The National Bank of Azerbaijan (NBA) allowed domestic commercial banks to re-establish money transfers through Western Union and Moneygram from 14 August. As known, from 30 July, according to the decision of the NBA, the operations with these payment systems were terminated because of their illegal activity on Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia. Both payment systems continued to carry out illegal money transfers Nagorno-Karabakh irrespective of repeated warnings of NBA to end the illegal activities.
On 14 August it became known that Western Union and Moneygram completely accepted requirements of the NBA to terminate co-operation with the "illegal structures on occupied territories". And the decision of the NBA to re-establish work with them was made on the basis of obligations, undertaken by Western Union and Moneygram, that similar facts will not be allowed in the future. On 7 August a delegation headed by the Vice President Of Western Union Jonathan Knaus visited Azerbaijan, and during the meeting in NBA, was declared the termination of business relations with the organizations on the occupied territory of Azerbaijan. Guest informed that at the level of the high management there was declared adoption of obligations that payment system would not repeat similar actions in the future.
Another payment system of Moneygram also implemented Azerbaijan's requirements, accepting the conditions for the realization of activity on country's territory in accordance with the legislation and the international principles. It also officially accepted obligations to terminate accounts on occupied territory of Azerbaijan
These systems' violation of the general national interests of the country were discovered during the monitoring held by the NBA to providing financial mediators on the territory of the country with the framework of national legislation. It was revealed as a result that several systems of money transfers carry out operations on the territories occupied by Armenia. They include "CONTACT", " WESTERN UNION", "GOLD CROWN- MONEY TRANSFERS", "MONEYGRAM", "MIGOM", "PRIVAT MONEY", "LEADER".
On the official Internet sites of these systems, the territory of Azerbaijan was represented in a distorted form. On the other hand, there were revealed the facts of violating legislation because they carried out co-operation with the structures, acting without license of NBA. Specific measures were taken with regards to violators: requirements to stop illegal activity. As a result, many payment systems ended illegal activity.
By their work in the occupied territories, the payment systems brought damages to themselves loss because from the termination of co-operation with the Azerbaijan banks, Western Union and Moneygram only did not lose large client base in Azerbaijan. It is good that they understood it time.