K E R A L A M O N I T O R Jafza gains from UAE-Italy Economic Partnership Forum in Milan June 12, 2005 Jafza (Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority) has announced their successful participation at the recently concluded UAE-Italy Economic Partnership Forum 2005 in Milan, Italy, with a large number of Italian companies expressing their strong desire to set up operations in the free zone. During the three-day event, Ibrahim Al Janahi, Sales Manager in Jafza gave a detailed presentation, highlighting the range of infrastructure facilities and support services available for manufacturing, trading and distribution companies, especially in the recently launched south zone cluster. Jafza’s favourable geographical location and its acclaimed sea port were also factors that generated interest among the Italian business community. The Jafza delegation met important officials like the Italian Minister for Commerce, the UAE Ambassador in Italy and the Deputy Interior Minister of Italy. Commenting on the success of their participation, Al Janahi, said: “One of the major attractions for Italian investors was the transport value proposition that Jafza offers to its clients. The Jebel Ali port is one of the top 10 ports in the world in terms of container handling, backed by state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities and services. This will be complemented by the proximity of the biggest air cargo airport in the world being constructed, that will ensure quick sea to air transfer. A host of leading Italian companies are keen on establishing their presence in Jafza to target the lucrative Middle East markets, especially because of Jafza’s strategic location in the center of UAE.” Jafza’s recently unveiled promotional tools, including a revamped website, corporate video and brochure, were effectively used to promote the range of incentives Jafza offers to investors. The corporate brochure gave a comprehensive picture of Jafza and its offerings to prospective Italian investors. Our participation in this forum helped in reinforcing UAE’s position as one of the world’s fastest growing economies, offering opportunities for an array of industries. Jafza’s participation in the UAE-Italy Economic Partnership Forum 2005 was part of its strategy to promote themselves at various important forums around the world, to enhance regional and international investment in the free zone. Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing were the official supporters for the event, aimed at facilitating close business ties between UAE and Italy. Kuwait Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah announced here on Sunday the appointment of Dr Maasouma Mubarak as first female for the post of Minister of Planning and Minister of State for Administrative Development Affairs."We are all happy to appoint Dr Maasouma Mubarak as a minister in recognition of her impeccable qualifications, which we aspire that she would consecrate for the service of our country and our people," said Sheikh Sabah, in statements he made to KUNA. "Granting a Kuwaiti woman a place in the cabinet has been a long-standing objective whose time has finally come, and we are elated to witness its realization, with the hope to see the Kuwaiti woman sharing in the progress, development, and growth of the nation," said the Prime Minister. Sheikh Sabah revealed that the current minister of Communications Sheikh Ahmad al-Abdullah has also been given the post of minister of Health officially as of today.The National Assembly had in a historic session last May 16 passed a bill granting Kuwaiti women full political rights. That step was supplemented by the appointment of two female members to the city municipal council for the first time in Kuwait's history following municipal elections which took place at the start of this month. Long battle ahead to end female circumcision CAIRO, 8 Jun 2005 (IRIN) - Deeply entrenched cultural and traditional norms continue to hamper efforts to end the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in parts of Egypt.Female circumcision involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia for cultural, religious or other non-medical reasons. It is usually performed on girls between the ages of four and 10.A report released by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in May revealed that 92 percent of adolescent girls in six districts of Upper Egypt had been circumcised. Furthermore, one third of all girls in the region were expected to be circumcised at some stage in their lives."This practice is prohibited by several international human rights agreements, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child," UNICEF assistant child protection officer, Yuko Osawa, told IRIN. Since the controversial practice received global attention in 1994 at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, there have been concerted efforts to raise awareness of the related physical and psychological impact on young women. Two years ago, UNICEF started an intervention programme targeting 42 communities in the governorates of Asiut, Sohag, Qena, and Minia in Upper Egypt. The programme is conducted under the umbrella of the National Council for Children and Motherhood (NCCM). "We are trying to mobilise communities while building on the work already done by community members who vocally oppose this practice. We give them the necessary information telling them that FGM is an unnecessary procedure. We make sure that we don't impose ourselves or sound condescending," Osawa explained. She noted, however, that long-held traditional customs were often difficult to overcome. "In the past the issue was not questioned. There's a general sense that FGM is a necessary practice in order to get girls married," she added. But NCCM coordinator Magdy Helmy said the issue was much more complicated and expressed concern over the legal situation with regard to FGM. "There are so many interrelated issues concerning FGM in Egypt. Religious and traditional beliefs often clash with health concerns," he told IRIN. "All we have is a ministerial decree stipulating that a doctor who performs FGM is in violation of administrative rules set out by the health ministry. This is often difficult to prove and punish," Helmy said. In spite of this, UNICEF has recorded some progress in local communities. "Once we are able to get into communities, people start talking and those who silently opposed this harmful practice become vocal. It is surprising to find that there are adolescent boys who do not want girls to be circumcised," Osawa noted. Helmy agreed that some gains had been achieved following aggressive awareness campaigns."We have succeeded in changing the question from ‘where do we circumcise our daughters’? to ‘should we circumcise our daughters or not’? This is a great transformation," he said. India and US Collaborate on Research in Infectiious Diseases India and United States have signed a Joint Statement on renewed collaboration relating to emerging infectious diseases. The Agreement was signed by the visiting Health and Family Welfare Minister of India, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss and the Secretary of Health and Human Services of USA, Mr. Mike Leavitt in Washington on Wednesday. As part of this collaboration, both governmental and non-governmental organisations in both the countries will be involved in strengthening disease surveillance, prevention and control, and effective outbreak investigation and response. The Joint Statement will have a five year term. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA being the premier US agency for disease surveillance will serve as the lead agency on behalf of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The Center for Disease Control will involve other US institutions of excellence including the National Institutes of Health. On the Indian side, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) will be the lead agencies in India. The NICD and ICMR would involve other institutions of excellence and Department of Biotechnology as essential partners in the network for disease surveillance. e-TQM College presents Burj Al Arab Quality Declaration to American Society for Quality The 12-point Declaration drafted at a regional conference in March 2003 sets the standards for TQM in the Middle East June 11, 2005 The Burj Al Arab Quality Declaration, the document that sets the standards for quality management in the Middle East, was recently presented to Danny Duhan, the President of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the world’s leading authority on quality, by Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, President, eTQM College, Dubai. Dr. Al Awar presented the framed declaration during the annual World Conference on Quality and Improvement held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Centre, Seattle, from May 16 to 18, 2005. The event attracted quality professionals from all over the world to share success stories, lessons and future strategies.   The historic 12-point Burj Al Arab Quality Declaration, which sets out the vision for Quality Management for the Arab World, was born out of a historic conference held in March 2003 at the Burj Al Arab, amidst the assembly of international TQM experts, eminent thinkers, top executives and decision makers. The declaration was signed by H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister and three renowned quality Gurus, in March 2004. It was later circulated among all government departments, along with an official letter from the college and a CD featuring the signing ceremony.“The signing of the Burj Al Arab Quality Declaration by H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed, and the presentation of the same to the American Society for Quality, in the presence of international quality gurus marks a new milestone for the city of Dubai and for the development of total quality management in the Middle East,” said Dr. Al Awar. “This historical event highlights the commitment shown by e-TQM College to disseminate the principles of Total Quality Management in the Arab World through closer interaction with international associations and experts.” ASQ has been the world’s leading authority on quality since 1946. The 104,000-member professional association creates better workplaces and communities worldwide by advancing learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results. ASQ makes its offers and experts available to advise the US Congress, government agencies, state legislatures and other groups and individuals on quality-related topics.The Burj Al Arab Quality Declaration addresses the challenges faced by the Arab world on the road to development. It defines the role of TQM and the steps that the Arab region needs to take to benefit from the application of TQM. While outlining strategies for change, it calls for radical transformation that will enable Arab World to be more competitive globally. The Burj Al Arab Quality Declaration also lays out the framework for knowledge management and underlines the importance of working towards building Knowledge Based Work, a Knowledge Based Economy and a Knowledge Driven Society in the region. “The Burj Al Arab Quality Declaration is a historic document that helps the Arab World to stay competitive while ensuring sustainable business performance,” said Dr. Al Awar. “We are witnessing two important trends emerging in the region today: the centrality of Quality Management to business processes among companies, organisations and institutions as a critical factor in maintaining a competitive edge and the paradigm shift to a knowledge based economy that requires new tools to address emerging challenges. The Declaration seeks to reconcile these trends.” e-TQM College, which serves as a catalyst in spreading the importance of adopting TQM across all business sectors, has adopted the Burj Al Arab Quality Declaration in all its processes and it encourages its staff to apply in all its activities. “As pioneers of e-learning in the region and specialised in conducting online programs in TQM, we believe in leading by example,” said Dr. Al Awar. “The global recognition of the Burj Al Arab Declaration brings a new challenge for e-TQM College, as it has to live up to international standards and provide a roadmap for the rest of the region to keep pace with new developments in quality management. We are fully geared to play that role, and we have lined up a series of activities to achieve our goals.” QATAR AIRWAYS LAUNCHES FLIGHTS TO MASHAD Twice-Weekly Scheduled Services To Iran’s Second Largest City 12 June 2005 Doha, QATAR – Qatar Airways has launched its award-winning Five Star service to Mashad, Iran’s second largest city, with its new twice-weekly flights from the airline’s operational hub of Doha.The inaugural flight from Doha International Airport touched down at Mashad International Airport with a delegation led by Qatar Airways Senior Manager Commercial Operations Arabian Peninsula, Iran, South Asia & Myanmar, Ali Al Rais. Onboard were a mix of Saudi Arabian and Bahraini tour operators and travel agents. The city is being served non-stop twice-weekly from Qatar Airways’ operational hub of Doha, capital of the State of Qatar. The route is operated with an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business and 132 in Economy. Mashad becomes Qatar Airways’ second Iranian point served from Doha, following the successful launch of flights to the capital Tehran 12 months ago – a route which has grown from strength to strength. To celebrate the route launch, Qatar Airways is offering members of its Privilege Club frequent flyer programme with double Qmiles for the first full month of the new Mashad flights. Qatar Airways now flies to 63 destinations worldwide from its hub in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar. Destinations served cover Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian sub-continent and the Far East. The month of June will see further expansion by Qatar Airways to reinforce its status as one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the Tehran route had performed extremely well, prompting the airline to step up capacity from four to five flights a week soon after the launch. “Tehran has proved to be a very important and busy route for Qatar Airways which is why we increased capacity last year. “We are now delighted to add Mashad as our second point in Iran and serve the growing needs of our passengers, many of whom will be travelling from neighbouring Middle East markets to Iran,” he said “Our new routes will be ideal for pilgrims, holidaymakers and business travellers from the region and, indeed around the world, who can feed into our flights in and out of Doha.” By the end of 2005, the airline plans to serve at least 70 destinations. Dubai Energy launched to spearhead investments in energy sector Normal life disrupted by Unexpected Power Failure in Dubai DUBAI -- Normal life was disrupted by an unexpected and unprecedented power failure that hit the entire city of skyscrapers and high tech facilities as mobile phones, air conditioners, refrigerators and elevators failed to operate from 9.45 AM on Thursday, an official holiday for government departments. Many residents had to come out of their high rise concrete shelters and seek shelter outside the building under the shadow of trees and parks. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has apologised to the public for the power outage which hit Dubai on Thursday. In a statement released today DEWA said a committee had been formed to look into the causes of the outage so as to address them and ensure that such a fault is averted in the future. Even at 6 PM power supply was not restored to the entire city as residents of Bur Dubai and Diera were waiting for the restoration of power supply. More about Blackouts The UAE official news agency, WAM, said quoting DEWA THAT a sudden fault in the main generating plant in Jebel Ali caused the power cut in Dubai city at 9: 47 this morning. The Emirates Evening Post, the first Evening Newspaper of the fast growing city, came out late with a BlackOut Story in black and white letters, with a breaking news about the four hours power failure. "As traffic lights shut down and air conditioners went off, the city of 2.3 million showed what it was made of and responded to the emergency with a show of togetherness," the Evening Post Team said. "Taxi drivers were reluctant to take passengers because they were not sure of their own fuel position," the EP said. The heroes of the day were the Dubai Police team, who were deployed in each traffic signal to take care of the traffic. "Technical emergency team were promptly dispatched to the site and, within a short time , the engineers succeeded in restoring power to vital utilities such as hospitals, commercial malls, Dubai dry deck and other installations", the DEWA statement said.While much of the Jebel Ali was not affected by the outage, power was restored to Deira in less than two and a half hours, said the statement, adding that other vital utilities such as the Airport were not affected by the power cuts as they had separate generators. The statement added that power will be restored shortly to other areas. The statement praised the cooperation of various departments in Dubai with DEWA, particularly Dubai police which intervened promptly to regulate the traffic flow in the city. In another statement, the Civil Aviation Authorities said the airport operation was unaffected by the power cut. Dubai airport was not affected by the outage: Official Dubai, 9 June 2005(WAM)--Dubai International Airport was not affected by the power outage which hit Dubai on Thursday, an official at the Dubai Civil Aviation Department has said. "Stand-by generators went operational since the outage occurred until 12 : 40 when power was fully restored" WAM said Mohammed Ahli, Director of Operations at Dubai Civil Aviation Department. Emirates Telecommunications Corporation- Etisalat- has announced that its mobile, fixed line and Internet network continued to function with normal efficiency during the power supply outage in the city of Dubai.In a statement released on Thursday Etisalaat said this limited effect was the result of the highest precautions taken by the Corporation with regard to electric power across its buildings and locations. Dubai Energy launched to spearhead investments in energy sector DUBAI - June 7, 2005 Dubai Holding has announced the launch of its new member Dubai Energy to spearhead its investments in strategic regional and global energy opportunities. The company will focus on building a diversified global energy investment portfolio and further strengthening regional and international alliances. During the past few years, the energy sector has undergone major metamorphosis creating opportunities previously unconceivable. Volatile energy prices, insatiable demand, evolving players, and increasing capital requirements have opened the window of prospects for uniquely positioned entrants. Dubai Energy, located at the cross-roads of the region’s oil and gas reserves, will capitalize on these opportunities to build a set of complementary assets across the energy value chain and exemplify Dubai Holding’s theme. Dubai Energy will concentrate on strategic opportunities that will broaden our trade relationships and play a pivotal role in developing the importance of Dubai and the UAE in the dynamic global energy landscape. The company is actively evaluating key oil and gas prospects with leading international companies and screening potential equity investments in the broad energy sector. Dubai Energy is an initiative under Dubai Holding which has companies operating in a variety of sectors ranging from health, technology, finance, real estate, research, education, humanitarianism, tourism, energy, communication, industry, biotechnology and hospitality. These companies include: Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubailand, Jumeirah International, Dubai International Capital, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Properties, Dubai International Properties, Dubai Investment Group. Dubai Humanitarian City, Dubai Knowledge Village, Arabian Radio Network, Dubai Outsource Zone, International Media Production Zone, E-Hosting Datafort, Empower, Samacom, Dubiotech and Dubai Studio City. Aiyar Calls for Reviving Silk Route For Oil Supplies to India from Caspian Sea Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Panchayati Raj today called for opening a new “Silk Route” for supply of oil and gas from the Caspian to oil importing Asian nations like India. Addressing the 12th International Caspian Oil and Gas Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, today, Mr. Aiyar said that the recently commissioned Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline offered the possibility of transporting the rich oil and gas resources in the Caspian Sea not only to Europe, as planned, but also to India and to South East Asia. He pointed out that crude oil could be pumped into Israel’s Ashkelon pipeline in the reverse flow from Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline in crude carriers in the Red Sea. Mr. Aiyar noted that Asian oil consuming countries like China, Japan, South Korea and India were in aggregate the principal consumers of oil produced in West Asia. In the case of India, West Asia provided over two-thirds of India’s crude requirements. Hence, the import of oil through the BTC pipeline offered an important opportunity to diversify sources of supply to India and other Asian countries. In this context, Mr. Aiyar recalled the historical ties between India and Azerbaijan when Baku was an important city on the Silk Route. He said a new relationship between India and Azerbaijan based on energy imports constituted a revival of the oil “Silk Route” and imparted a significant contemporary value to it. The Petroleum Minister provided his rapt audience with some details of his recent visit to Pakistan where after meetings with Pakistani leaders, a decision had been taken to vigorously pursue the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline as also other pipeline proposals under consideration in Pakistan such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline (TAP) and a pipeline from Qatar to Pakistan across the Gulf. The Minister said that the TAP pipeline, which would referred to as TAPI with India’s participation in it, could be expanded with the participation of other Central Asian countries in it such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. He also suggested that Russia would also benefit from its involvement in this project. Elaborating on the pipeline proposals, the Minister said that these projects are not alternatives in themselves. The aggregate unmet gas demands of India and Pakistan were expected to reach about 500 million tones standard cubic metres per day by 2025 which would make all the proposals under consideration economically viable. Mr. Aiyar pointed out that these pipelines taken together would constitute an Asian energy grid which would serve the interests of all the countries concerned by complementing “mutual trade with mutual investment”. In this regard, Mr. Aiyar said that India proposed to expand its presence in Azerbaijan in the oil and gas sector by pursuing opportunities in the areas of exploration and production, upgradation of refineries and benefiting from the centres of excellence available in Azerbaijan in the energy sector. He also invited Azeri companies to participate in India’s exploration proposals. Mr. Aiyar’s presentation evoked deep interest among the senior executives of the world’s major oil and gas companies who were for the first time a powerful message setting out India’s deep interest in participating in the BTC pipeline and inviting Central Asian countries, particularly oil-rich Azerbaijan to participate in pipeline projects that would provide oil and gas to South Asia and South East Asia. After his strong presentation, the Petroleum Minister also answered a number of questions from the audience seeking further information on how India was pursuing its energy security interests and details of the pipeline proposal. A Pakistani executive in the audience described Mr. Aiyar’s success in achieving agreement on the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline during his recent visit to Islamabad as a mark of “renaissance” in Indo-Pakistan relations. JUDGES FOR KERALA, GUJARAT AND RAJASTHAN HIGH COURTS APPOINTED Justice Kadavil Raman Udayabhanu and Shri Justice Melath Sasidharan Nambiar have been appointed Judges of the Kerala High Court, in this order of seniority, with effect from the date they assume charge of their offices. Shri Harshvadan Binduprasad Antani and Shri Bankim Nikhilbhai Mehta have been appointed Additional Judges of the Gujarat High Court, in this order of seniority, for a period of two years with effect from the date they assume charge of their offices. Four Additional Judges have been appointed for the Rajasthan High Court. They are (i) Shri Prem Shanker Asopa (ii) Shri Gopal Krishan Vyas (iii) Shri Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and (iv) Shri Vineet Kothari, in this order of seniority, for a period of two years with effect from the date they assume charge of their offices. Sethu Samudram Canal Project TR BAALU CHAIRS 2ND MEETING TO EXPEDITE PREPARATIONS The Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Thiru T. R. Baalu today chaired the second Meeting to coordinate and expedite preparations for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, National Advisory Council, Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu and other Union Ministers and dignitaries are expected to attend the ceremony, to be held in the last week of June or first week of July. Addressing the officials, Thiru Baalu called for effective coordination between the different epartments/organizations of the Government for smooth conduct and success of the prestigious function. The function site, Thiru Baalu said, would be decided keeping in view the security related inputs from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Thiru Baalu asked the officials from Ministry of Railways to make arrangements for running three special trains(one from Coimbatore and two from Chennai) to facilitate participation of people of Tamil Nadu in the historic event. The Minister directed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Indian Coast Guards to ensure proper security arrangements on land and sea for the function. In anticipation of enthusiastic participation of the general public in large numbers, Thiru Baalu directed the officials to provide adequate first-aid facilities at the venue. The Meeting was attended by the Chairmen of Tuticorin, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and Ennore Ports, MD, Indian Ports Association, Principal Director, Naval Signals, IG (SPG), DG(NIC), DG(All India Radio), DIG(CISF), DDG(Coast Guards), Director(VIP Security), Ministry of Home Affairs and senior officials from Doordarshan and Department of Shipping, Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways. EMPOWER to build 55,000 ton district cooling plant for DHCC The Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER) and Dubai Healthcare City DHCC) have signed an agreement under which EMPOWER will build a District Cooling System With a total capacity of 55,000 tons, the DHCC DCS plant will initially cater to the first phase of DHCC, covering 4.1million sq feet of land. 'Empower's district cooling services will provide us many benefits including energy efficiency and economies of scale," said Omar Al Shunnar, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of DHCC. "Our resident companies will be able to benefit from the great savings in energy costs afforded by Empower's district cooling,' he added. 'We are delighted to enter into this agreement to provide energy-efficient district cooling services to DHCC, the emerging healthcare hub of the region,' said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of EMPOWER. 'EMPOWER's mission is to provide energy-efficient services to support the economic development in Dubai. We are keen to promote energy-efficient practices that will be key to our progress in the coming years,' he added. EMPOWER's District Cooling System (DCS) will cool water at a central plant and distribute it through a network of piping systems to DHCC's individual buildings. The centralized system results in reduced capital and operating costs, and simpler set-up and maintenance. EMPOWER's District Cooling System is a considerably more cost-efficient alternative to air-cooled chiller systems. It is estimated that chiller plants account for up to 60 per cent of electricity usage in large buildings. With DCS, building owners can reduce electricity usage substantially. Additionally there are cost savings and other benefits from reduced maintenance, enhanced efficiency and reliability, space savings, flexibility of air-conditioning load and a plant life that is twice that of traditional plants. EMPOWER ENERGY SOLUTIONS Empower is a joint venture between dubai electricity and water authority (DEWA) and the dubai technology and media free zone that provides energy-efficiency services in dubai and the region. Empower’s initial focus is on offering District Cooling Services and providing cost-effective chilled water to real estate developments. Its mission is to provide real-estate developments efficiently utilize energy resources by offering world-class district cooling services. Saving Energy, Money and The Environment What is District Cooling System? District Cooling System (DCS) is an effective and efficient system of air conditioning which allows for central plants to cool water and distribute it through a network of piping systems to individual customer buildings. Empower’s District Cooling System is a considerably more cost-efficient alternative to the air-cooled chiller systems serving large buildings and real-estate developments. It is estimated that chiller plants account for up to 60% of electricity usage in large buildings, therefore there are considerable saving oppurtunities. For more information: Empower Energy Solutions, Boutique Villa Number 21, Al Sofouh Street, P.O. Box 502312 Dubai, UAE Website: http://www.empower.ae PETROLEUM MINISTER MEETS AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV The Indian Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar this afternoon called on the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev. Mr. Aiyar who is in Azerbaijan to attend the 12th International Caspian Oil and Gas Conference, conveyed to the President India’s deep interest in expanding bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sector. He specifically referred to the possibility of purchase by India of Azeri oil transporoted to Ceyhan by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline, and then brought to the Red Sea through the Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline in Israel. Mr. Aiyar also mentioned to the Azeri President India’s interest in investing in the upgradation of refineries in Azerbaijan and to participate in oil and gas exploration and production proposals in the country. The Minister informed President Aliyev about his discussions in Islamabad in regard to the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) pipeline. In regard to the latter, the Indian Minister suggested that Azerbaijan, along with other Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and possibly, Russia, could also join the pipeline to bring gas to India and Pakistan, whose joint shortfall of gas in 2025 would be about 500 million standard cubic metres per day. President Aliyev welcomed the proposals made by the Indian Minister. He said that he fully supported the need to expand bilateral hydrocarbon relations between the two countries with a view to diversifying existing engagements. He specifically welcomed India’s offer to invest in the upgradation of refineries and to purchase Azeri oil brought to Ceyhan by the BTC pipeline. The President welcomed India’s participation in exploration and production contracts. He said a number of international companies were already represented in Azerbaijan and that the government had so far invested US$ 17 billion in this sector. The President showed deep interest in the TAP pipeline project and assured the Indian Minister that Azerbaijan would participate in it if it were found to be technically and economically viable. He said that Azerbaijan recognized the need to diversify its markets in the oil and gas area and that India was a very attractive partner in this regard. He said that Azerbaijan had made certain major gas discoveries recently which made it all the more necessary that markets with long term value be identified and supplies firmed up. The President accepted the proposal of the Indian Petroleum Minister that an India Azerbaijan Joint Working Group on Hydrocarbons Cooperation be set up to specific proposals identified for bilateral cooperation within a time-bound framework.