Probably no other public service agency has enjoyed such popularity in Azerbaijan since its inception as the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan has. It took it literally only just over a couple of months not only for it to demonstrate how viable it is, but also for it to become simply a must in tackling the wide range of bureaucratic problems associated with obtaining important documents and dealing with administrative and legal procedures, on which people have to spend a great deal of time, effort, nerves and sometimes even money. 

Recently, by decree of President Ilham Aliyev, the range of services offered by “ASAN xidmat” have been expanded, which will undoubtedly make this agency even more popular in the country.

Both quality and quantity

This is in no way a case of practice makes perfect, because the first serving has been relatively “palatable”. Although only one “ASAN xidmat” centre (No.1) is operating at the moment as a pilot project covering three Baku administrative districts – Nasimi, Narimanov and Binaqadi - around 35,000 citizens have already taken advantage of its services. Until recently it offered 23 types of service, but now the presidential decree of 18^th March has extended this range to 25 by adding the issuing of work permits to foreigners and stateless citizens resident in Azerbaijan and providing a state register of real estate. 

The centre will also provide citizens with 22 additional everyday services like opening bank accounts, foreign currency exchange, taking payments of state taxes and fines for administrative violations of the law and offering voluntary and compulsory vehicle and property insurance. 

Legal aid is available in the form of face-to-face and written consultations on legal issues, providing explanations and information, rendering legal assistance in prosecutions, drawing up statements, complaints and documents of a legal nature and also providing other types of legal services in response to citizens’ requests. 

It will also be possible to get all types of documents translated into and from the official language at the centres. Medical certificates will also be issued there, and there will also be a drop-in medical facility. 

The asan.gov.az website will also help people to book an appointment on-line and to get replies to queries; it will provide citizens with information about the services offered by “ASAN xidmat”, tell them how to make applications to official bodies regarding all the types of services offered at the centres and provide them with replies to these applications. 

The special terminals installed at the centres will take payments for mobile phone, Internet, electricity, water and gas bills, as well for other communal services and loan and insurance instalments. 

In an interview with the mass media, Fuad Aleskerov, chief of the law-enforcement bodies of the Azerbaijan president’s administration, said that two main objectives were being pursued in widening the range of additional services offered by “ASAN xidmat”. Firstly, while citizens are waiting to obtain documents at the centre, they can access the additional services that they need, which they were not previously able to do, due to lack of time among other things. This makes it possible to tackle several problems at the same time.

Secondly, the additional services are not rendered by state-run bodies, but mainly by private enterprises or organizations. Although the “ASAN xidmat” centres are state-run, the private sector, in the form of legal advisers, banks and insurance companies, is permitted to make use of their premises. 

Since it is noteworthy that thousands of citizens are using the “ASAN xidmat” centres every day, it may be said that through the centres the state is indirectly creating extensive opportunities for the private sector, Fuad Alaskarov noted. 

International organizations and the heads of diplomatic missions and foreign delegations that have visited the centre and acquainted themselves with its operations, have spoken highly of the role played by the recently created service, precisely in developing the private sector. Thus the adviser to the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund’s Mission in Azerbaijan, Raja Almarzoqi, pointed out that the opening of the “ASAN” centres was one of the measures currently being undertaken by Azerbaijan’s government to boost the country’s business environment.

Delivered to the doorstep 

The “ASAN xidmat” centres concept, which was the brainchild of President Ilham Aliyev, is not only aimed at promoting the development of the private sector as a whole, but also at helping individual citizens to resolve their own problems. Its purpose is to ensure transparency, eliminate corruption, apply modern technology in the rendering of services by state-run bodies and alter the mentality of   civil servants. In one of his speeches, President Ilham Aliyev stated that government policy was focussed on the citizens of Azerbaijan, on promoting social well-being and providing safe living conditions for citizens. The president said that the government was doing everything it could to achieve this. Thus, according to Fuad Alaskarov, the president specified that it was the main job of each civil servant to render the services offered to citizens by the state in strict accordance with the norms of ethical behaviour without excessive red tape and bureaucratic impediments.

By the way, in accordance with the president’s instructions, taking into consideration that the “ASAN xidmat” centres concept is producing such splendid results, these centres will be operating throughout the cities of Baku, Sumqayit and Ganca by the end of this year. So, the “ASAN xidmat” Centre No.2 will open in the Xatai district of Baku, and another centre will be opened in Sumgait. They will offer services to the residents of several Baku districts and to the inhabitants of Sumgait and a number of adjacent districts of the republic. The “ASAN xidmat” Centre No. 3 will open its doors in Baku’s Yasamal district at the beginning of July. Consequently, the centres’ services will be easily accessible to all Baku’s residents. An “ASAN xidmat” centre is also scheduled to open in Ganca at the end of August to cater for inhabitants of the city and its adjacent districts.

At the same time, Fuad Alaskarov noted that it would be a few years before “ASAN xidmat” centres would be operating throughout the country. But this does not mean that the inhabitants of other districts cannot start to use the centres’ services. On the president’s instructions, from the beginning of July travelling centres on special buses equipped with the latest technology will offer services to the population in the country’s towns and districts. “In short, the state is bringing its services right to our citizens’ doorsteps,” the deputy head of  the presidential administration summed up.