AZE.US
REAL Party leader Natig Jafarli said Azerbaijan’s economy needs stronger private business, real competition and richer citizens, not deeper dependence on state support.
Speaking in an interview with Prime TV, Jafarli said the government should not fear people becoming wealthy through business. He argued that successful entrepreneurs should be treated as a sign of a healthy economy, especially when they create jobs and pay taxes.
“Azerbaijanis must be wealthy. The government should not be afraid of this,” Jafarli said, according to the interview transcript.
Jafarli said many business owners in Azerbaijan avoid publicity because they fear inspections, pressure or new problems with state agencies. He said the country needs a business environment where entrepreneurs are not afraid to grow, advertise, hire workers or become publicly known.
The REAL Party leader said the issue is not only about large companies. A business that employs 30 people, he said, supports 30 families and should be seen as part of the country’s economic strength.
Jafarli also linked the weakness of private business to low competition. He said Azerbaijan’s advertising market is far smaller than it should be for a country of roughly 10 million people, estimating it at about $80 million, compared with $130 million to $140 million in Georgia.
“Advertising is needed where there is competition,” he said, arguing that a closed market reduces the need for companies to fight for customers.
Jafarli said Azerbaijan should build conditions that allow citizens to earn more on their own rather than wait for constant state assistance. He described himself as a center-right politician and said the state’s role should be to protect property, ensure fair rules and create opportunity.
“The state must create conditions. That is all,” he said.
He also criticized the current business climate, saying formal rules cannot work unless courts are independent and entrepreneurs can defend their rights. If informal arrangements and corruption are removed, he said, they must be replaced by functioning law, not another form of pressure.
Jafarli said the path to a stronger economy runs through reforms in taxation, customs, courts and law enforcement.
“We must create conditions in the country so that people become richer, earn more money and reduce the burden on the state,” he said.
In another part of the interview, Jafarli criticized Azerbaijan’s pension system and the principle of “intergenerational solidarity.” He said citizens should have more access to their own pension savings, including for education, mortgage payments, loans or starting a business.
He also warned of demographic pressure on the pension system. Jafarli said births in Azerbaijan fell from 192,000 in 1991 to around 90,000 last year, creating future risks for a model in which younger workers are expected to support retirees.
AZE.US