BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 9.​ The Coordination
Council on combating the legalization of criminally obtained
property, the financing of terrorism, and the proliferation and
financing of weapons of mass destruction has approved the Work Plan
for the upcoming 32nd plenary meeting of the Egmont Group, the
global association of Financial Intelligence Units (FIU), which is
set to take place in Baku in 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers told
Trend.


The Coordination Council held its latest meeting on December 9.
Deputy Prime Minister and Chair of the Coordination Council Samir
Sharifov stated that the decision to hold the plenary meeting is “a
clear indication of our country’s growing international
standing.


The Coordination Council has been tasked with ensuring the
coordinated work of relevant state institutions to organize and
prepare for the event at a high level.


Members of the Coordination Council, along with representatives
of several state bodies invited to the meeting, held extensive
discussions on the upcoming Egmont Group plenary. Following the
discussions, the Work Plan for the event was approved.


During the meeting, Chair of the Board of the Financial
Monitoring Service Zaur Fatizade briefed participants on the
progress report submitted to the MONEYVAL Committee of the Council
of Europe. He stated that significant progress has been achieved in
aligning Azerbaijan’s system for combating the legalization of
criminal proceeds and the financing of terrorism with the standards
of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Within this framework,
he noted that the country’s rating is expected to be raised on
seven FATF recommendations.


In addition, the meeting addressed other issues related to
preventing the legalization of criminally obtained property,
combating terrorist financing, and countering the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction.


The Egmont Group, established in 1995, supports the work and
information exchange of national financial intelligence units in
the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
Azerbaijan joined the group as a full member in 2011.