Media Review October 4, 2019

Socio-economic reforms are working to improve the welfare of citizens, the possible impact of the global trade war on Azerbaijan, and why manats are not allowed to float are topics of today's media.

The newspaper Azerbaijan writes about social and economic reforms aimed at improving the welfare of citizens of the country. Over the past 15 years, 2 million new jobs have been opened, unemployment and poverty are below 5 percent, more than 3200 schools and 640 hospitals have been built and repaired. According to statistics, the number of people who come to Azerbaijan for permanent residence exceeds the number of people leaving the country.

Since 2004, state programs for the socio-economic development of the regions have been operating. All camps for internally displaced persons and refugees have been eliminated. The number of villages built for them has already reached 105.

The website Oxu.az writes about the global trade war and its possible impact on Azerbaijan. The author recalls Trump's appeal to the WTO in connection with the application of a number of duties and taxes at the international level. Experts consider this a new stage in the global trade war. It, as experts say, can create a serious basis for the global economic crisis. For Azerbaijan, this is fraught and dangerous in terms of world oil prices.

The website Azpolitika.info discusses the future fate of the manat. The business and financial structures of the country, as well as the population, do not believe the assurances of the Central Bank and are not sure about the future fate of the manat. The country's economy and national currency still have not gotten rid of uncertainty. The population is not interested in manat deposits, even with a high interest. In recent months, manat deposits have decreased to 150 million manat. Experts believe that it is necessary to completely switch to a floating rate, even if it causes great harm to the banking sector, the population and export-import operations.