OMM Newsroom
Azerbaijan has called for stronger international cooperation to combat corruption and cross-border financial crimes. Senior officials of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) met in Baku on October 28.
According to AnewZ, Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev read out President Ilham Aliyev’s address. The President said rapid advances in artificial intelligence were creating new opportunities both to detect corruption and to misuse digital financial tools.
More than 250 people attended the third ministerial meeting, including representatives of 48 of the OIC’s 57 member states. Discussions covered cooperation among law enforcement agencies, financial transparency and the recovery of assets acquired illegally.
Azerbaijan highlights financial crime risks
In his address, Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan was strengthening its anti-corruption efforts through legislative reforms, digital government services and greater accountability in government.
He said the illegal exploitation of natural resources during the nearly 30-year occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories had caused serious environmental damage, while revenues from the activity were laundered through international financial channels.
The President stressed that new technologies could make financial crimes harder to detect, while also giving law enforcement agencies more effective investigative tools.
Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of preventing corruption rather than relying solely on punishment. He called for expanded cooperation and information sharing among countries.
OIC calls for greater coordination among member states
OIC Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said technological advances were making financial crimes increasingly complex. Digital tools, he said, could be used to conceal illegal transactions and move criminal proceeds across borders.
The Secretary-General called on member states to strengthen information sharing and cooperation among national law enforcement agencies to combat increasingly complex financial crimes.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed also stressed the importance of cooperation with the United Nations and other international organizations to recover illicit assets and improve anti-corruption measures.
The OIC’s anti-corruption convention has received only seven of the 19 ratifications required to enter into force. At the meeting in Baku, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged member states to speed up the process, saying the agreement would strengthen cooperation among law enforcement agencies in corruption investigations and efforts to combat cross-border financial crimes.
The convention was first approved at an OIC ministerial meeting in Jeddah in December 2021, paving the way for its formal adoption.
The Secretary-General said he hoped decisions taken in Baku would help turn existing commitments into practical action and strengthen cooperation among OIC member states.
