The 18th general meeting of the coalition of social organizations to improve transparency in the extractive industries opened in the Park Inn in Baku.
The coordinator of the coalition Alimammad Nuriyev gave a progress report on the activities of the coalition council in 2014-15. He touched on the issue of lowering the country's status in the International Transparency Initiative in the mining industry (EITI) from full membership to candidate country because of problems in the activities of civil society in Azerbaijan.
According to him, the recommendations of EITI to improve the conditions of NGOs are solved. He again assured about the unfrozen bank accounts of NGOs and about the canceled customs and border checks of the activists. NGO inspections by the Ministry of Taxes and the prosecutor's office have been completed.
However, questions remain about the criminal prosecution of members of the coalition. So, the criminal case against Oktay Gulaliyeva and his sons has not been closed. Next Nuriyev made a reassuring statement about the fate of the PFPA activist Asif Yusifli, hinting that he may be pardoned soon.
Referring to the prospects of the coalition, Nuriyev noted the need to reform the statutes, in order to prevent the participation of the same people in several NGOs.
It is also expected to cancel the participation of the coalition members in the governing bodies of political parties.
A member of the Coalition Board Gubad Ibadoglu also spoke in favor of the establishment of the status of members of the coalition and the sources of their financing in the group with the government and the oil companies.
Ibadoglu emphasized that only the actual elimination of NGO problems will restore the status of Azerbaijan in EITI as a full member.
During the general meeting it is expected to discuss and adopt changes to the Charter of the association, determine its strategy and elect its governing bodies.
To date, there are 138 members of the coalition, including 128 NGOs and 10 individuals. The opening ceremony was welcomed by the Azerbaijani Coordinator of EITI, the Executive Director of the State Oil Fund Shahmar Movsumov, the US Ambassador Robert Cekuta, the EU representative in Azerbaijan, Ambassador Malena Mard, and the representatives of the World Bank, EITI and the State Council for NGO Support. -06B--
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