Media Review - 08.08.20

Yenisabah.az website in an article titled "What is the healthcare system in Cuba, why doctors from there are invited?" (https://yenisabah.az/kubada-ne-sehiyye-var-ki-ordan-hekim-getirirler) comments on inviting medical teams from abroad to Azerbaijan to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The author recalls that a few days ago, 10 medical specialists were brought to Baku from China to fight COVID-19. They also brought some medical devices and equipment and will work with local doctors for 15 days.

Professor Adil Geybulla called this disrespect for the memory of 30 Azerbaijani doctors who died in the fight against coronavirus. “We do not pay enough our doctors, their social protection is not strengthened, but we invite doctors from abroad. Is this the wrong step? We do not pay much attention to doctors who are fighting this infection on the front lines. We do not make decisions about the dead doctors, but we bring doctors from Cuba and China. What I am saying is the protest of the medical community. I can hear and see them. Our doctors should be paid normally,” said the professor. He said that many valuable medical workers were lost because of poor organization of work. "It's a shame. This shows that there are dark moments and someone's selfish interests,” the doctor said.

In the article "Manat eats up our foreign exchange reserves" on Musavat.com expert comment on the exchange rate of manat.

The author claims that, despite the crisis in the Azerbaijani economy caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a sharp drop in world oil prices, the manat rate has not changed. To prevent the devaluation of the manat, the State Oil Fund has sold $ 4 billion 525.7 million at foreign exchange auctions over the past seven months. According to the author, this neutralized the pressure on the manat amid low oil prices. According to economist-expert Rashad Hasanov, the relatively mild consequences of the pandemic and the collapse of oil prices in the financial sector are associated with the underdevelopment of the country's economy.

“Paradoxically, the poor development of the economy caused less damage than it was expected from the consequences of the crisis caused by the pandemic,” Hasanov said. Since the rate of the national currency in Azerbaijan depends on oil, it can always be threatened. However, the expert is confident that the Azerbaijani government will not devalue, at least until the end of the year.

Hasanov said that compared to previous years, the demand of the population and business for dollars is not high, the Oil Fund releases enough currency on the market and the pressure on the manat is neutralized. “All this will allow the manat to remain stable,” the expert said.

In the article "We will face very serious problems ..." - "What will we do next?" on the website Azpolitikainfo.az, the author talks with the deputy Vahid Ahmedov about the state of the country's economy. The MP said that the pandemic and the fall in oil prices had a serious impact on the economy of Azerbaijan. However, it is not correct to associate all problems with these factors alone. Therefore, there was a 6 percent drop in construction back in 2019. Construction volumes fell 14.5 percent in 2020. The deputy pointed out that a quarantine regime is also applied in neighboring countries of Russia, Turkey and Georgia, but all enterprises are working. He noted the need to open urgently enterprises, increase non-oil exports to reduce pressure on the manat. Otherwise, if oil prices are low, devaluation will be inevitable. ... Ahmedov also touched upon problems with banks: “4 banks were closed. People gather in front of banks, they cannot get their money. The Constitutional Court must finally resolve the issue of returning the population's deposits,”Ahmedov said.—0--