SIEMENS RETURNS TO AZERBAIJAN.

The German industrial giant Siemens is back in Azerbaijan after some eighty years of forced absence. Siemens–along with such firms as Rothschild, Nobel and Rockefeller–had pioneered the mineral development boom in Azerbaijan at the turn of the last century, before Soviet Russia had isolated Azerbaijan from the West. Siemens is now “back to settle down and stay,” according to Hans-Juergen Bethke, general manager of the company’s recently opened representation in Baku. The company is interested in the project to modernize Azerbaijan’s obsolete power stations and in setting up computer systems. Bethke yesterday presented a gift of fifteen Siemens-Nixdorf personal computers to President Haidar Aliev’s staff (Assa-Irada, September 22, 23).

FIRST NON-RUSSIAN PIPELINE FOR TURKMEN GAS BECOMES OPERATIONAL.