US Ambassador to Azerbaijan visits Council on State Support to NGOs

Baku, June 30, AZERTAC US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta, head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Robert Lopez and Advisor on Political Affairs of the US Embassy Daniel Slusher attended a meeting held in the Council on State Support to NGOs under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Chairman of the Council, MP Azay Guliyev, spoke of the actions of his organization on strengthening of civil society institutions and financial support to NGOs. Ambassador Robert Cekuta told that, Azerbaijan hosted the first European Games at high level and praised the activity of the volunteers. He also emphasized the prospects of bilateral relations and numerous projects of the United States in various fields implemented in Azerbaijan after the restoration of independence. Informing the guests about the essence of the changes made to the legislation, Mr. Azay Guliyev said that, these changes serve increasing transparency and accountability in the public sector, ensuring efficient use of existing resources and detection of illegal activity in time. Mr. Guliyev said that unfortunately, a number of US government-funded NGOs and media create a negative opinion about Azerbaijan by spreading biased information. The meeting stressed the need to continue discussions on the issues of mutual interest.