POLITICS
PROSECUTOR GENERAL MEETS WITH CO-RAPPORTEURS OF PACE MONITORING COMMITTEE
Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov met Tuesday with visiting co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee on Azerbaijan Mrs. Evguenia Jivkova and Mr. Andres Herkel.
He said the rapid economic development of Azerbaijan achieved as a result of the political course initiated by national leader Heydar Aliyev and continued by incumbent President Ilham Aliyev, created a reliable foundation for the country to resolve its outstanding problems.
“Realization of large-scale social and economic reforms has led to drastic decline in poverty and unemployment, intensification of Azerbaijan’s political, economic and legal integration into the civilized world and increased the effectiveness of its cooperation with international organizations, including the European Union,” Mr. Garalov said.
He said that the National Action Plan for the implementation of the President Ilham Aliyev’s 28 July, 2007 Order on the National Strategy for Fighting Corruption and Increasing Transparency, created a favorable legal base for undertaking preventive anti-corruption measures. In this connection, the Prosecutor General noted the necessity for close cooperation with non-governmental organization while fighting this dangerous phenomena. He let the visitors know that Executive Committee of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities will gather for its next meeting on March 31-April 2 in Baku.
On the activities of the Prosecutor’s Office, Mr. Garalov informed them that since 2002, it has been practicing a test-based recruitment of employees; employees attended training courses organized by the Council of Europe; a Hotline Center has been functioning for quick receiving and processing reports from citizens; and that draft Code of Ethics for Prosecutors in the Republic of Azerbaijan is expected to be examined soon by the Council of Europe and adopted.
Responding to questions from the visitors, Prosecutor General pointed out that relevant reports by some international organizations are not always reality and their assessment criteria are not always correct. “The steps taken by the Azerbaijan state towards development of democracy, building a law-based state and human rights protection, yield real results,” he said.
Mr. Garalov said that not a single journalist had been arrested for their professional activities, but for libel and insulting concrete persons upon their complaints, adding five convicted journalists have been pardoned by the President Ilham Aliyev. He stressed the importance of respecting citizens’ constitutional right to defend their honor and dignity in court that, according to him, is necessary in terms of ensuring public security as well.
The Prosecutor General said the Concept of State Support to Mass Media is now being developed in Azerbaijan, and informed the visitors on the crimes committed against journalists.
Mrs. Evguenia Jivkova and Mr. Andres Herkel pointed out that a special significance is given to enhancing cooperation with Azerbaijan that, according to them, will contribute much to building a democratic society in the country.
Present at the meeting was Samad Seyidov, Head of Azerbaijan’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.