YASHAT - Fund for Moral Responsibility

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- Rashad Bey, the President signed a decree on the procedure for the formation, management and use of the funds of the Fund for Supporting Victims and Families of Martyrs who defended the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Do you think this decree will solve all the social problems of veterans and families of martyrs?

-It depends on how the fund will be managed, on its future reputation, on its transparency. In general, it would be wrong for the burden of the respective social groups to be fully transferred to the YASHAT Foundation, because the Fund's income will be formed from donations from citizens and businesses on a voluntary basis. And this is very difficult to predict. For example, when the economy goes into recession or stagnation, naturally, the problem will negatively affect the way of life, the way of life of families of martyrs and veterans, problems will increase, etc. In other words, the need for help will grow. However, in the corresponding period, the incomes of other social groups of the population and citizens will also decrease, as well as the opportunities to make donations, and hence the fund's income. In addition, the fund will provide services based on applications. That is, it will not cover the problems of those who did not apply.

- In general, the problems of the wounded and martyrs in the Karabakh war should have been provided for by some kind of fund or the state should have assumed all responsibilities?

- Of course, there must be stable mechanisms that solve problems. Azerbaijan also has a number of similar mechanisms, although their activities are not entirely satisfactory. But I myself proposed from the first day to create a fund that would provide, in some form, the participation of the population of the country, business in writing off the credit debts of martyrs, veterans and even other participants in the war under certain conditions. For example, citizens who today are not on the illegal labor market have access to any social protection mechanisms, but were drafted into the army as part of mobilization. Usually in such cases, banks are told to write off the debts.

Although banks in Azerbaijan sometimes rob, there is a monopoly in this market, the interest rates are high, and clients are sometimes deceived. However, banks cannot shoulder the entire burden. Imagine that there is devaluation and we begin to demand that banks write off debt or make concessions. The same is true during a pandemic, during a fire in markets, during a war. However, banks cannot take on this entire burden. Only two of them are state-owned. Others are privately owned. Such concessions also significantly worsen the financial performance of banks. Therefore, this process requires the efforts of the citizen and the state.

 Banks, unfortunately, are currently the only financial guarantor of the economy. In Azerbaijan, financial accessibility is rather poor. This is confirmed by the polls of the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. In such conditions, the deterioration of the financial performance of banks may further weaken credit investments in the economy, further tighten the credit policy. And this is not at all desirable in conditions when a need for large capital arises in the post-war period. Therefore, with the creation of the YASHAT foundation or a fund under any other name, we bear moral responsibility to the population of the country and the people who participated in the struggle for the territorial integrity of our country; through this fund, favorable opportunities are created to participate in solving the problems of the mentioned social group.

- There is an opinion that a certain percentage should be deducted from the salaries of state employees to the YASHAT foundation. How logical is this?

-This is a completely wrong approach. Only transparency and accountability can be used to encourage people to participate in such a process. The foundation should be based on the principle of voluntariness. But if in the future the foundation cannot win the sympathy of the public with its honesty, create a positive reputation, then it will stop helping, and then it is possible that the government will resort to the appropriate method, which we have observed many times in different directions.

- The funds allocated to citizens wounded in the war also became the subject of discussions. The amount of benefits for a martyr's family is set at 300 manats, for persons with disabilities due to the war - at 250, 230 and 210 manats in accordance with the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd degrees of disability. Do you think these figures are adequate to the realities of Azerbaijan today?

- Let's clear up the question first. The figures announced reflect only monthly payments that are paid through one mechanism - the presidential scholarship. It should be borne in mind that the disability pension is 80 manats, it is paid to compensate for utility and transport costs to the participants in the war, 21 manats, paid to children of martyrs under 18, etc. there are other mechanisms as well. Nevertheless, I believe that there is a need to improve and increase the flexibility of mechanisms aimed at social protection of families of martyrs, veterans and war participants. In this regard, from time to time I put forward certain proposals.

First, as soon as possible, the Milli Mejlis should prepare and consider a draft law "On the participants and martyrs of the Karabakh war."

The new law should reflect in detail all the points regarding the legal status, social benefits and economic benefits of the relevant social group. Social protection instruments must have parameters that will ensure a decent lifestyle for these people. These people should not be placed in a helpless position in front of some snickering officials, the executive power, which is a corruption machine, etc. These people should always be treated as a respected, respectable layer of society. For example, a lifelong benefit in the amount of 2 times the minimum wage of the martyr's spouse, and for each dependent child under the age of 18 - 70 percent of the minimum wage until the age of 18. In this way, differentiation can also be ensured.

How is it that the same pension (300 manats) is paid to the martyr's family, consisting of one or four people? Second, sustainable mechanisms must be introduced, such as a specific relationship between benefits and stipends for veterans and their average monthly wages. Because every year there is inflation, and the benefits, pensions and other benefits they receive are depreciated. But the creation of a specific mechanism, for example, indexation in accordance with the consumer price index in each quarter, partially neutralizes the corresponding risks. To be honest, my biggest problem, both during the war and today, is that the attitude towards the families of martyrs, our veterans and participants in the war will again be "as before." I hope that society will not allow a repetition of this attitude.