Press Review 03/12/2016

State care for the disabled, look at the relationship with the West, the population’s gas supply problem, and the new rise in prices are the leading topics of today's press.

The Azerbaijan newspaper writes about the state care of the disabled. In this regard, it talks about the activities of the largest in the South Caucasus Rehabilitation Center for the Disabled. As caring, the newspaper cites facts of providing flats to 539 war invalids and martyrs' families, as well as the allocation of state funds for the purchase of vehicles for almost 5,900 people with disabilities. The author recalls that the center was established in 1986 on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, in 1994 a 4-storey building was built for the Center, and in 1998 the department of functional diagnostics was created. During the year, the Center provides assistance to 1,700 people with disabilities.

The website Azadliq.info writes about the two-faced foreign policy of the Azerbaijani authorities. We are talking about relations with Europe and the United States. While the country received petrodollars, the authorities allowed themselves to insult the United States and Europe, and now the authorities are calling the same Europe to invest in Azerbaijan and express interest in cooperation with the United States.

Novoye Vremya has published an article entitled Will Azerbaijan Provide Its Citizens with Gas? While the prices of gas, fuel and light are rising, the Azerbaijan government has decided to provide the "blue fuel" to others. At the beginning of the third decade of November Ukraine imported 740 tons of propane-butane mixture from Azerbaijan. In other words, Baku is ready to lend a helping hand to all, except for its own people. And the Azerbaijani side’s commitment to take on coverage for natural gas costs of all churches and monasteries on the territory of Georgia, including the Armenian ones, in general has given rise to confusion and indignation among some Azerbaijanis. A paradox is that Azerbaijan claims the status of a gas power capable of ensuring Europe's energy security, while energy security is not available to its own citizens. “That is such a social orientation of our government. Is it not a mockery, but common sense?” the paper wonders.

Bizim Yol wonders whether the prices of fuel, water and bread will rise. The author discusses the decision of the Tariff Council on November 28. The expert Rashad Hasanov considers there are no reasons for the increase in the cost of fuel, as the price of oil has fallen. But sometimes prices are increased in compensation for the income. The economist Gubad Ibadoglu believes the price increase will affect only electricity and gas and not anything else. However it is possible that new decisions on price increase are coming. -0-