Commission to Combat Corruption holds next sitting

As APA reports, the meeting focused on elimination of shortfalls in privatization of state property, measures for preserving natural resources in waters and prevent illegal taking of sand from seashores as well as implementation of the Council of Europe’s recommendations on combating corruption.

Chief of the State Committee for State Property Management Karam Hasanov addressing the meeting talked about the Committee measures implemented in privatization and some problems existing in this field. He spoke of organizational and practical measures implemented to ensure transparency in privatization and increasing public control over this.

The discussions also focused on the abuse of powers in the field of privatization, embezzlement of state property as well as illegal decisions and other corrupt ways concerning this field observed during the period of former Economic Development Minister Farhad Aliyev.

The meeting touched on the measures implemented for restoration of the illegally privatized state property. The Commission welcomed these measures and decided to continue the reforms in privatization. It also decided that the next meeting will be dedicated to this issue.

Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry Huseyin Baghirov talked abut the measures implemented to preserve natural resources in waters and prevent illegal taking of sand from seashores after President Ilham Aliyev's chairing a meeting on improving ecological situation.

The Minister said the reasons for the problems in preserving of natural resources in waters are because the cooperation among the Caspian states is in low level as well as weak material-technical base of the Ministry, unsatisfactory cooperation among the bodies responsible for this issue. The commission said despite measures, there are still problems in this issue and decided to take more strict measures to preserve natural resources and combat corruption.

The discussions also touched on the issues concerning the implementation of the Council of Europe recommendations on combating corruption. The President's Office official Eldar Nuriyev talked on this issue. He said the GRECO group from the Council of Europe approved the actions taken in combating corruption in Azerbaijan recent years and have given relevant recommendations to continue these measures.

The Commission decided to set up a joint working group on joint activity of state bodies and coordination of their activities regarding the implementation of the recommendations.