There is strong political will to fight corruption in Azerbaijan-Presidential Administration

Transparency International has released its Corruption Perceptions Index 2011 in which it places Azerbaijan in 143rd place with 2.4 points. What are your comments on this index?

The rate of corruption in separate countries has always been a matter of constant debate. Neither international organizations nor academic institutions have developed a single methodology in this field. Various organizations work out indexes based on various methodologies. As a global civil society organization involved in fighting corruption, Transparency International uses its own methodology. There are sometimes discrepancies between reports developed by various organizations as a result.

So, there is no unequivocal attitude to this assessment. Transparency International itself calls this index into question. There are debates on changes to this methodology and even on a refusal to use it.

Transparency International does not conduct its own research to develop this index and relies on a common index of data taken from various sources. The organization is rather guided by assumptions, perceptions and views than the real situation in countries. What is strange is that Transparency International refers to other organizations while developing its own index while other organizations, in turn, turn to Transparency International as a source to develop their own reports. This leads to repeated and unlimited circulation of the same information.

Sources related to Azerbaijan that the index referred to can be divided into two groups: organizations working in the economic and political fields. Azerbaijan has high indicators in sources on the economy. Their indicators are based on objective figures. The assessment conducted by political organizations may contain a biased approach towards states and cases of favouritism towards some states. In this context, the indicators related to countries do not reflect reality in some cases.

Moreover, the data used while developing Azerbaijan’s index mainly covered the period from December 2009 till September 2010 and not all data concerning that period is reflected there. The local office of Transparency International also admits this.

The head of the Baku Office of Transparency International notes that "views are usually slow to reflect changes in real life. In this context, an index is not sufficient to fully evaluate the measures implemented in the country."

So, the global common approach is that the reports released by Transparency International cannot be considered a source of absolute truth.

What are your comments on Azerbaijan’s standing in this year’s index?

Azerbaijan has a score of 2.4 points in this year’s index, as last year. The points scored by countries are a key indicator in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Azerbaijan’s standing has remained unchanged over the last year. Simply, new states have been added to this year’s index causing Azerbaijan to change its position there.

So, Azerbaijan has a stable position here and this cannot be considered in any way to be a reduced standing. However, some media outlets have speculated on this and presented the figures to the public in a distorted way.

Do 2.4 points reflect the real situation in our country?

They do not. The fight against corruption is conducted in our country regardless of such reports. Consistent legal and institutional reforms have been conducted in this field since 2004 and integrated measures have been implemented. In early 2011, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced it a priority of state policy to intensify the fight against corruption in a bid to ensure sustainable development.

A number of significant legislative and practical measures have been undertaken since the beginning of the year to fight corruption and ensure transparency in the work of state agencies as part of the new socioeconomic development strategy.

So, service procedures in state agencies have been eased, modern management methods have been introduced and mechanisms for the one-stop shop principle, e-services and cashless payments have been improved.

Alongside preventive measures taken to combat corruption, significant work has been done to raise the quality of criminal prosecution. There is close and effective cooperation with civil society institutions. The measures I mentioned above have already had a positive effect.

The international experience, views and recommendations of specialized international organizations are taken into consideration while working out these measures. We are always sensitive to views voiced regarding our country because these indexes are simply figures and indicators for those who develop these reports.

This is real life and real work that we have done. So, we regret unbiased views about the development of our state.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that it is one of the priorities of the state to fight corruption and ensure transparency. There is strong political will to fight corruption in Azerbaijan and consistent steps will be taken in this field even further.