'A new law on budget spending is needed'

The recent allocation by President Ilham Aliyev of 80 million manats from the reserve fund to the Reconstruction, Construction and Management Service No. 2 in the Eastern Economic District of Zangezur has sparked discussions about transparency in the management of funds allocated for the restoration of liberated territories.

Considering that 6.4 billion manats have already been allocated from the state budget for construction and rehabilitation projects in the liberated regions, additional allocations from the President's reserve fund bring the issue of transparency to the fore. The exact goals of the presidential reserve fund and the transparency of its distribution process remain unclear, despite attempts to collect information from the relevant authorities.

Aydin Huseynov, a member of the Milli Majlis Committee on Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship, shed light on the main goal of accelerated construction and restoration work in Karabakh – the resettlement of compatriots to the region. In an interview with Turan, he emphasized the comprehensive work carried out to ensure safety, neutralize landmines, create road infrastructure and restore engineering communications. According to Huseynov, these efforts require additional funds for rapid progress.

The transparent implementation of projects in Karabakh was confirmed by Huseynov, who expressed confidence in the scrupulous and accountable behavior of the companies involved in the restoration work. He stated that plans are being developed for future allocations from the state budget for reconstruction and construction work in Karabakh, including efforts to attract investment.

Economist Natig Jafarli further studied the distribution process. In an interview with Radio Azadlig, he stressed that although the president's reserve fund was created legally, the public remains unaware of the specific directions and ways of using these funds. Jafarli pointed to a larger institutional problem concerning transparency, which has persisted for many years not only in the President's reserve fund, but also in the Cabinet's own fund.

As for the transparency of funds for reconstruction work in Karabakh, Jafarli expressed skepticism, given the history of problems with transparency of budget expenditures over the past three decades. He called for a systemic shift, advocating the adoption of a new law providing for transparency in the distribution of the budget and expenditures in order to ensure public awareness of the directions of use of funds.

While Azerbaijan is working towards a comprehensive restoration of its liberated territories, the debate over transparency highlights the broader problem of ensuring that financial resources are used in an accountable manner and best serve the interests of the population.