Azerbaijan will not privatize SOCAR or implement additional measures to support the national currency, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the Davos Forum.
"As for the manat, I think we have done everything we could. I think the government won't take any measures. I think that if we take into account the current price of oil, today's rate is stable, and if the oil will fall further, I do not think that the manat will suffer. Now it is at a fair rate. It was a bit overpriced, but now it has found its place," the president said.
In addition, Ilham Aliyev said that the list of public companies to be privatized will be put up for discussion soon, adding that "SOCAR will remain state property, because it is a strategic asset". According to him, Russian companies will be able to take part in the privatization of assets in Azerbaijan, because Russia is a close friend of his country, APA reports.
