The next Board meeting was held at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan

On April 21, the next Board meeting held at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan discussed the work done by the State Treasury Agency under the Ministry and the State Financial Control Service and the tasks ahead for the next period, as well as current issues. At the meeting held with the participation of the heads of the structural divisions of the Ministry and subordinate institutions, the Minister of Finance, Chairman of the Board Sahil Babayev said that as a result of the consistent, purposeful policy implemented in the socio-economic sphere in our country under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, macroeconomic stability has been strengthened and financial sustainability has been ensured. It was noted that these factors have also had a positive impact on the implementation of the state budget, and the forecasts for income and expenses have been fulfilled. Stating that the positive dynamics in the implementation of the state budget continued in January-March 2026, S. Babayev said that during the first quarter of the year, the state budget revenues totaled 9.6 billion manat, which means a 5 percent increase in implementation compared to the forecast. During that period, state budget expenditures exceeded 7.8 billion manat. The meeting heard a report on the work done by the State Treasury Agency in 2025 and the tasks ahead. It was noted that the execution period of documents submitted to the state treasury has been accelerated by up to 2 times compared to the same period last year, a "Financial Accountability Portal" has been created, which provides access to state treasury information in real time, and the goal has been set for users to obtain operational and accurate information through the portal on a single platform. At the same time, it was reported that in order to apply modern technologies in state finance management and accelerate digitalization, the Agency has ensured the management and efficiency of financial transactions from a single center. It was reported at the meeting that the creation of service passports for treasury operations has already begun. For this purpose, the services provided by the State Treasury Agency have been unified and 75 service operations have been identified, 12 service passports and 1 manual covering more than 1,000 processes and incorporating all services have been prepared. It was noted that this initiative serves to educate budget organizations, improve processes, and also to ensure that the passports are mastered by all employees and play a guiding role in treasury operations. The Chairman of the Board instructed the State Treasury Agency to continue measures to improve electronic systems, including the “Financial Accountability Portal”, strengthen operational control over budget execution and expand the possibilities of monitoring the balance of the single treasury account in real time. At the same time, the importance of continuing the work on the preparation of service passports for the purpose of applying uniform standards for treasury operations, strengthening internal control, monitoring and accountability mechanisms, and analyzing and continuously improving processes was emphasized. The meeting discussed the activities of the State Financial Control Service and stated that consistent measures are being taken to strengthen control over the efficient and intended use of state funds. As a result of the inspections, violations of the requirements of regulatory legal acts, including excessive and unjustified payments, were detected, and appropriate measures are being taken in this direction. It was noted that during the inspections conducted at 157 control objects in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, the shortcomings identified were eliminated, financial violations were restored, payment of tax evaded amounts to the state budget was ensured, and overspending was prevented through primary financial control measures. At the same time, administrative and disciplinary measures were taken against officials who violated the requirements of the legislation, and in a number of cases, materials were submitted to law enforcement agencies. It was emphasized at the board meeting that in order to increase the effectiveness of control measures, a risk-based approach and modern analysis methods are widely applied, and the integration of information obtained through the "Digital State Finance Information System" and other electronic platforms is being strengthened. At the same time, systematic work is being continued to improve the legislation, develop new control rules, increase institutional capacity and strengthen staffing. S. Babayev noted the importance of continuing measures to improve the state financial control system, increase the efficiency of control measures and expand the risk-based approach. For this purpose, it was noted that expanding the use of digital information systems, strengthening primary financial control mechanisms for early detection and prevention of financial violations is of particular importance. The Minister gave relevant instructions to increase the effectiveness of measures to restore detected financial violations and strengthen implementation control in this direction, as well as to accelerate work on the preparation of new rules and methodological recommendations for conducting financial control measures. It was noted that the use of information obtained from the Centralized Information Management System in the relevant subsystem and its use in planning control measures and the creation of an electronic step-by-step verification system will significantly contribute to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of control mechanisms and strengthening transparency. The board meeting also featured a presentation on the status of implementation of tasks and issues related to reports at the Ministry of Finance, discussions were held, and relevant decisions were made on the issues raised.