NGO Support Council finances some 4500 local,60 foreign projects
The NGO Governmental Support Council under the Azerbaijani President financed some 4500 local and 60 foreign NGO projects since its establishment.
Council Chairman Azay Guliyev announced about this at the meeting with Ingrid Tersman, Swedish Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Baku, Azertac state news agency reported.
Hailing the existence of effective cooperation ties between the two countries in versatile fields, Tersman expressed desire to get detailed information about the current state of civil society in Azerbaijan.
Guliyev highlighted the organization’s consultative, informative, organizational-technical, financial and methodical activities in the country since it was founded in 2008.
He also informed about the country’s legislature to regulate the mentioned sphere, transparency and accountability to provide coordination of activities.
Guliyev noted that the international community bears responsibility for protraction in the process of negotiations on settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
He criticized the inactivity of the OSCE Minsk Group, its unfair and ignorant stance in this problem.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
He stressed necessity of increase of the efforts of the European political circles for quick settlement of the conflict, for it is a threat for peace and stability in the entire region.
Tersman stated that the problem was discussed during the recent visit of the Swedish foreign minister to Azerbaijan.
The diplomat said the foreign minister’s visit would promote development of the bilateral relations between the two countries in the years to come.
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, who was on a visit to Baku on February 10, Stockholm can contribute to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Sweden has offered to convene an enlarged meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group for settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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