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In This Issue:
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Fact of the Week:
The Azeri Press Agency, an independent Azerbaijani media outlet based in Baku, has opened its newest bureau in Washington, D.C. The bureau will cover American foreign affairs, politics and culture.
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Azerbaijan to Mark ‘Black January’
 The Goverment of Azerbaijan has declared January 20 a “National Day of Mourning” to solemnly mark the day, when 18 years ago hundreds of Azerbaijanis were killed or wounded by Soviet troops.
The day marks the tragedy of January 20, 1990, when Soviet tanks and soldiers stormed Baku. In an offensive referred by Azerbaijanis around the world as “Black January,” the Soviet lidership ordered 26,000 Soviet troops into the city.
In the early morning hours of that day, Soviet troops attacked innocent civilians, slaughtering 133 people and wounding approximately 700. The use of force by the Soviet regime was a response to Azerbaijan’s popular demand for independence. Ultimately, the invasion ignited a series of events which led to the independence of Azerbaijan and other republics a year and a half later.
Flags in Azerbaijan and at diplomatic missions around the world will be lowered to half mast on January 20. In Baku, subway stations will be decorated with mourning flowers and black ribbons, and trains will sound their horns for one minute at noon to commemorate victims of Black January. January 20 has been declared a non-working day in the country.
According to a report published by Human Rights Watch at the time, “among the most heinous violations of human rights…were the numerous attacks on medical personnel, ambulances and even hospitals.” The report further stated that the punishment inflicted on Baku by Soviet soldiers appeared to have been intended as a warning to Azerbaijan as well as to the other Republics of the Soviet Union seeking independence.
Soviet troops eventually withdrew from Baku, and Azerbaijan declared its independence on October 18, 1991. Azerbaijan has maintained its independence since then despite the military occupation of some 20 percent of its territory by Armenia.
Europe Embraces Azerbaijan as Key to Energy Diversity
 Estonia joined a chorus of voices embracing European plans to diversify its energy sector through ties with Azerbaijan, UPI reported this week.
“Europe's energy demand grows from year to year,” said Estonian Economic and Communications Minister Juhan Parts. “Azerbaijani gas may and must be represented on the (European) market.”
His comments came during the first visit to Baku by Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who led a delegation of high-ranking officials to Azerbaijan this week where they met with President Ilham Aliyev.
UPI reported that European customers “are scrambling for alternative resources to relieve a market dependent on Russian energy,” prompted in part by the current gas crisis between Ukraine and Russia.
“The current crisis…shows that dependence on one kind of energy resources, including natural gas, may be dangerous for Europe,” said the Estonian president.
President Aliyev pledged that Azerbaijan would remain an important ally in the region.
“Our partners can be assured that Azerbaijan will continue to play an important role in the future as a reliable partner and friend,” President Aliyev said.
He pointed to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the world's second longest, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Pipeline, or South Caucasus artery, as signs that Azerbaijan and Caspian suppliers have changed the dynamics of the regional energy sector.
Media Assistance Fund to Launch Soon
 The establishment of a new Media Assistance Fund in Azerbaijan is nearing completion, local media outlets reported this week.
Documents to launch the fund will be submitted to President Ilham Aliyev within several days.
“The Media Assistance Fund will operate in line with the new concept on governmental support for the media,” head of the Presidential Administration’s Social and Political Department Ali Hasanov told the media.
Azerbaijan’s Press Council proposed establishing the Media Assistance Fund to address financial problems in the sector.
In July of last year, President Aliyev issued a decree to develop a concept for governmental support of the media.
Hasanov said the fund is designed to render assistance to those media outlets who demonstrate professional standards.
“Only media outlets that inform the public openly and promote political pluralism will receive financial assistance,” Hasanov said.
Archeologists Discover Two Medieval
Fortresses Near Ganja
 Archeologists have made an astounding find of two previously undiscovered 12th century fortresses in Azerbaijan.
One of the fortresses is believed to measure hundreds of feet across, local media reported.
The discovery comes after archeological digs conducted by the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Science of Azerbaijan near the Koroghlu tower fortress in the country’s Gedabey region near Azerbaijan’s second-largest city of Ganja.
In addition to finding evidence of two previously unknown fortresses, the archeologists also uncovered a secret water reservoir, a wind mill, a bakery, a half dozen homes, and possibly up to 40 more houses.
Azerbaijan is home to numerous medieval castles, towers and ancient walls that dot the country’s landscape, and which are found in areas ranging from coastal plains to forested mountains. The structures attest to Azerbaijan’s rich history dating back centuries, with many of these architectural gems built when Azerbaijan emerged as a key crossroads of commerce and culture linking Europe and Asia along the famed Silk Route.
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