AQC Chairman: The Council of Appraisers Associations of Turkic States will be registered in Azerbaij

We present an interview with Mr. Vugar Oruc, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Society of Appraisers (AQC) and President of the Council of Appraisers Associations of Turkic States (CAATS), regarding the outcomes of the AQC's report-election conference and the organization's recent activities.

– Mr. Oruc, on May 3, the report-election conference of the Azerbaijan Society of Appraisers was held. We would be interested to hear your impressions of the outcomes.

– According to the AQC’s charter, the Society must hold a report-election conference every three years. I would like to mention that AQC, one of the country’s first professional associations officially operating since 1999, has been under my leadership since May 2022. Without sounding immodest, I must say that over the past three years, we’ve seen a significant transformation in AQC’s operations. The organization has grown in membership, and its relationships with government agencies, international organizations, financial institutions, associations, civil society institutions, mass media, and the private sector have entered a qualitatively new phase.

The Society’s membership has expanded, and during this period, we organized more than 10 training courses and certification exams to enhance the skills and knowledge of appraisers. We have increased the number of valuation directions that did not exist in practice before. We’ve signed cooperation agreements with nearly 30 government bodies, international institutions, associations, and media entities. Over the past three years, thousands of articles, interviews, reports, and news items have been published in audiovisual and print media regarding our activities. According to the results of 2024, we were recognized as the most active public association of the year. This is a major achievement for a public organization working in such a specialized field.

At the 8th AQC report-election conference, I presented a comprehensive report on these achievements. As a publicly accountable organization, we also provide periodic activity reports to the media. Regarding the results of the conference, in line with our charter, the leadership of our Society was renewed. I’m proud to say that appraisers once again placed their trust in me and re-elected me as Chairman of AQC. Additionally, an 11-member Board of Directors and a 3-member Supervisory Audit Commission were elected. The future directions of the Society’s activities were determined. At the first board meeting held after the conference, leadership structures were also formed.

More than 100 appraisers participated in the conference. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to Members of Parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Central Bank, the Small and Medium Business Development Agency, the Judicial-Legal Council, TV channels, news agencies, and media outlets for their participation and attention to our work. A letter was also addressed to President Ilham Aliyev on behalf of the conference participants, expressing satisfaction with the comprehensive reforms and successful domestic and foreign policy under his leadership.

One of the notable accomplishments during our 3-year term was the expansion of international relations, including the establishment of CAATS — the Council of Appraisers Associations of Turkic States — initiated by AQC.

– In addition to AQC, you also head CAATS. What is the current status of CAATS, and what new developments are expected?

– The idea to create CAATS was agreed upon during my official visit to Turkey, in a meeting with my Turkish counterpart Yaşar Bahçeci. At that time, a memorandum was signed between Azerbaijani and Turkish appraisers, one of its key points being to promote unity and coordinated action among appraisers of Turkic states. After extensive discussions and active engagement, in May 2023, the Summit of Appraisers of Turkic States was held in Baku. In June 2023, CAATS was officially established in Turkistan, Kazakhstan.

CAATS, initiated by appraisal associations from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, currently represents over 700 appraisal companies and thousands of professionals.

Appraisal societies from Russia, Belarus, and Georgia also actively participate in the council’s activities. So far, four forums of Turkic State Appraisers have been held in Turkistan, Ankara, Baku, and Tashkent. Each forum has been attended by government officials, MPs, public figures, and representatives of appraiser associations from Russia, Belarus, and Georgia. The forums have been widely covered by the media in brotherly countries.

Next month, the 5th Forum of Turkic State Appraisers will be held in Bishkek. It is also worth mentioning that the registration of CAATS is currently being finalized, and it is expected to be officially registered in Azerbaijan. I want to express my gratitude to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Minister Farid Ahmadov for their strong support and contributions to solidarity among Turkic states.

– You also mentioned international relations. You recently visited Belarus. What is the status of the relationship between Azerbaijani and Belarusian appraisers?

– Our visit to Minsk was to participate in the International Forum of Appraisers. I attended the event as head of both AQC and CAATS, and Ilham Baghirov, a member of AQC’s Professional Appraisers Council, also joined. The event featured presentations from Eldana Talaybekovna Satarova, Deputy Director of Kyrgyzstan’s State Property Management Agency; Sergey Vedernikov of Kazakhstan’s Self-Regulatory Appraisers Association; Svetlana Yurenian, Chair of the Association of Appraisal Organizations; Maria Birin, Head of the Appraisal Department at the Grodno State Land Cadastre Agency; Natalya Murashko, Lead Appraiser of the National Cadastre Agency; Yekaterina Khmara, expert from Russia’s CMAO; Vladimir Shabeka, certified appraiser of the Appraisal Center JSC; and Aleksandr Kistyuk, member of Belarus’ Certification Committee under the State Property Committee.

At the opening of the forum, I gave a presentation titled “Improving Appraisal Activity in the Republic of Azerbaijan,” where I spoke about the country’s multifaceted economic reforms, the new draft law “On Appraisal Activity,” and AQC’s work. During the trip, AQC signed a cooperation agreement with the Belarus Association of Appraisal Organizations.

On the second day of the forum, a seminar on “Appraisal of Transport Vehicles and Equipment” was held, and AQC representatives were awarded diplomas and certificates by Belarus’s State Property Committee. My impressions from the visit are very positive, and I believe this marks a new phase in Azerbaijan-Belarus relations in the field of appraisal. During the forum, we also held bilateral talks with leaders of appraisal associations from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan to further expand cooperation, and we reached significant agreements.

– Although the AQC performed actual regulatory functions in the appraisal field until the end of 2024, the Appraisers Chamber is now operational. How do you coordinate relations with this new institution?

– With the adoption of the new law “On Appraisal Activity,” a new institution was established to regulate appraisal activities in Azerbaijan. I would like to emphasize that AQC actively participated in official discussions of the law, the work of the Organizing Committee responsible for forming the Chamber, and the preparatory process for the qualification exams administered by the State Examination Center for appraiser certification.

Of course, the Chamber will assume administrative and regulatory functions. However, we continue to actively participate in its activities. AQC will persist in its mission to protect the rights and interests of appraisers, develop the sector, and cooperate with local and international organizations. Ultimately, both the Appraisers Chamber and the Azerbaijan Society of Appraisers must work toward the development of the sector.