Abbas Najafli, an entrepreneur operating in Icherisheher, Baku, says that his business activities, which he has developed over many years, are facing a serious threat as a result of the decisions of the State Historical-Architectural Reserve Department.
Modern.az reports, citing “Musavat.com”, that in his statement regarding the issue, the entrepreneur states that he has managed the public catering facilities “Giz Galasi Tea House”, “Old Mangal” and “Sehirli Tandir” located in Icherisheher for the last 15 years based on lease agreements.
According to him, during this period, a large amount of personal investment was made in the facilities, major repair works were carried out, expensive equipment was purchased, and a modern service infrastructure was created. As a result, these places have become one of the most popular restaurants for both local residents and foreign tourists visiting Azerbaijan.
Abbas Najafli states that some time ago, the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve Department demanded the evacuation of the “Giz Galasi Tea House”.
According to him, the reason for this was stated as the use of the facility within the framework of a state project:
“The management of the Reserve informed me that the facility was needed for a state project. I agreed, prioritizing state interests above all else. Later, I saw that the facility I had created over the years was being used by other people. The design and concept were kept as they were, only cosmetic changes were made.”
The entrepreneur notes that he has sent appeals to the country's leadership and the Presidential Administration regarding the issue. In his appeals, he stated that the facility was taken from him under the name of a state project, but was later used for different purposes.
According to Abbas Najafli, a similar situation occurred in the “Old Mangal” and “Sehirli Tandir” restaurants.
He states that although long-term cooperation existed previously, contracts later began to be concluded for a period of 6 months and were not extended at the end of the next period.
The entrepreneur claims that although the delay in rent payment was cited as the reason for terminating the contract, he had no debt:
“They gave me only three days to vacate the facilities. I stated that I could only do this if there was a court order. After that, the electricity of the facilities was cut off without any court order. However, at that time, there were both local customers and foreign tourists in the restaurants.”
Abbas Najafli notes that although the lease agreements were initially concluded in his name, they were later formalized in the names of his partners with the consent of the Reserve Department.
According to him, “Giz Galasi Tea House” was registered in the name of Mazahir Mammadli; “Old Mangal” in the name of Rauf Abdullayev; and “Sehirli Tandir” in the name of Nazim Azizov.
The entrepreneur states that these individuals are his close friends and business partners, and he is the actual founder of the restaurants.
Abbas Najafli believes that the 6-month lease agreements concluded with entrepreneurs in Icherisheher create serious legal and financial risks for businesses.
In his opinion, when an entrepreneur enters any facility, he invests large sums in repairs, equipment, design, staff, and other areas. However, the non-extension of the contract after only six months makes it impossible to recover that investment.
The entrepreneur claims that in recent times, rents are also being increased without justification. According to him, the monthly rent, which was previously 6,000 manats, is increased to 10,000 manats, and the payment of 10,000 manats is increased to 15,000 manats.
Abbas Najafli states that these increases force entrepreneurs to raise prices, which results in higher service costs for both local customers and tourists.
According to the entrepreneur's claim, the same approach is not applied to all entrepreneurs operating in Icherisheher. According to him, while some entrepreneurs can continue their activities with lower rents, higher amounts are applied to others.
Abbas Najafli believes that this situation raises questions in terms of equal competition principles and that all tenants should be treated with the same legal approach.
The entrepreneur states that he is preparing to appeal to the court regarding the current situation. According to him, over the years, he has invested heavily in the facilities with his personal funds, and has fulfilled all tax, social, and other financial obligations on time. He now claims that obstacles are being created to his activities against the background of large credit obligations. Abbas Najafli believes that in accordance with the policy set by the country's leadership regarding the development of entrepreneurship, the protection of investments, and the inadmissibility of illegal interference in business, his appeal should be objectively investigated and his rights should be legally evaluated.
