Georgia can exist without Russia and become a part of Europe as a free country, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said in Batumi today.

Ecuador and Iran agreed to build three hydroelectric centers in Ecuador, the Ecuadorian Presidency's office said Monday, Xinhua reported.

There are not Azerbaijani citizens among the victims of the earthquake in Turkey, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Turkey Zakir Hashimov told Trend News on Monday.

Georgian Government has finalized a six-month contract with one of the most authoritative lobbying companies in Washington Podesta Group in January 2010.

Our office received a letter from a shehid mother Zemfira Hassanova who lives at bldg. 1, 46, Ilgar Habibov Str., NZS Settlement, Khatai District, Baku and another letter from Ulviya Nureddin ghizi Hassanova living in the village of Gaynag in the Terter Province yesterday.

The delegation of the Lithuanian Sejm is visiting in Azerbaijan. The first deputy speaker of the Sejm Raimundas is holding a twinning project seminar at the Milli Mejlis, reports the press service of the Azeri Parliament. On Thursday, the Lithuanian delegation will have meetings with the members of the permanent parliamentary committees for legal policy and international relations, and for inter-parliamentary relations; they will also take part in the meeting of the Azerbaijan-Lithuania Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Over EUR 5.7 billion will be allocated in the next three years to reinforce political cooperation and promote economic integration between the EU and its neighbours.
EUR 122.5 million will be allocated to Azerbaijan.
Funding will be spent to support political and economic reforms, regional and cross-border cooperation in the partner countries covered by the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI).

A motion to appoint a new ombudsman for the human rights arrives at the Milli Mejlis

R ORUJEV

A bill on the appointment of a new ombudsman for the human rights has arrived at the Azeri Parliament. It is reported that, in accordance with the law, three candidates to become the ombudsman for the human rights may be presented and one of them is the current ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova. The other two are the head of the human rights and PR department of the Ministry of Justice Faig Gurbanov and the representative of UNHCR (United Nations High Commissariat for Human Rights) Teymur Melikaslanov.

A joint study on "Early marriages: violation of the human rights of children," was launched by UNICEF and the State Committee for Family, Women and Children's Affairs of Azerbaijan on 16 February 2010. The report presents a qualitative assessment of the early marriage situation in Azerbaijan showing an increasing trend in some of the regions of the country where early marriage has been affecting some boys and, in most cases, many young girls.

The Transportation Department plans to open a formal investigation into the 2009-2010 Toyota Corolla over potential problems with the car's power steering, a department official said Wednesday.