Azerbaijan improves position in peace rating

Baku/10.06.20/Turan: Azerbaijan ranks 120th among 163 possible in the Global Peace Index for 2020, located between the Sudan and the Central African Republic. The report was released on Wednesday, June 10, by the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP). The country improved its position by 12 points. The main problem remains the Karabakh conflict.  Following Azerbaijan, is the USA – 121st place, and ahead Armenia – 9th place, which also improved by 15 points.

According to DW, Russia ranks 154th, due to political instability. Ukraine also received a “very low” rating in the ranking (148th line), however, compared with the indicators of 2018, it improved its results by six positions and is now on the verge of moving to a higher category. Belarus (94th line) and almost all Central Asian countries received an “average” rating: in this category, for example, Moldova (71st) and Kazakhstan (70th place).

The most peace-loving states ("very high" rating) are recognized by 14 countries. The leader in the list is Iceland. It is followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria, Denmark, Canada, Singapore, the Czech Republic, Japan, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland, Australia and Finland.  Compared to 2019, Germany slightly improved its performance (from 22 to 16 places).

In general, the level of peace on the planet has declined, and this is the ninth deterioration in the past 12 years, said the founder of the Institute of Economics and Peace Steve Killelea.

When compiling the rating, 23 indicators are taken into account in three different categories, including “safety in society”, “ongoing conflicts” and “militarization”. In the first category, in particular, attention is paid to the level of homicides, the number of prisoners, the number of police officers and the perception of crime; the latter examined the number of military personnel, arms expenses in relation to GDP and arms exports. Analysts assess the situation in more than 160 countries. —0—