BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 24. The Agency for
the Development of Small and Medium Business, Investment, and
Export Promotion in Azerbaijan (hereinafter referred to as the
agency) has been established under the Ministry of Economy of
Azerbaijan, Trend
reports.


President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the
relevant decree.


According to the document, the agency is being established on
the basis of the public legal entity "Agency for the Development of
Small and Medium-sized Businesses of the Republic of Azerbaijan"
and the public legal entity "Agency for the Promotion of
Investments and Exports of Azerbaijan—AZPROMO" under the Ministry
of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan.


The decree was signed to ensure a more efficient and coordinated
implementation of state policy in the field of micro, small, and
medium-sized business development, investment, and export
promotion.


It was determined that the agency is an institution within the
structure of the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, which operates
in the direction of supporting the development of micro, small, and
medium-sized entrepreneurship, promoting investments and exports in
the non-oil (gas) sector, participating in the protection of the
interests of business entities, and coordinating the services of
state bodies (institutions) and entrepreneurs in this area.


The number of employees of the agency is set at a total of 370
staff units, including 291 staff units for the employees of its
office and 79 staff units for the employees of its regional
departments.


The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan must prepare and submit
proposals on the following to the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan:


Within three months:



  • A draft of the agency's statute and structure;

  • Improvement of regulatory legal acts;


Within nine months:



  • Mechanisms for the gradual implementation by private sector
    entities of the services provided by state bodies (institutions) to
    micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurship entities, exporters
    and investors;

  • Improvement of investment and export promotion mechanisms in
    the non-oil (gas) sector;

  • Must ensure the transfer of state property on the balance sheet
    of public legal entities specified in this decree to the balance
    sheet of the agency within three months;

  • Must take measures to ensure the staffing of the Agency's
    employees at the expense of employees of public legal entities
    specified in this decree, in accordance with the Law of the
    Republic of Azerbaijan "On civil service";

  • Must resolve issues related to the financing of the Agency's
    activities within one month;

  • Must ensure that the resolution of issues of material and
    technical support of the agency, as well as the financing of
    expenses related to the implementation of the improvement of
    investment and export promotion mechanisms in the non-oil (gas)
    sector, is financed within the funds provided for in the state
    budget in the current year, and that appropriate funds are provided
    for in the state budget projects in the following years, and shall
    inform the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan about this;

  • Must resolve other issues arising from this decree.


Until approval of the agency's charter and structure, the public
legal entities specified in this decree will continue their
activities.