Statement by Prof. Arif Sh. Mehdiyev,
Director-General of the Azerbaijani National Aerospace Agency (ANASA)
Vienna, July 22,1999
Distinguished members of the Bureau,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me associate myself with the previous speakers and congratulate you, Mr. President, and all members of the Bureau on occasion of your election to these posts.
I would also like to express our appreciation to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, the Director of the Office for Outer Space Affairs and his staff for their untiring efforts in preparation of such a remarkable event as UNISPACE III. I also wish to express our gratitude to the Government of Austria for hosting this meeting.
1.Azerbaijan is a country located at the west coast of the Caspian Sea with a population of about 8 million and a territory of 87,000 km Up to the end of 1991 Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet Union and therefore could not participate independently in any kind of international cooperation. Only since 1992 after Azerbaijan had regained its independence it became possible to start participate in international cooperation including space researches and applications.
2.The main organizations, which deal with space applications in Azerbaijan, are as follows: the Azerbaijani National Aerospace Agency (ANASA), the State Hydrometeorological Committee and the State Committee on Cartography and Geodesy. There are as well many potential users - both state owned and private companies and organizations. The Ministry of Communications of Azerbaijan uses communication satellites Turksat, Intelsat, Evtelsat as well as Russian Communication satellite to establish worldwide links.
3.One of the oldest space centers in Azerbaijan is the Shemakha Astrophysical Observatory (ShAO) located in the mountains not far from Baku. ShAO is equipped with many astronomical instrumentation including a 2 m. German made telescope. During almost 40 years in the framework of the International Solar Survey Program ShAO conducts regular observations and solar-terrestrial links. The problem of relativistic astrophysics such as final stages of stellar evolution: black holes, neutron and white dwarf stars as well as the stellar objects with active physical processes including peculiar magnetic stars, close binary systems with X-ray radiation, novae and supernovae are also investigated both observationally and theoretically by stronomers of ShAO.
4.ANASA was set up to coordinate fundamental and applied researches in the field of remote sensing (RS) and its applications aiming to help the development of the economy of Azerbaijan. ANASA comprises of five scientific and technological enterprises.
5. Being part of the former Soviet space structure ANASA was actively involved in the Soviet national space programs, both civil and military. We have carried out works in different scientific fields, including remote sensing, astrophysics, development of space and airborne apparatus and equipment, designing scientific instrumentation.
6. Among our main scientific achievements for the period after UNISPACE - 11 Conference one can mention the international subsatellite experiments carried out in Azerbaijan when specially chosen true sites were studied from different high levels: manned spacecraft "Salyut - 7", aircraft and helicopter based laboratory (air observation stations), and were verified at the ground true sites by the ground observation system. Another example of our successful scientific research is an X-ray telescope which was designed in the ANASA and which is still functioning on the board of the Russian "Mir" space station.
7. Unfortunately, the political and economic instabilities in the former republics of the USSR immediately after its collapse ffected Azerbaijan as well. When Heydar Aliyev became President of Azerbaijan in 1993, the political and social stability wasestablished in our country. Despite the availability of skilful specialists and relevant scientific and technological potential, situation in economy remained difficult. However, the prospects of the improvement of the economic situation are good, as Azerbaijan is a country of rich mineral resources, including oil and gas. At present, Azerbaijan is a country with economy in transition. Azerbaijan is deeply interested in implementation of space technology and applications, as it is an important tool for sustainable development of a national economy of each country.
8. At present the implementation of remote sensing applications are carried out in the field of: aerospace ecological monitoring of the territory of the country, including Caspian Sea and, connected with it; processing and thematic interpretation of RS data which include the development of appropriate software.
9. A serious obstacle in a way of wide implementations of space applications in Azerbaijan is the absence of a source of regular remote sensing data acquisition. The territory of Azerbaijan is not fully covered by any existing ground receiving station while the economic situation does not allow building it up. It generates the situation when despite the fact that the ANASA has more than 20 years of experience in remote sensing and a highly qualified personnel, the lack of the regular space data acquisition make its efforts less effective to benefit from the space applications. Unfortunately, there is no appropriate international entity helping to provide space information.
10. Despite these difficulties, several projects on remote sensing applications were carried out and some other projects are under implementations. I would not like to take too much of your time by telling you about the results of the projects carried out after LTNISPACE-11 Conference. Some brief results regarding the projects carried out in the field of natural disasters forecasting and navigation, agriculture related projects and some other fields are given in our national paper which will be distributed as a document of UNISPACE III Conference.
11. The current projects we are carrying out are:
a) Land cover/land use pro ject in cooperation with FAO. The main objective of the project is to provide the Ministry of Agriculture with an objective and accurate database on the present land cover/use situation of the whole country. The immediate result of the project will be inventory of the land cover/use of the country, and this output will be essential input to the land redistribution and the improved agricultural planning process. The results will be provided to the Ministry of Agriculture to constitute a database for the Ministry. itself, but also to provide complementary GIS information to the State Land Committee.
b) In the framework of "the European program on the use of space techniques for mgjo risks management (STRIM)" adopted in 1997 by the Ministerial meeting of Open Partial Agreement of Council of Europe we are carrying out the STRIM pilot project "Space technologies and GIS for seismic risk monitoring and active tectonic structures" together with some scientific Centers of France, Georgia, Greece and Russia. The main objective of the project is to assess the seismic hazard parameters of active tectonic structures and to integrate into GIS the results of space imagery interpretation.
C) In the framework of the NATO "Science for Peace" rograrn the project " The Caspian Sea for the planning of future activities" is under implementation. The main objective of this project is to assist the governments of littoral states in the continuous monitoring and development planning of their national resources and environment.
d) There are some other projects in various stages of implementation on natural resources' survey conducted jointly with concerned national agencies and organizations.
12. ANASA runs a large program of space and RS education at a professional level. Specialists of ANASA deliver regular under and postgraduate courses, MSc. and Ph.D. Programs, general and specialized courses in Baku State University, Technical University, National Oil Academy and in some other private colleges and universities. ANASA runs the specialized research laboratory jointly with Technical University.
13. In 1994 Azerbaijan participated at the First Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for development in Asia and the Pacific held in Beijing and since then is actively involved in realization of the Action Plan on space applications for sustainable development adopted at this meeting. Azerbaijan is a member of Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on Remote Sensing Applications (ICC RESAP) of ESCAP.
14. In 1997 in cooperation with ESCAP, FAO and ESA, we have organized in Baku a Regional Training Seminar on Spatial Information Technology Applications for Planners and DecisionMakers. Representatives of 11 Asian countries participated at this Seminar.
Our expectations of UNISPACE - III
15.UNISPACE - III is a unique forum as at this meeting the needs and difficulties of many countries in implementations of space applications will be heard. We hope that the international organizations as well as national organizations of the developed countries will display more understanding of the problems of the countries in transition and will help them countries in their efforts to recover national economies by using space applications.
16. UN Program on Space Applications played an important role in enhancing the use and promotion of space technology and applications among many countries since UNISPACE - II Conference. However, with their limited financial, technical, human resources the countries in transition could not follow the impressive progress in space applications. One of the recommendations of UNISPACE - III Conference should be the expansion of the Program and broadening of its mandate regarding the assistance to the countries in transition.
17. Azerbaijan supports UN Program of Space Applications and believes that this Program will be more oriented towards the problems of the Newly Independent States of the former USSR which are now in a transition period moving from a central planning economy towards a market economy.
18.We think that establishing UN educational centers for this part of the world would help to educate many new specialists in the countries of the region, increase their skills and knowledge of up-to-date space science and application and thus to contribute to the sustainable development of their countries' economy.
19. UN Program of Space Applications implementation should initiate the strengthening of regional cooperation by creating of regional space applications centers under the UN auspices alike the regional educational centers. This is especially important for the newly independent countries of the former USSR as such centers would also help to develop an appropriate infrastructure that has been absent in these countries both in the Soviet period and in present. It definitely will help more effective implementation of space related technologies for economic and social development of these countries.
20. The lack of the regular space information data source is the main obstacle for Azerbaijan in the implementation of the remote sensing applications. The development of the space data information network assisting to provide regular space data will sufficiently increase the benefits of space applications for the countries like Azerbaijan.
21. We hope that one of the recommendations of UNISPACE - III Conference will be extension of technical assistance programs to the countries like Azerbaijan as for the time being we do not benefit from any UN assistance programs in the field of space applications.
22. In the new millenium, space technology and application will be a driving force leading the humanity to a better life and we have to do our best at this Conference to help to build up this future.
Thank you, Mr. President.