Media Review for June 2, 2020

The fight against coronavirus, the protection of children's rights, the refusal of banks to grant loans, and the Turkish-Russian relations are the topics of today's media.

With the lifting of bans...

The official newspaper Azerbaijan writes that the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly, although in many countries a softening of the quarantine regime has begun. In Azerbaijan, the author notes, the sanitary and epidemiological situation is stable, therefore, a phased exit from the quarantine regime is being carried out in the country. Along with this, the number of infected people is growing, because people do not follow the rules of social isolation and ignore masks. Medical experts consider it necessary to use masks indoors and outdoors. The other day, the Code of Administrative Offenses has been amended with respect to masks, and fines have been introduced for appearing in public places without masks.

Biggest problem for kids

The Bizimyol.info.az website writes that the biggest problem for children in Azerbaijan is the deprivation of their "children's money." Problems of children begin from the moment of birth. Delivery costs around 600-2,000 manats. Kindergartens also have high prices. State kindergartens unofficially cost 20-60 manats per month, and private ones cost 1,000-1,500 manats. In families with low incomes, mothers cannot eat normally, which affects the health of the child, as it loses mother’s milk. The question arises about the purchase of complementary foods, which also costs money. The author believes that it is necessary to restore "children's money."

Why do banks avoid lending?

The website Müsavat.com discusses with experts the question of why banks avoid issuing loans, despite the fact that work is resumed in various fields. Many banks have limited lending, while the largest banks refuse to issue consumer loans at all. Experts attribute this to problems in the repayment of loans by the population in connection with the pandemic. In March, the loan portfolio of banks decreased by 66 million manats. In the next two months, lending at banks will remain low.

Turkish-Russian relations - contradictions

The website Modern.az discusses the Turkish-Russian relations. In particular, we are talking about Russian gas supplied to Turkey. Currently, Azerbaijan is the main supplier of gas to Turkey, which is ahead of Qatar, Algeria, Iran and Russia in this matter. The Russian Federation, which satisfies 33% of Turkey’s gas needs, was forced to reduce gas exports by 72% last year. The operation of the TANAP project has reduced Russia's market share. -0-