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| Total entries in catalog: 89 Shown entries: 61-70 |
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One of the foreign policy priorities of Azerbaijan is cooperation with the European Union (www.europa.eu.int). Strategic location of Azerbaijan at the crossroads of Europe and Asia explains strong interest of the European Union member-states in developing political and economic relations with Azerbaijan. In 1998 the EU nominated its Special Envoy to Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan established its Permanent Mission to the European Communities in the year 2000. Special Envoy of European Commission to Azerbaijan is Antonius de Vries. In July 2003 the EU appointed a Special Representative to the South Caucasus whose mandate is to (a) to assist the countries carry out political and economic reforms, notably in the fields of rule of law, democratization, human rights, good governance, development and poverty reduction; (b) in accordance with existing mechanisms, to prevent conflicts in the region, to assist in the resolution of conflicts, and to prepare the return of peace, including through promoting the return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs); (c) to engage constructively with key national actors neighboring the region; (d) to encourage and to support further cooperation between States of the region, in particular between the States of the South Caucasus, including on economic, energy and transport issues; (e) to enhance EU effectiveness and visibility in the region. Since 1991 Azerbaijan has received ECU 333 mln. worth of EU humanitarian, technical, food and emergency assistance. On June 22, 1999 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (signed on April 22, 1996 in Luxemburg) between the EU member-states and Azerbaijan entered into force, thus signifying a higher level of cooperation between our countries. The objectives of the Agreement are as follows:
As
envisaged by the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA),
Cooperation Council (meets annually) determines major guidelines of
cooperation and Cooperation Committee (meets annually) assists the
Council in its activities by giving recommendations. Subcommittee on
Trade and Economic Issues works under the authority of the Cooperation
Committee and discusses trade, investment and other issues related to
economic cooperation under the PCA. |
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Azerbaijan considers the OSCE to be a unique
pan-European security organization and with this in mind pays special
importance to expanding its activities within the Organization in all
fields. We share the idea of increasing the Organization's role as a
forum not only for dialogue, but for action as well, strengthening its
operational and functional capacity, especially in the field of early
warning, conflict prevention, crises management and post-conflict
rehabilitation. We will be able to achieve all of these aims when and if paying appropriate attention to the issue of upholding and implementing of the existing principles and decisions of the OSCE, and commitments of the participating States. Lack of necessary, immediate and well founded reaction from the participating States to the constant violations of the OSCE principles as well as to non-implementation of its decisions seriously undermines the efficacy of the Organization and its prestige, in the eyes of the participating States. The Republic of Azerbaijan considers this issue to be a priority in the OSCE agenda. It would be impossible to ensure a comprehensive security for Europe while sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the OSCE Member States continue to be undermined, principles making up the Helsinki Decalogue continue to be fragrantly violated thus leading to the sufferings of millions of innocent people and threats for security of participating States. |
 
24 January, 1992 - The Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan appealed to the Council of Europe to obtain the special guest status. |
  Cooperation
between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Nations was
established soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union and after
Azerbaijan restored its independence. |
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Azerbaijan
is a member of 32 International and regional organizations: UN (March
1992), Council of Europe (March 2001), CSCE (January 1992), CIS
(September 1993), Organization of Islamic Conference (1992), Council of
Europe (status of special observer, June 1996), European Union
(Agreement on partnership and cooperation, 1996), OEC (Organization of
Economic Cooperation, 1992), Organization of Black Sea Economic
Cooperation (1992), European Bank of Reconstruction and Development
(1992), World Bank (1992), UNESCO, UNICEF, World Health Organization,
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRCRC),
Interpol, the International Olympic Committee, etc. |
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Caucasian arms and armour embody the centuries-long experience and skulls of oriental armourers, enriched, as it is, by long - standing traditions of outstanding craftsmanship. Adorned with most varied decorations, artistically and technically superbly accomplished, Caucasian weaponry constitutes a truly unique phenomenon in the history of the material esthetic culture of oriental peoples. The most widespread material used for the adornment of weaponry was silver, highly valued by Caucasian silver-smiths. Caucasian pistols and guns, despite the simple technology of their manufacture, were of excellent constructional design and high firing power. Organized in the seventeenth century, the manufacture of firearms attained high degree of perfection already by the end of the eighteenth, with Caucasian pistols and rifles gaining well-earned fa-me and popularity throughout the Orient. Caucasian firearms, too, were sumptuously and lavishly decorated : the barrels were adorned with gold damascening, the gunstocks, straight and narrow, were made of plane-tree an nut-tree wood, were inlaid with bone, silver, or woods of different species. The bands, used to secure the barrel and stock together, were often made of solid silver with engraving and nielloing. The inscribed names of the gunsmith and or owner of the weapon, enclosed in dec-orative cartouches, served as an elegant addition to the artistic ornamentation of the piece. |
The numerous ornaments and objects of precious metals dating from the 11th century B.C. to the 12th century A.D. testify to the high level of Azerbaijani material culture. The analysis of the discovered items shows the mastership of the ancient jewellers and the successive character of this art: many of these ornaments "survived" till our time, having preserved their form fully or in different elements which had partially lost their initial significance In present-day Azerbaijan there are still quite popular hollow gold beads, round ("pill") and oval ("arpa" barley seed). Filigree items are extremely diverse in form, boasting a multitude of details and a complex composition. Details were added in the form of medallions, multipetaled flowers (solar symbol), fishes, stars, leaves and crescents, "buta", cone shaped protrusions "gubbe". The items were also ornamented with gems and semi-precious stones set in a raised cast - "juva". The most popular gems were the ruby, emerald and turquoise, although coloured minerals were also used. 19th century jewellery was made of gold and silver. Silver jewellery is identical to that of gold in terms of form and technique. The silver items, depending on their purpose, were gilded or engraved and covered with niello. |
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In Azerbaijan copper ware were produced with great mastership from local ores in its ancient and medieval cities, among them Baku, Nakhichevan, Lenkoran, Shemakha, Gyanja, Shusha, Sheki and Guba. The most famous Caucasian centre for the production of chased copper ware was Lagich located near the ancient cultural centre Shemakha.
The ornament is usually based on a rather complex composition which includes different themes and is executed in the form of straight and broken lines with a multitude of dots, triangles and rhombic figures the ornaments incorporated floral subjects, depiction of birds and animals, and later the sun and people. Most of the ornamented articles bear the master's mark, the date of completion and sometimes the owner's name. The diverse inscriptions including verses were usually engraved in Arabic. Ornaments were often intertwined with inscriptions executed to the beauty of the ornament. |
The history of a nation has a most direct bearing on the national costume. It reflects, more than any other element of material culture, the specific features of a nation and belongs to the more stable ethnic characteristics. National costume absorbs the ethnic, aesthetic and artistic features of a nation's creativity, which finds expression in the forms of garments, in the embroidery decoration in the art of weaving and the manner of knitting. In the 17th century Azerbaijan was a major silk producer in the Near East. Its main sericultural region was Shirvan and the largest silk manufacturing centres were Shemakha, Basgal, Gyanja, Sheki and Shusha. They produced wonderfully fine silk fabrics with an exquisitely attractive design, ladies' head kerchiefs and other commodities. The costume style was appropriate to the family status and age of the wearer. The costume of a maiden differed noticeably from that of a married woman. Young women wore particularly gay and attractive garments. The man's as well as woman's costume was basically the same in all the historical ethnographic zones of Azerbaijan. At the same time the man's costume bore the imprint of the wearer 5 social status. |
