Head of the OSCE Office in Baku addresses anti-corruption forum

BAKU, 15 April 2011 – Ambassador Bilge Cankorel, the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku, addressed an anti-corruption forum, organized by the State Commission for Combating Corruption, the Azerbaijani Confederation of Lawyers and the Information and Co-operation Network of NGOs fighting against corruption, in Baku today.

Ambassador Cankorel said he appreciated the recent measures undertaken by the Azerbaijani authorities in fighting corruption, underlining the importance of transparent governance, equal opportunities, and a competitive and participatory economy, as well as the need to further strengthen basic rule of law principles as a means of reducing corruption.

“Corruption is one of the main obstacles to prosperity and sustainable development worldwide. It is intolerable and must be fought at all levels of society. Corruption undermines the economy, weakens democratic institutions, deters investment and threatens the security of nations,” he said.

According to Cankorel, the OSCE Office in Baku has implemented several projects in Azerbaijan promoting good governance and the protection of property rights as well as other capacity building activities for government officials and civil society representatives.

“My Office stands ready to provide further assistance and facilitate the sharing of international best practices to support the implementation of the National Strategy on Increasing Transparency and Combating Corruption, and its action plan,” Cankorel said.