Eyub Huseynov: "All popular and respectable local restaurants are owned by three or four oligarchs, who have monopolized this segment of the local consumer market"

According to him, the attack on consumers in the sphere of provision of communal services strengthened in 2009.

"This is proven by the growing number of complains, connected with frequent cases of cutting electricity, water and gas to the population. At the same time, people, who have no debts to these organizations, fall victims of this "wise" policy by enterprises, responsible for provision of gas, water and electricity to the population. In this connection, it would be timely to recall the cases of water supply cut to many residents of Baku and Sumgayit in May of this year due to the conflict between such organizations. The conclusion is simply: local monopolists of the market of communal services do not take into consideration the interests of local consumers", said he.

He noted that the only worthy event of the passing year was that we managed to attain some progress in combat with local monopolists.

"In particular, we have won several court processes against a number of local monopolists. But on the whole the year of 2007 was the next year of total neglect of the rights of local consumers.

As for the situation in the sphere of catering market, he said Azerbaijan is quite a small country, where the public can easily learn about the real owners of elite restaurants and numerous festivity houses.

"Therefore, I can state that all popular and respectable local restaurants and festivity houses are owned by three or four olygarchs, who have monopolized this segment of the local consumer market.

The indirect proof of it is our unsuccessful fight with the Mubarek festivity house, which we hold for several months. It is backed by some state officials, which explains the fact that even the new Economic Development Minister can do nothing about it, though we have repeatedly pointed at great problems in the work of this object, where people were poisoned more than once.

Asked why prices in Azerbaijan do not fall, despite the global decline in prices on goods and services on the background of global economic crisis, he said:

"Because the local consumer market records an abnormality, caused by the absence of the consumer policy of the state. Moreover, the fact that in period of global economic crisis, when significant decline in prices in goods and services is observed throughout the world, the prices on consumer goods and services in Azerbaijan do not fall, proves that local monopolists try to put the weight of their losses, caused by this crisis, on ordinary consumers".

/Day.Az/