Azerbaijan not ruling out possibility of resuming dialogue with EITI

The dialogue between Azerbaijan and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) may be resumed, a source from State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) told Trend.

According to SOFAZ, new heads of the organization's Secretariat and Board alongside changes to the Initiative’s standards will be presented among other issues to the entire EITI global community for approval at the next EITI Global Conference, the largest and most important event of the Initiative, to be held in Paris in June this year.

"Therefore, the scenario for a new round in the EITI’s activities facilitating a renewal of the dialogue between the organization and Azerbaijan is not ruled out," the SOFAZ representative said.

It was noted that Azerbaijan fully complied with all reporting principles, in particular with the EITI 2016 standard, throughout the years of the country participation in the Initiative. "Despite its withdrawal from EITI, Azerbaijan continues to publish its reports," informed the source.