Over 150 state objects to be offered for privatization
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijan’s State Committee on Property Issues will hold another auction for privatization of 158 state objects on April 11, the agency announced on March 13.
The auction will feature 20 joint stock companies, 96 small businesses, 36 non-residential areas and six vehicles.
The small businesses are located in Baku, Sumgayit, Shaki, Saatli, Mingachevir, Ujar, Shirvan, Sabirabad, Shamkir, Zagatala and other regions of Azerbaijan. As for the non-residential objects, they are situated in Baku and Mingachevir cities.
The list of small enterprises includes a dental clinic in Surakhani district, shop for gearbox repair in Shirvan, fish factory in Shamkir, rest area in Shaki, gas station in Baku, as well as a number of shops, cafes, restaurants and other state objects.
As for the joint stock companies put up for privatization, they operate in the fields of construction, repair, agriculture, transport, and others. These enterprises include a plant for brick production and office for receiving cotton in Barda region, cannery in Tartar region, plant for production of building materials, agrochemical companies in Lerik, Oghuz, Kurdamir and others.
The third stage of privatization in Azerbaijan started in the framework of the presidential decree dated May 19, 2016. Under the decree, the acceleration of the state property privatization process has been defined as an important direction of the economic policy.
So far, more than 700 state enterprises and objects have been put for sale. Over 300 new state-owned enterprises and facilities were declared open for privatization in Azerbaijan in 2016.
The portal for privatization – privatization.az, launched in July 2016, reflects all necessary information about the facilities, their addresses, location, and even initial cost and aims at facilitation of the process. The website is available in two languages - Azerbaijani and English. “Why Azerbaijan is special” section available on the website explains the reasons and advantages of investing in the country.
The privatization process is designed to attract both foreign and local investors, as well as improve the business environment of Azerbaijan.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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