and further to the world markets. And in the days, when storms emerge here they become really impassable and this causes delays of ships and significant losses of exporters. Even Azerbaijan delivering monthly only 5 - 6 tankers by this route (form Novorossisk and the Georgian port Supsa) was forced to overpay $3.5 - 4 MM for staying idle of each tanker. Certainly, losses of the Russian exporters operating with ten million tons of oil are larger. So, by data of the Ministry of Energy of Russia, in 2003 62 MM tons of the Russian oil have passed through straits and almost 77 MM tons taking the CTC's oil into account. This is by 25% more than in 2002.
Mr. S. Vainshtock has declared to journalists that "Transneft" would be ready to contribute, though this problems should be solved on governmental level. By his words, the company considers a possibility of construction of 193 km pipeline roundabout of straits. And he refused of detailed commentaries.
By the information of "Oil Export", the question is about the oil pipeline Kiyikey - Ibrikhaba on the territory of Turkey. The dwelling point of Kiyiiey is in the Black Sea and will accept receive tankers up to 150 000 t and Ibrihaba in Egey Sea, where will ship tankers by 300 000 tons. By data of the jounal the cost of the project is estimated by $913 MM taking port terminal into account.
The source close to "Transneft' has performed to the Russian periodical "Vedomosti" that Mr. S. Vainshtock had meant just this project. Officials of the company refused of commentaries.
Other source close to the company thinks that "Transneft" could finance the project independently in account of credit allocations. By estimation of the interlocutor of "Vedomosty" about half a year wil be spent for the construction of the pipeline and the pipe will be repaid already a year and a half. "The attraction of credit will bring to transportation tariff increase, - the official of the Federal Energy Commission of the RF has said. This will significant increase of tariff, but not in times, because rates for credit redemption are included in it.
The General Director of the Shipping company "Sovkomflot" Mr. Dmitri Skarga says that in a case of realization of this project the ship owners and oil workers will win. "On the peak of jams in the straits tankers stay idle for 20 days and cargo owners loose approximately $12 from each ton of oil and the pipeline helps to escape staying idle and this is profitable for oil workers even taking necessity of paying out for two additional reshipment in ports. The ship owners would be able use fleet more effectively separated by two puls - in the Black Sea (tankers up to 150 000 t) and the Mediterranean (300 thou), he believes.
Oil workers welcome the idea of "Transneft" as a whole. Any effort to create route roundabout of the Turkish straits is a good idea, - the official of press service of TNK-BP sais. Officials of "LUKoil:" agree with this, however call Murmansk project as alternative. Officials of "Sibneft" did not comment the offer of Mr. S. Vainshtock.
By opinion of analysts, the realization of the project will depend form the political factors. All will depend on political decision, intension of government to construct oil pipeline on the territory of Turkey",- Mr. Steven Dashevski from investment company "Aton" says. Mr Sergey Suverov from the bank "Zenit" agrees with him. "Position of both the countries - Russian and Turkey is important; intergovernmental agreement would be required", - he notes. At the same time he considers the project "Burgas (Bolgaria) - port Alexandroupolis (Greece) more profitable: LUKoil had been planning to realize it. "Risks in Turkey are larger, including political ones", - Mr. Suverev emphasizes. And Mr. Valeri Nesterov from the investing company "Troika Dialog" considers that ecological problem would emerge during the construction of the pipeline.
For the present offers of "Transneft" have not been delivered to the Russian government and officials carefully accepted the idea of the construction of the pipeline in Turkey. "The construction of property out of customs territory of Russia is problematic and not always true", - official of the MED of the RF thinks. By his opinion, it is more profitable for "Transneft" to participate in the Murmansk project. He believes that Turkey will demand unprofitable conditions to Russia. Other state official also considers that the project of the construction of oil pipeline in Turkey carries more political risks than "Burgas - Alexandroupolis".
Officials of the MED of Turkey refused of commenting the project of "Transneft" to "Vedomosti"
THE DEBT OF THE ORT TO AZERBAIJAN FOR BROADCASTING IN THE REPUBLIC WILL BE REDEEMED BY THE EQUIPMENT BY $285 THOU
As "Interfax-Azerbaijan" has been informed in the Ministry of Communications, the Russian side has already prepared the necessary equipment, which includes transmitters for TV broadcasting by a total cost of $285 thou equal the debt of ORT to the IC "Teleradio".
Signing of the new agreement on the "First TV Channel" broadcasting should be signed after the redemption. However, this takes place no earlier than on March.
At the present time the ORT broadcasting to the territory of Azerbaijan is carried out by the agreement signed else in 2000. The debt of the Russian TV Channel has emerged in result of non-payment for broadcasting on the territory of Azerbaijan in 2002.
As it was informed, at the present time the ORT and NTV have debts to the Ministry of Communications of Azerbaijan and their broadcasting was stopped more than three years ago for debts by a total of $160 thou.
