The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), which is already the largest landowner in the country, is preparing to expand the scale of the alienation of land and demolition of buildings on them.

SOCAR president Rovnag Abdullayev stated yesterday that the Company was preparing the proposals within the framework of the order (issued from 27 June 2012) of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the establishment of a commission to resolve issues relating to residential houses and other buildings constructed in the protected zones of pipelines, high voltage electrical networks, objects of transport infrastructure and waters, on land in use of business entities for development of oil and gas fields.

"When making the proposals we’ll take into account not only onshore fields which are currently in operation, but also prospective fields. The President Aliyev’s order will not lead to stoppage of court proceedings on cases of illegal constructions, conducted on the SOCAR initiative. All the suits submitted so far are associated with the fact that illegal constructions were in the area of production. As for the houses not located in this zone, suits were not filed," Abdullayev emphasized.

The order approves Presidential Administration’s head Ramiz Mehdiyev as the chairman of the commission. Among the commission’s members are Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov, Internal Affairs Minister Ramil Usubov, Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov, Justice Minister Fikret Mammadov, Assistant to the President for Economic Affairs Ali Asadov, heads of the Presidential Administration’s Departments for Work with Law Enforcement Bodies Fuad Alasgarov, for Social & Political Affairs Ali Hasanov, for  Legislation & Legal Expertise Shahin Aliyev, chairmen of the State Committees for Property Affairs Kerem Hasanov and for Land & Cartography Garib Mammadov, Baku mayor Hajibala Abutalibov, president of the State Oil Company (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullaev, president of Azerenerji (national energy operator) Etibar Pirverdiyev, president of Azersu (national water operator) Gorkmaz Huseynov.

President Aliyev also recommended the Chairman of the Supreme Court and the Attorney General to participate in the activities of the commission.

The Commission is prescribed to study issues relating to residential houses and other buildings, erected on the land, which are the subject of the Commission’s activity, and submit within three months to the President of Azerbaijan the proposals based on an assessment of economic, social and legal aspects.

Suggestions on fate of unauthorized constructions at infrastructural facilities to be submitted to Azerbaijan’s head in 3 months

The problem of unauthorized constructions (also called "samostroyki", "nakhalstroy", "private sector") is associated with the rapid development of Baku in the XX century – housing and other kind of construction did not manage to keep pace with the increase of population, and the "new citizens" took it into their own hands. The situation was exacerbated by the aggression of Armenia - a one-million flow of refugees and internally displaced persons rushed mainly in Baku from the occupied territories.

As a consequence of these processes, today the unauthorized construction makes up 40% of the country’s housing stock. They were constructed, are operated, but were not registered, and their tenants even cannot get compensation from the state, without legalization of the right of ownership. At the same time mainly samostroykas of a new wave, which Armenia kicked out of their "native lands", are located on the infrastructural facilities.

These people already do not want to leave the new "native lands" in Baku, and usually are resistant to the legitimate demands of the authorities. The best way out of the situation today is the beginning of the mass individual building in the new territories at the expense of the citizens themselves (there is at least 1.2 million hectares in the state reserve), and revision of land still occupied by the infrastructure facilities, many of which have lost or are losing value.