It was noted that the measures implemented in the field of protection of the competitive environment, provision of accessibility in state procurement, adaptation of quality infrastructure to international requirements and protection of consumer rights are aimed at sustainable economic development of our country. The State Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control Service under the Ministry of Economy held a press conference dedicated to the results of its activities for 2023. The head of the State Service, Mammad Abbasbeyli, informed the media representatives about the measures and awareness-raising activities carried out by the institution last year in the field of competition and public procurement, improvement of the legislative framework, quality infrastructure and protection of consumer rights. Noting that important steps have been taken to protect competition in order to continuously improve the business and investment environment in the country, the head of the Service emphasized that the new Law "On State Procurement" was approved last year, and the Competition Code was adopted in the third reading in the Milli Majlis. It was noted that these legislative acts will make a significant contribution to the development of the market economy based on healthy competition, stimulation of entrepreneurial activity in the country and sustainable economic growth.

In order to analyze the state of competition in 2023, it was noted that the State Service conducted market research on the agricultural sector, cargo services, pharmaceuticals and broadband internet services, and according to the results of the competition analysis, legal measures were taken. It was reported that in 2023, consideration of 48 cases on signs of unfair competition was completed, financial sanctions of up to 650 thousand manats were applied to 24 market subjects who committed violations of the law. 26 business entities voluntarily eliminated violations of the law. The entry into force of the new Law "On State Procurement" from January 1 of this year, and the significant steps taken towards finalizing the transition to electronic procurement were highlighted. It was noted that as a result of electronicization, government procurement will be more accessible to entrepreneurs and will promote competition in the relevant field. It was announced that the amount of total purchases in 2023 will exceed 7.5 billion manats. During the reporting period, the share of electronic purchases in total purchases was 22.4%. Compared to 2022, the volume of electronic purchases increased by 32.9% last year.

The participants were also informed about the work done on increasing the functionality of the "etender.gov.az" portal and integrating it with state institutions. It was reported that last year, together with the Central Bank, the State Service implemented the integration of bank guarantees into a single internet portal of state procurement. In addition, the certificate issued by the State Tax Service to entrepreneurs has been electronicized. Media representatives were informed about the measures implemented in the field of quality control. Last year, it was noted that the "State Program for 2023-2025 on Adapting the National Standardization System to International Requirements" was adopted. It was stated that as a result of the implementation of the State program, the creation of a technical regulation system in accordance with international requirements in Azerbaijan will serve to eliminate technical obstacles in foreign trade, increase export potential, protect consumer markets from dangerous goods and establish a healthy competitive environment.

It was emphasized that 139 new state standards were adopted by the Azerbaijan Standardization Institute (AZSTAND) in 2023. This means a more than two-fold increase compared to the indicator registered last year. During the reporting period, the Azerbaijan Accreditation Center (AzAK) accredited 85 institutions that assessed compliance. The Azerbaijan Institute of Metrology has recognized the type conformity of more than a thousand measuring instruments imported into the country, and information about them has been entered into the state register. 72,554 certificates of origin were issued to business entities by the State Service, which is 18.7% more than in the corresponding period of 2022. At the meeting, extensive information was provided on measures implemented by the State Service in the field of consumer rights protection and consumer market control. It was emphasized that in 2023, a total of 7,597 applications were reviewed in the State Service in this direction, which is a 36.4% increase compared to 2022. In comparison to 2022, a 26.6% increase was achieved in the level of satisfaction of applications received last year. During the reporting period, more than 618 thousand manats were returned to consumers by business entities. This is 83% more than the indicator in 2022.