Press Review 13.11. 2017

Assistance to mobile laboratories in the agrarian sector, the labor market situation, and the increase in external debt are the leading topics of today's press.

The newspaper Azerbaijan writes about the help of mobile laboratories to farmers. Modern technologies help farmers to determine indicators of soil fertility and quality. As a result, farmers act accordingly. Such laboratories last operated in the Neftchala district, determining the suitability of land for sowing cotton and wheat. By means of these labs the diet of the soil is determined, as well as other parameters. The author lists the areas in which such labs operated, as well as the services rendered by them.

The newspaper Echo published an article titled Government Does Not Study Labor Market of Azerbaijan, but Tries to Solve Its Problems. The whole problem is that in the preparation of the concept of solving problems, including unemployment, the state does not study the structure of the labor market, the article says. State bodies do not know how many people do not work. At the end of the year, the government always reports on the number of new jobs that have been opened over the past year. But in fact the number of employed people for permanent work is less than the state claims. The Ministry of Economics predicts that in the near future 14,000 new jobs will be opened in Azerbaijan. But this is just a forecast, and not a concrete plan. The Law on Insurance against Unemployment, which will come into force on January 1, 2018, provides for two main components - the payment of full or partial compensation to a person who lost his job in the event of lost profits for the period from the moment of his (her) loss of employment to his (her) new employment, and assistance on his (her) return to the labor market.

The newspaper Novoye Vremya published an article titled External Debt of Azerbaijan Growing. Azerbaijan's direct external public debt in the first half of 2017 increased by 2.8% to $ 7.1 billion, according to the Accounting Chamber"s analysis. As of July 1, 2017, Azerbaijan's direct external debt was 18.2% of GDP. "In general, as of July 1, 2017, Azerbaijan formed a package of loan agreements with international financial and banking institutions and other credit organizations worth $ 11.2 billion, which is $ 285.4 million, or 2.6% more than as of January 1, 2017," the Accounts Chamber stated. Recall that, according to the Ministry of Finance, as of January 1, 2016, the country's foreign debt amounted to 6,894.3 million US dollars. As a consequence of the growth of the external debt, next year Azerbaijan will have to send more funds from the budget for its servicing. "In 2018, 2,263 million manat will be allocated from the state budget for servicing the external debt, which is 37.8% more than the index laid down in the state budget for 2017. The increase in expenses is related to the payment of debts of the International Bank of Azerbaijan. -0---