Press Review 07/15/2016

The state of the economy, growth in the number of suicides, increase in the electricity tariff, "slave markets" and arbitrariness of the “collectors” of banks are the themes of today's media.

The official newspaper Azerbaijan writes about the economic success of the country, as reported by the President at a meeting of the Cabinet.

 The article continues on the achievements of Azerbaijan in individual sectors, the expected large revenues produced from the gas deposit Shahdeniz-2, as well as progress in agriculture.

40% of the population lives in rural areas. For that reason, the care of the state in this area has a special place, the author believes. At the same time, in spite of the advances in agriculture, dependence on imports remains, as he admits.

Novoye Vremya discusses the topic of the recent increase in suicides.

The author lists the number of suicides, noting that suicide has become much younger. It is fair to say that Azerbaijan is not among the countries with the highest percentage of suicides. But if it goes on like this, soon our country will be in this list. It seems that the time has come to address these problems at the state level.

 Bureaucratic chaos pushing citizens to voluntary withdrawal from life is day by day deteriorating the situation of citizens - these are the areas where the state can have its say. MPs have repeatedly promised to raise the matter before the Cabinet. But everything remains unchanged. Meanwhile, the economic crisis has increased the number of problem loans, moreover, worsened the lives of the vast majority of the population. Should we wait for the reduction of suicide in these circumstances?

Azadlig discusses increase in the cost of electricity by 15% with the economist Gubad Ibadoglu. He believes that this decision will strengthen inflation and complicate the already difficult situation of low-income families. The economist argues that the reason for increasing the cost of electricity is a deterioration of Azerenergy because of the growth of its foreign debt. As of January 1 this year, the debt to the state budget amounted to 780 million AZN. The expert believes that the government has passed its debt load on to the people. The cost of electricity in Kyrgyzstan is 1.1 cent per kWh, in Azerbaijan - 4.4 cents and in Kazakhstan - 4.7 cents.

Bizim Yol investigates the situation with the "slave market". There are at least five of them in the capital. One of them is near the Khalglar Dostlugu metro station. There, people are ready for any job for 15-20 AZN. However, the police do not allow them to gather.

Yeni Musavat writes about the violence and outrage on the part of debt collectors, who insult and threaten citizens, forcing them to pay back their debts. The expert Akram Hasanov believes that the process is coordinated by the banks themselves.

However, the collector activity is not regulated by law and therefore is illegal. If arrests for bank loans continue, growth in the number of suicides will continue and social tension will be intensified.