Azerbaijan, Baku, June 10 / Trend, K. Zarbaliyeva /
Trend interviews Azerbaijani State Population Registry Service Deputy Chief Mehdi Najafov
Trend: Mr. Najafov, when will Azerbaijani citizens receive biometric passports? What kinds of activities are being carried out in this direction?
Najafov: Most countries are transferring to the biometric system to improve measures to combat transnational crime, arms and drug trafficking and other serious crimes. Azerbaijan has adopted a state program to establish a national biometric identification system. The state covers forming an appropriate legislative framework, creating information systems, ensuring information security, and manufacturing and issuing biometric passports.
After 2012, Azerbaijani citizens will not be able to travel to Europe or the United States with their old passports. They will receive biometric passports by this date. The passports will be produced by the Swedish Trub company.
The new passports will include information about the passport holder's facial features, as well as his finger and palm prints. Each passport will also include a personal identification number.
Q: What exactly is a personal identification number? What information will the number contain? Can the passport holder access the information?
A: The personal identification number is a unique code issued to a passport holder. The number can also be accessed by this individual. The passport holder's information is updated in an electronic database. Personal identification numbers make it possible to identify individuals. The numbers are being issued this year. Each citizen can find their number by calling the Azerbaijani State Population Registry Service.
You can receive your personal identification number, as well as the information contained, by appealing to the service and presenting your identity card. Under existing legislation, both the holder of the number and his relatives can receive the data. However, they must provide a reason why they are seeking to obtain this information.
These activities are conducted according to the law on personal data and the relevant legislation. The law states that personal identification numbers issued by the State Population Registry Service will be provided to the tax, health and social protection ministries, as well as other structures. Serious safety measures are being carried out to protect the database.
Q: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on some measures to streamline inspections of businesses and protection of consumer rights and establishment of a unified information registry to obtain information about the regularity of inspections in the field of entrepreneurship. Based on this decree, the implementation of the work entrusted to the Justice Ministry. What steps are being taken in this direction?
A: Based on the presidential decree, the ministry conducts the relevant work to streamline audits conducted in the field of entrepreneurship and protect the consumer rights. Form of a unified information registry and training of the rules of reference assigned to the Justice Ministry.
The international experience on the form of a unified information registry and the rules of its conduct in carrying out inspections in the field of entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan are studied. The new system is intended to carry out inspections to ensure the protection of consumer rights, in line with modern standards, preventing the abuse of authority during inspections, ensure transparency and protection of consumer rights on the basis of the results of the audits.
This system will create the conditions for obtaining information on the continuity of inspections in the field of entrepreneurship. Each review, conducted in the field of entrepreneurship, will be made after the registration in the registry. The employers will know about future audits in advance with this system. We will use a single information registry from 2011.