The conference is taking place within the framework of project “National Anti-Smoking Strategy of Azerbaijan.

“The event gathered representatives of Azerbaijani parliament (Milli Majlis), ministries and civil society for discussion of this problem tackling and fighting it,” said project coordinator Nurlan Aliyev.

Representatives of Milli Majlis indicate difficulties relating to imperative provisions on legislative execution on anti-smoking restriction.

Khadi Rajabli, the chairman of the Milli Majlis Social Policy Committee, said that anti-smoking legislative base had been created in Azerbaijan.

“But one can say that the relevant laws are not executed. The problem is in execution mechanism itself. Speech is of system of penalization. In particular, the Code of Administrative Offences should be made relevant changes,” Rajabli said.

Azerbaijani parliamentarians indicate lack of finances demanded for implementation of anti-smoking programs in the country.

Ceyhun Mammadov, the director of the Centre for Public Health Care & Reforms of the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan, says that holding of a national anti-smoking conference is not the first in this direction.

“Domestic legislation covers anti-smoking combating, but at the moment we do not see desirable results,” he said.

Musa Guliyev, deputy chairman of the Milli Majlis Social Policy Committee, said that anti-smoking fight in Azerbaijan was not financed in any way at the governmental level.

“We are going to raise this matter in the course of spring session of Milli Majlis,” Guliyev said.

In Azerbaijan 49% of men aged 15-49 years old are smokers. According to World Health Organization’s estimate, 5.4 million people die of tobacco dependence every year.

Fineko/abc.az