Press Review - February 15, 2018

The industrial development in Sumgait, the growth of the country's external debt, and the material and moral inefficiency of the sports competitions held in the country are the leading topics of today's press.

The newspaper Azerbaijan writes about the industrial development of Sumgait and about the implementation of major modern projects in this city.

Productivity in comparison with the previous year increased by 34%, amounting to 1 billion 81 million manat. In comparison with 2016, production in the chemical industry increased by 128%, metallurgical production - by 100%, food industry - by 111%, energy production - by 169%, construction materials - by half, and light industry - by 2.3%.

The newspaper Novoye Vremya published an article on the growth of public debt, which as of January 1, 2018 amounted to $ 9,398.3 million or 22.8% of GDP.

In 2017, the external public debt increased by almost 34%.

Alarming is not so much the state debt itself, but the negative tendency of its rapid growth.

The website Azadliqinfo.az writes about the ineffectiveness of holding Formula-1 competitions in Baku. The majority of citizens consider such kind of competitions, as plundering of the state budget and national means.

All the latest international competitions held in Baku never yielded the promised benefits. The authorities openly admit that the conditions for holding the Formula-1 races are not beneficial for Azerbaijan. -0----