Yesterday President Ilham Aliyev received Claire Short, chairman of Board of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI).
Short said during the meeting that Azerbaijan is among the first countries that joined EITI and its “demonstrates leadership” in this initiative.
Ilham Aliyev said that the country has achieved great successes in all fields and emphasized importance of participation in EITI. Then he spoke about economic successes at the expense of oil extraction, implementation of social projects and construction of infrastructure.
Speaking about price decline, Ilham Aliyev said that great success has been achieved in diversification of economy. Then the sides have discussed the perspectives of Azerbaijan’s participation in EITI, reads the official statement.
In April 2015 EITI Board has lowered Azerbaijan’s status in this organization from the equal member to the candidate status. The EITI Board has also decided to work out a plan of measures for the next year, after implementation of which Azerbaijan’s status could be restored. However, at the press conference in Baku on May 1, 2015 Shakhmar Movsumov, President of State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), said that EITI does no longer attract Azerbaijan.
EITI programs coordinator in Azerbaijan Movsumov added that the decision to leave EITI is under consideration, because the organization “has changed its strategy.” “If in the past EITI’s strategy was aimed at ensuring transparency, now it defends interests of NGOs,” Movsumov said. He added that Azerbaijan is not going to change its principles, despite the pressure.
Turan
