Co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Monitoring Committee Joseph Debono Grech and Pedro Agramunt attended the plenary meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament on Wednesday. Speaker of the Parliament Ogtay Asadov said while being a member of the parliament during the past 10 years for the first time he witnessed that the PACE co-rapporteurs joined the parliament meeting in Azerbaijan. 

Head of the EURONEST Secretariat John Louis Beltran arrived in Azerbaijan. According to APA, the goal of his visit is to discuss the issues of the preparation for the EURONEST April session in Baku.  Beltran will meet the members of the parliament and government officials of Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani parliament has issued an appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to hold the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Baku. The appeal has been made today at the first meeting of the parliament's spring session. The Azerbaijani parliament agreed to hold the Olympic Games and calls on the IOC to hold them in Baku. The IOC included Baku in the list of cities nominated for hosting the 2020 Olympic Games. As a result, Azerbaijan has set up an organising committee in connection with it.

The spring session of the Azerbaijani Parliament started. APA reports that the first plenary meeting of the spring session, which started with playing of national anthem, is led by Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ogtay Asadov. 4 issues were included to the agenda of the meeting. These are the reorganization of the Accounting and Disciplinary Commission of the Azerbaijani Parliament, the legislative working plan for the spring session of Azerbaijani Parliament in 2012 and the second reading of the bill on "State’s care of persons with multiple sclerosis" Asadov said that Azerbaijani Parliament is expected to work intensively and interestingly during the spring session of 2012.

NATO and U.S. experts are scheduled to visit Baku on Feb.14. During the visit a review will be made on the NATO assistance in reforming Azerbaijani Armed Forces, including in military training, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend on Tuesday. The cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO was laid in 1994, signing a framework document - Partnership for Peace.

The Azerbaijani parliamentary plan for the spring session has been approved. It is planned to discuss the bills on "Ensuring the rights and freedoms of persons in custody," "Status of servicemen", "Reports of municipalities", "Loans for education," eEcological Expertise", "Appraisal activity", "Agricultural cooperation", "Higher education", "Politics in science," "State care of people with MS", "Rights of patients," "Culture", as well as the codes of "Urban planning" and "Construction" and "Competition."

On April 2-3, Baku will host next meeting of the Azerbaijani-Lithuanian intergovernmental commission. Lithuanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Kestutis Kudzmanas noted that the meeting would focus on current state and perspectives of economic relations between the two countries, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

There are additions to the list of e-services in Azerbaijan implemented by central executive bodies, the Cabinet of Ministers told on Monday. Point 22.7 for special permission to work in alternative and renewable energy is added in accordance with the amendments made to the list of services provided by the Ministry of Industry and Energy Minister. The cabinet decision comes into force on Jan.26, 2012.

EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Philippe Lefort will pay a visit to Azerbaijan on Feb.6 within his trip to the region, EU Baku Office told Trend on Monday. He will meet with the country's officials and discuss issues of the further cooperation in Baku. Mr Lefort arrives in Yerevan on Jan.30. Relations between the EU and Azerbaijan began in 1990 with the launch of the European Commission's support for CIS countries in the framework of the TACIS program.

Chairman of the Azerbaijan Lawyers Confederation (ALC) and Legal Policy and State Building Committee of Azerbaijani Parliament Ali Huseynli will address the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly. ALC officials told APA that Ali Huseynli will attend the meeting of the EURONEST PA’s Committee on Political Affairs, Human Rights and Democracy in Brussels on January 30-31 and make a report titled “Future democracy and independence of mass media in East Partnership and European Union”.