AZERBAIJAN WELCOMES MOBIL OIL.

Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev and the management of the Azeri state oil company conferred yesterday in Baku with top executives of the U.S. company Mobil Oil. Mobil is said to be interested in exploring and developing oilfields on Azerbaijan’s Caspian shelf to the south of the Apsheron peninsula. Baku is seeking to broaden western participation in developing the large Shah-Deniz offshore field. Remarking that Mobil was a late entrant in Azerbaijan oil projects, Aliyev pledged full support for the special team Mobil has created for work in Azerbaijan. (14)

Turkmenistan, Russia Sign Border Troop Agreement.