Friday Wrap-up: housing and threats in Baku, and Azerbaijan-Iran relations
The week of 18-22 October saw a building company threateniang Baku citizens, an economic growth and welfare analysis and Azerbaijan-Iran tensions rising on the border.
Construction company Donush1-LLC threatening citizens; potential involvement of MP
Residents of Gurban Abbasov Street in Bayil settlement are complaining they are receiving threats from the building company Donush-1 LLC, who plans to build a high-rise residential building in the area.
The threats are carried out by the company’s employees, who tell the residents they will cut off electricity, gas, water, and be faced with eviction. There are also tractors and bulldozers working day and night to induce collapses of the houses. In a few cases, compensation is offered, but the amount offered is too low and does not even cover the losses.
It is not known who owns Donush 1 LLC. Several names are mentioned in the local press, including of MP Ulvi Guliyev. Meydan TV was not able to reach him for comment.
Economic growth must support social policies, specialists say
Official figures say the Azerbaijani economy is growing, but there are likely no positive effects on social policies in general.
The economic growth will not be reflected in the welfare of the population, since monthly wages barely grew and, at the same time, there was a high increase in inflation and poverty rates. Likewise, COVID-19 global economic consequences will raise the prices of goods, especially food.
Economist Gubad Ibadoglu believes that the minimum wage and other social benefits must be raised, otherwise, there will be serious social tensions and the possibility of social protests. Assistances of this kind were last reviewed in 2019.
Azerbaijan-Iran: trucks banned and detained at the border
Tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran can now be sensed on the roads.
Iran banned trucks from private companies from traveling to Nagorno-Karabakh and Lachin, as the road they travel will over 20 km on Azerbaijaini territory. Since September, the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan began to collect fees from drivers of Iranian cars for crossing the country. The ban was a reaction to this regulation.
Besides that, Iran claims trucks are detained in Astara (Iran) while the Azerbaijani Customs Committee denies the allegations. According to the Committee, a computer system crash on the Iranian side of the border failed to ensure the passage of trucks, as well as registering loading and unloading activities in Astara. This resulted in long queues that led to overcrowding and great delays.