Media Review - October 22, 2019

Preparations for the Baku Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, the fate of fisheries, and ways to eliminate obstacles to reform are topics of today's media.

The newspaper Azerbaijan writes about preparations for the XVIII Baku Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, which will be held October 25-26. The summit is dedicated to the theme: "Ensuring a joint and adequate response to the calls of the modern world, guided by the Bandung Principles."

The Non-Aligned Movement was created in 1961. 120 states have united in the ranks of this structure, and 17 countries and 10 international organizations are in it as observers.

Azerbaijan became a full member of this structure in 2011. From 2019 to 2022, Azerbaijan will chair the NAM.

The Marja.az website talks with the owner of Azproduct LLC Shahmal Mammadov about the future of this company, which may be forced to suspend its activities. So, in Neftchala, due to the lack of a port, the catch of sprats is complicated.

Earlier, Mammadov was persuaded to invest in this industrial quarter and promised to create the necessary conditions. However, two years later this did not happen.

Due to the lack of port conditions, there are problems with unloading the caught sprats, as they quickly deteriorate, and the quality of the fish drops by 80%. The spoiled products have to be sold as animal feed at a price of 50 qepiks per 1 kg.

If the problem with the port is not resolved, then a three-year activity can be considered in vain. Azproduct LLC is involved in fish processing and canning; 1.7 million manat was invested in it.

The website Oxu.az discusses with the expert Parviz Heydarov the issue of removing obstacles to reform. To do this, it is necessary to soften the tax policy, as well as privatize subsidized spheres and business entities borrowing under state grants.

Privatization must also be carried out in the field of public utilities, he said. And in general, the share of the public sector in the economy should be reduced.