Azerbaijani parliament ratifies agreement on TANAP gas pipeline
The Azerbaijani parliament ratified an agreement on the construction of a separate gas pipeline to transport gas to Turkey through its territory, as well as an agreement on the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline system (TANAP) between the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey last week.
As the deputy speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament, Valeh Alesgerov said during discussions, Azerbaijan, which previously had no access beyond its borders, currently transports its hydrocarbons to the world market using seven pipelines.
"There is a need for new projects to transport Azerbaijani gas to the European market. A new gas pipeline will be constructed based on already held negotiations," he said.
According to Alesgerov, there is a need to construct a gas pipeline that will allow the transportation of Azerbaijani gas and that of other Caspian countries in the future, the volume of which will be increased as a result of discovering new reserves.
"Many projects, which envisage supplies of gas to Europe, have been discussed, but no one had the courage to implement any of these projects. However, Azerbaijan has made such a decision. It has begun implementing a project that will ensure connection to Europe's gas pipelines," Alesgerov said.
Azerbaijan and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on June 26 on the project Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP).
ASAN-Xidmet becomes registry operator of state bodies' e-services in Azerbaijan
According to the decision of the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers, the State Agency for Services to Citizens and Social Innovations (ASAN-Xidmet) under the Azerbaijani President has been entrusted with the functions of the registry operator of electronic services rendered by the central executive power bodies.
The changes were made in the "Rules of rendering e-services on specific areas by the central executive power bodies" and "List of e-services," which were approved by the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers on November 24, 2011.
The decree on the establishment of the State Agency for Services to Citizens and Social Innovations was signed by the president in July.
The state agency was established to increase transparency in state bodies' activity, rendering more high quality, convenient services for citizens by using new methods and modern innovations, observing ethical rules given the need to ensure the requests of citizens, improving services and accelerating the transition to electronic services.
This state agency manages specially created ASAN-Xidmet centers, coordinates the activity of employees of state agencies, which will work in the centers, monitors and evaluates, deals with mutual integration of databases of state agencies, rapid organizes e-services, improves governance system in the sector.
The first ASAN-Xidmet centers are expected to be opened in Azerbaijan till late December. At the first stage, three centers will be set up in Baku, in which citizens will have access to 24 services of nine state agencies. The centers will be opened in the regions in the future.
Special terminals will be installed at ASAN-Xidmet centers from Jan. 2013. The services will be available to handicapped people and children with disabilities free of charge and all citizens if they pay the duties.
This will include such services as registration of civil status acts - marriage, birth, death certificates, issuing ID cards by the Interior Ministry, driver's license replacement, obtaining ordinary passports, etc.
The services of the State Customs Committee, Ministry of Taxes, the migration service, the State Property Committee, etc. will be available through these centers
The services to be available through the Internet will be rendered through a single window principle.