Germany's foreign minister heads for Azerbaijan to discuss energy issues

The first stop on Frank-Walter Steinmeier's tour is Azerbaijan, a booming oil nation that enjoyed a 35-percent growth rate in 2006 and appears on course to maintain the momentum this year.

Steinmeier is expected to meet there with President Ilham Aliev, who was in Germany last week to drum up support for more investment in his nation. But German officials have expressed concern over Azerbaijan's human rights record.

Germany has made improving relations with its eastern neighbors a big part of its turn at the European Union's presidency, which it holds until June.

Steinmeier's trip will also take him to Armenia and Georgia, his office said. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/