A high-level conference dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Council of Europe’s specialized expert body on combating corruption - the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), was held in Strasbourg, a source in the Permanent Representation of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe told Trend.

The opening of the event, organized with the support of the French government, which chairs the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, was attended by Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Liliane Maury Pasquier, First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet and others high ranking officials.

Azerbaijan was represented at the event by a delegation, which included Deputy Attorney General Kamran Aliyev, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe Fahraddin Ismayilov and senior prosecutor of the Main Anti-Corruption Department under the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Elnur Musayev.

Over 20 years of activity, GRECO has supported member countries in implementing important changes in the fight against corruption, and also played a leading role in strengthening internal control in the Council of Europe.

Speaking at the event, Kamran Aliyev, stressing the special attention paid in Azerbaijan to cooperation with GRECO as part of existing business and mutually beneficial relations between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe, spoke about the positive results of this cooperation.

The conference participants were provided with information about judicial and legal reforms carried out in Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, in particular about the tasks arising from the Presidential Decree dated April 3, 2019.

Kamran Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan implemented most of the recommendations of the expert body of the Council of Europe in the fight against corruption, three rounds of evaluation ended and the results were considered successful.