On November 17, President Ilham Aliyev approved the model charter of the central executive authorities. The charter stipulates that the central executive authorities are to be located in the capital city of Baku.
The central executive authorities are as follows:
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Defense
- Ministry of Defense Industry
- Ministry of Justice
- Ministry of Internal Affairs
- Ministry of Emergency Situations
- Ministry of Finance
- Ministry of Economy
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Ministry of Energy
- Ministry of Digital Development and Transport
- Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population
- Ministry of Science and Education
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Culture
- Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources
- Ministry of Youth and Sports
- State Customs Committee
- State Statistics Committee
- State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture
- State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- State Committee on Work with Diaspora
- State Committee on Religious Associations
- State Committee on Family, Women and Children’s Issues
- State Security Service
- Foreign Intelligence Service
- State Border Service
- State Migration Service
- State Service for Mobilization and Conscription
- State Tourism Agency
- Food Safety Agency
- State Water Resources Agency
- State Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control Agency
- National Archive Department.
From time to time, proposals are voiced about relocating some central executive authorities from the capital. Is this feasible? Is it necessary for all ministries and bodies of equal status to be located in the capital?
The chairman of the National Assembly committee Fazil Mustafa said in an interview with Medianews.az that if reforms are implemented, it might be possible for some central executive authorities to be located in the regions: "In any case, this is a matter within the authority of the head of state. If currently it is considered appropriate, then for now it should continue as is. But if considered appropriate in the future, certain changes can also be made. Because there is an increasing necessity in terms of regional development and easing the load on the capital."
Lawyer Gulamhuseyn Alibeyli stated in response to Medianews.az's inquiry that executive structures at the central management level generally are located in the state capital: “True, there are experiences where legislative and judicial authorities are located in different locations. But in most countries of the world, central executive structures are subordinate either to the head of state or the Cabinet of Ministers. Therefore, since they are in daily contact, it is appropriate for them to be located in the same city.
In Azerbaijan, central executive authorities have always been located in Baku. Of course, considering the rapid development of information technologies, it is not excluded that some central executive authorities can be located in different cities. The development of information technologies can ensure continuous, daily, live communication. However, since the central infrastructure of executive authority is located in Baku and this mechanism is established comprehensively in the capital, I do not consider relocation of any ministry or other structure of the same status outside Baku city as a proper option at present. Overall, the government itself—the Cabinet of Ministers and other central executive authorities—can be moved to a new place. But I don't see a particular necessity to scatter individual central executive bodies among Azerbaijan’s regions. I emphasize again that from a management perspective, it is best for them to be located in the capital, so I consider the current approach more reasonable.”
Politician and economist Natig Jafarli told Medianews.az: “For perhaps 10-15 years, the issue of relocating some state bodies from the capital to the regions has been raised. We have repeatedly put forward proposals on this matter. Since the restoration of our territorial integrity and sovereignty over all our lands, the issue has become even more relevant and the necessity and demand have increased. We all see that the capital is heavily loaded. Moving certain central bodies out of Baku can reduce the capital’s load. The migration to Baku would be prevented. It would promote the creation of new jobs in the regions and stimulate economic activity. For example, it is not essential for the Ministry of Agriculture, some other ministries, state bodies, the Constitutional Court, and the Supreme Court to be based in the capital. I mention these as examples; many other bodies could be named. In fact, some do not have any reason to be located in the capital. I think that certain decisions can be made regarding this in the future.”
Naile Gasimova,
Medianews.az
Note: This article is prepared on the topic of "Promoting the socio-economic development of regions", financially supported by the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in accordance with the competition conditions.
