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Fuad Aleskerov: E-service will become one of the most effective means in fighting corruption and ensuring transparency â€“ INTERVIEW

Fuad Aleskerov: E-service will become one of the most effective means in fighting corruption and ensuring transparency â€“ <font color=red>INTERVIEW </font>

24 May 2011 11:44 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. On 23 May 2011 the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev signed a Decree on â€œSome measures on arrangement of application of e-service by the state agenciesâ€. This decree has great importance both for the development of e-government and further strengthening of fighting corruption.

In order to receive information on the measures to be taken in this regard we addressed to Mr. Fuad Aleskerov, Head of the Department for Work with Law-Enforcement Bodies of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan:

- What measures have been taken in the sphere of application of information and communication technologies in the state governance in Azerbaijan and what is the main purpose of the Decree signed by the President?

- First of all, I would like to note that at present e-service is widely applied in the international experience in order to achieve the improvement, simplification and making easy of the immediacy of the mutual relations between the state and society utilizing of the information and communication technologies. E-service is also estimated as one of the effective means in prevention of corruption and ensuring the transparency.

The firm development conception put forward by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev conditions wide application of the achievements of modern technologies and progressive international experience in all fields.

The information and communication technologies are being successfully utilized in state governance alongside with the other fields. Thus, the important measures have been taken in the recent years in order to ensure the modern and prompt governance, organize the state governance on the basis of the modern principles.

It is not by chance that according to the reports of the international organizations Azerbaijan holds one of the leading positions among the CIS and some European countries in utilization of the modern information technologies, as well as in application of those technologies in the activity of the state agencies.

The relevant legal framework has been created to implement the works in this direction efficiently, qualitatively and in short period of time. At present in some of the state agencies e-service is rendered to the people through internet.

E-service has great importance in increasing the efficiency and quality of the mutual relations between the state agencies and the citizens, ensuring the transparency, eradication of the factors conducive to corruption. The latest Decree of Mr. President envisages the undertaking of additional measures in order to improve and speed up the application of e-service by the state agencies.

First and foremost, this decree is to be assessed in the context of the measures for ensuring anticorruption and transparency. E-service minimizes the direct contact between the state agents and citizens and eradicates the factors conducive to corruption. In this regard, wide application of e-service will become one of the important measures in fighting corruption.

- What measures are envisaged in Mr. Presidentâ€™s decree in the sphere of implementation of e-service?

- In accordance with the decree within three months a special e-service section will operate on the websites of all the state agencies. The title of the service, the precise list of the documents required for rendering of the particular service and an electronic format of the application, blank and other documents to be filled in by the applicant will be stationed in the said section.

Each person whishing to benefit from e-service will be able to enter the said section on the website of the relevant agency and send the application filled in the appropriate form, as well as the scanned copies of the required documents in electronic format. The applicant will immediately receive the confirmation of the receipt of the sent documents by the state agencies.

In rendering the service the state agencies may demand the original of the documents only in the case, when they cannot obtain the information about the said document from the electronic information resources, database of themselves or other state agencies. As we know, there are â€œEntry-leave and registrationâ€ inter-agencies automatic information-search system, â€œState registry of the population of the Republic of Azerbaijanâ€, â€œSingle migration information systemâ€, â€œSearch database for the natural persons on the tax registerâ€, â€œAddress registry of the Republic of Azerbaijanâ€ and other permanently updated databases. Each state agency will have direct access to these databases. The agency rendering the service will be able to obtain information about the relevant document sending the inquiry to the said database. If there is not any information in the single electronic databases about the required document, the original of the said document can be required from the applicants.

There is another issue. The payment of some duties and other fees are envisaged for rendering of a number of services. The state agencies will undertake the relevant measures to ensure the payment of the said fees in an electronic way. As you know, the amounts of the fees for all services are indicated on the website â€œRusum.azâ€. Moreover, the information about the amount of the duties and other fees to be paid for the services will be stationed on the official website of each state agency.

- What time-limits are envisaged for consideration of the applications, once a citizen uses e-service?

The time-limits for consideration of the applications for each service are set forth precisely in the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Those time-limits will be applied, when the electronic application is made as well. In the meantime, I would like to note that the foreigners and the stateless persons will be able to use e-service alongside with the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

- Will e-signature be required in implementation of e-service and generally, which measures will be applied with respect to e-signature?

- E-signature is an important element in the implementation of e-service. The legislation envisages the application of e-signature. The works in this direction will be completed soon. This decree sets forth the instructions to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technologies for mass application of e-signature. However, till the wide application of e-signature, the sending of the documents with e-signature in rendering of e-service by the state agencies will not be required. Simply, I would like to reiterate once again that sending of the application and other scanned required documents in electronic format by the applicants to the e-service section on the website of the state agency will be sufficient for rendering the service.

The decree also provides the establishment of a single electronic portal for implementation of all e-services in accordance with the â€œone stopâ€ principle. The citizens will be able to enter e-service section of desired agency through that portal.

- In which spheres the application of e-services is envisaged?

- As I mentioned before, some state agencies have already been rendering e-service through their official websites. As examples, we can indicate the websites of the State Customs Committee, Ministry of Taxes, the State Students Admission Commission, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technologies and other state agencies.

In order to further extend this list, to include into the list all types of services rendered by the state agencies in the fields of entrepreneurship and business, economics and trade, social protection and employment, education, science and health, law-enforcement bodies, migration, culture and tourism, youth and sports, transport, communication and other spheres, Mr. President instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to determine the types of services to be rendered by the state agencies within two months.

As an example, a number of types of the services can be rendered in an electronic way. For issuing a certificate on burden of the property, which is also called â€œForm No. 1â€, provided by the Immovable Property Registry of the State Committee on Property Issues, a copy of the ID card, extract from the registry on the ownership rights over the immovable property and other documents are required. These documents will be scanned and together with the application will be sent to the e-service section of the Registry and after appropriate inquiry the agents of the body will provide the applicant with the required document. In the meantime, the rendering of the services in an electronic way will be possible in other fields as well â€“ recognition of the diplomas provided by the education establishments of the foreign countries, pensions, changing of ID cards, issuing of the schemes of the land spots, the activity of the notary, issuing of licenses and etc.

I would also like to note that the rendering of high quality e-service makes necessary to increase the knowledge of the state agents, civil servants in the field of information technologies. In this regard, the decree envisages the arrangement of trainings for the state agents to improve their skills in application of information technologies.