Russia & CIS

Personnel changes will undoubtedly be carried out in the new Ministry of Culture, said Minister of Culture Abulfas Garayev speaking about the activities of the new ministry established on the basis of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Solemn opening of the Russian-Azerbaijani historical and documentary exhibition “Heydar Aliyev: Personality, Mission, Heritage” and presentation of a book of the same name took place in the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku May 10.

A solemn ceremony to mark the 95th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev has kicked off at the Heydar Aliyev Center, APA reports.

On the occasion of the 95th birthday anniversary of national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev, the leadership and military personnel of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan visited the Alley of Honor.

An event titled "Prominent Leader Heydar Aliyev and Foreign Policy of Azerbaijan" was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev.

In accordance with the Vienna agreement reached by OPEC and non-OPEC countries, Azerbaijan has submitted the data on oil output for April 2018 to the Joint Technical Commission of the Joint Monitoring Committee.

New Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of the Republic of Armenia (RA) on Thursday signed a recommendation to President Armen Sarkissian.

It is planned to complete the repair and reconstruction work on wind power plants in Azerbaijan in August, head of Azerishig OJSC Baba Rzayev wrote in his article published in the "Azerbaijan" newspaper.

An Azerbaijani-Russian exhibition titled 'Heydar Aliyev: personality, mission, heritage,' organized on the occasion of the 95th birthday of national leader Heydar Aliyev, has officially opened in the Heydar Aliyev Center today in Baku.

The price of Azerbaijan's oil Azeri LT CIF on the world market has grown by $2.99 (3.99%).

A convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea may be signed at a summit of the Caspian states which is planned to be held in Astana in August 2018, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told reporters in Baku on Thursday, APA reports.

A protest is staged Thursday outside the Yerevan Municipality building, in the capital city of Armenia.

In his inaugural speech, Vladimir Putin spoke about such things as "deep protection" and "bureaucratic deadness" that Russia needs to struggle with. There were other highly important things in his speech that deserve attention. In particular, Putin spoke about the need for a comprehensive breakthrough in many areas and said that the decisions that the authorities are going to make during his current term as president will determine the future of the country for decades to come. Everything is more or less clear about the Russian conservatism and traditional values. However, Putin's message about the need for a breakthrough and the need for freedom as the basis for this breakthrough appeares as a new and fresh feature in Putin's public appearances. It seems that the president spoke about it for the first time during his most recent Address to the Federal Assembly. He reiterated those theses in a more concise form in the inaugural speech.

Former musician Alexey Lebedinsky, for example, bluntly stated that "it is high time to shoot." "It is about time people should resort to terror to respond to terrorism of the state against people to eliminate the bastards that have seized power," the singer said. In an interview with a Ukrainian publication, Lebedinsky said: "We can not ask the civilized world to save the Russian people from its tyrants, we can't admit to ourselves that we don't have the guts for it, because those in power are strong, unpunished and merciless." According to him, "peoples deserve their rulers, and I'm increasingly sorry for the herds of people on the whole. I'm also increasingly sorry for certain people who understand their helplessness in trying to change anything."

The inauguration ceremony for President Putin was held in the Moscow Kremlin on May 7. This has been Putin's fourth inauguration. A few minutes before noon, the president left the First Building of the Kremlin, where his office is located, and went to the parade residence of the head of state - the Grand Kremlin Palace - to take the oath. Putin went to the inauguration on a "Cortege" project vehicle.At the Grand Kremlin Palace, Putin ascended the Grand Main Staircase and strolled through the halls of the palace - Georgievsky, Aleksandrovsky and Andreevsky - to the sound of a counter march and fanfare. Putting his right hand on the Constitution, Putin said the text of the oath. The chairman of the Constitutional Court of Russia announced that the head of state was sworn in. Putin received the symbols of power and a duplicate of the president's standard was raised over the residence to the music of the Russian anthem.Then Putin addressed the citizens of the Russian Federation. In his speech, Putin called Russia a country of "grandiose victories and accomplishments" and thanked the Russians for their support at the last presidential election. "In this support, there is faith and hope that Russia will continue to strengthen its power, and people will live better," he said.The president also assured that, when taking office as president, he "particularly keenly" realises his "enormous responsibility to everyone" in Russia. Serving Russia is "above everything else to me," he said. "It is my duty and meaning of life to do everything for Russia, for its present and future, peaceful and prosperous." "There is no time for swinging," Putin concluded.Vladimir Putin noted that Russia has been able to achieve a lot recently. Russia has learned to defend her interests and managed to revive the pride of the Fatherland. The country also ensured its security and defence capability. These areas will be given first priority attention in the future, he assured, but the main purpose now is associated with settling domestic issues, ensuring safety and health of Russian citizens. "Our guide is Russia for people," Putin said. "We need breakthroughs in all spheres of life," he said. Improving the quality of life of Russians, including education and healthcare, as well as protecting motherhood and childhood would be his prime objectives as president, Putin said adding that he would make every effort to achieve those goals.At the end of the ceremony, artillery weapons fired 30 solemn volleys from the side of the Kremlin embankment. Afterwards, Putin walked through the inner passage of the Grand Kremlin Palace to Sobornaya Square to see the parade of the Presidential Regiment, where more than 2,000 guests were waiting for Putin to appear. Vladimir Putin refused from the traditional passage of the presidential motorcade along Moscow to the Kremlin, which became a peculiarity of the ceremony. As for the list of foreign guests, who were invited to attend the inauguration, there was temporary charge d'affaires of the Lithuanian Embassy in Moscow Giedrius Galkauskas and American actor Steven Seagal, who received Russian citizenship in 2006. Seagal came to the inauguration with his wife.Pravda.Ru

A regatta of sailing yachts, Baku Sailing Regatta-2018, commemorating the 95th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev is starting in Azerbaijan`s capital, AzVision reports.

The II National Forum of industrial engineering was held in Ganja May 5.

The private sector is gradually becoming the engine of Azerbaijan's economy, Executive Director of the Center for economic reforms and communications Vusal Gasimli told reporters May 5.

The Iranian president says it was not his administration that blocked the Telegram messaging service, nor is the ban approved by the government, the IFP News reported.

A 2-3 magnitude earthquake hit the village of Zovuni, Armenia's Kotayk region, early on Saturday morning.