Extraordinary event
     What is going on in the executive system of the Ministry of Communication has been covered and discussed a lot but to no purpose. Things are right where they started.
And besides nearly every day the Ministry of Communication gives causes for laying strictures on it. Here is one of the latest incidents.
On 1 March at 23:10 the Ministry of Communication completely cut off Exchange 492/497/437 subscribers with the outer world. On 2 March by 15:00 AzEuroTel JV specialists by applying the latest technologies partly reestablished Exchange 492/497/437 subscribers' international network access. However the voice channels (international network access of telephone channels) still remain cutoff.
According to Nuri Akhmedov, General Director of AzEuroTel JV, this is the second case (first it happened on 16 February) of illegal disconnection of international communication channels by the Ministry of Communication. And the main purpose of this unprecedented action of the Ministry of Communication is holding monopoly in telecommunications, ultimate interference in the activity of business corporations and removal of competitors from the market. With its actions the Ministry of Communication once again confirmed that it disregards and purposely roughly breaks the Decree of the President H. Aliyev On Prevention of Interference in the Development of Business Enterprising of 28 September 2002 , stressed N. Akhmedov.
He added that with its illegal actions the Ministry of Communication causes great material damage to entrepreneurs and the state that adversely affects the country image and demonstrates to potential investors in what conditions they can turn out to be while working in Azerbaijan.
Unwritten patrimony laws I do what I like We'd like to point to a very interesting fact: according to Nuri Akhmedov, with its action the Ministry of Communication contrived to block international lines of the Presidential Machinery, the Cabinet and other organizations, AzEuroTel subscribers. And all this happened during H. Aliyev's official visit to the USA.
The correspondent of Zerkalo questioned Nuri Akhmedov if the Ministry of Economic Development stood up for AzEuroTel JV as it is charged to show direct concern for business circles, improve entrepreneurial environment. As Nuri Akhmedov stressed, the Ministry of Economic Development is one of AzEuroTel JV founders (in place of the Ministry of Communication in the light of the forthcoming privatization of state share), yet no reply is received to the appeals addressed to Minister F. Aliyev and the Privatization Department of the Ministry of Economic Development on the protection of their rights. Besides the Ministry of Communication is a unique establishment that contrived to bring an action against another state ministry, to be more exact, against the same Ministry of Economic Development.
By the way it would be not bad for the Presidential Machinery, the Cabinet, the Ministry of Economic Development and other budget organizations (in all 128) to stand up for AzEuroTel interests with more confidence. After all thanks to this JV they received not only up to date connection, but also saved their money. So according to N. Akhmedov, due to the invested money and reconstruction Exchange 492/497/437 stepped from antiquated first generation directly to the fourth obtaining electronic quality. And owing to the installed satellite antenna with direct access to international telephone connection and in the light of lower tariffs the budget organizations saved 6 milliard manats.
Policy of twisting arms
Today the Ministry of Communication abusing monopolistic state in the sphere follows a policy of twisting arms , stated N. Akhmedov. According to the licence N 002 issued to Azerbaijan-Britain JV AzEuroTel by the Ministry of Communication for 25 years to carry out communication activity, the company may provide the following: provision of local, national and international communications, telematic communications, modernization and expansion of functioning networks and arrangement of new communication kinds and networks.
The conflict between the Ministry of Communication with AzEuroTel began after JV in accordance with the existing legislation began to operate as an international operator from 1999. Of course before it purchased satellite terminal equipment with the Ministry permit and installed it in the territory of Exchange-50 (dependent on the Ministry of Communication), as well as effected all due payments. But with its actions AzEuroTel JV put an end to total dominance of Aztelecom .
Now according to N. Akhmedov, the Ministry of Communication again tries with all its might to make AzEuroTel provide international communication through Aztelecom . But this leads to AzEuroTel nonprofitability.
In place of epilogue
This situation violently grown about AzEuroTel JV unfortunately reminds of the eastern proverb: Fine words butter no parsnips. Whatever fine words says the Azeri government about conducting business in Azerbaijan, that's no help to business circles. After all AzEuroTel JV is not a kind of small business having problems created with tax officials or representatives of other state offices, but is an enterprise having invested some million manats in the economy, an enterprise serving our elite, including state officials. But now it is helpless before the Ministry of Communication that according to the law must determine only rules of play and in no way may interfere in the company's activity.
During the last meetings the president H. Aliyev held with foreign investors, the most of criticisms have been directed to the very Ministry of Communication but to no result.
And in the meantime the businessmen have to fight for their rights. And now AzEuroTel has brought an action against the Ministry of Communication. We'll see what happens…

F. Fatulla