Tweet
World Bank's report upsets Azerbaijan - TV
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
27 Apr 04
[Presenter] The Baku government has protested against the World Bank
[WB] and International Monetary Fund's [IMF] assessment of
Azerbaijan's social and economic indicators.
[Correspondent Tunzala Rafiqqizi over archive footage] The WB and IMF
have issued an annual report on the economic and demographic situation
in the South Caucasus. The document places Azerbaijan among the 64
low-income countries where the social situation is inadequate. The WB
and IMF justified this by the low level of social, education and
health care spending in Azerbaijan.
Curiously, while Azerbaijan was placed among such weak economies as
Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Uzbekistan, Armenia was described
as being on the same level as Ukraine, Turkey, Iran and Russia. That
group comprises 54 states, with their per capita income ranging from
736 to 2,935 dollars. The report said that Armenia's income was 930
dollars [per capita] in 2003.
Although the report did not give the level of income in Azerbaijan,
the international financial bodies maintain that Azerbaijan lags
behind Armenia in that respect. However, at 1.4bn dollars Azerbaijan's
state budget, is 2.5 times higher than Armenia's. We are also ahead of
Armenia in terms of per capita income - 1,056 dollars.
The Armenians are ahead of us only when it comes to military spending.
While the invading country spends 15 per cent of its budget on the
army, Azerbaijan spends only 9 per cent. It appears that the
international organizations considered this to be the chief criterion,
and lauded not Azerbaijan - which spends 60 per cent of its budget on
the social sphere, including the 23 per cent which it spends on
education but Armenia which mainly spends on the military sphere.
The report positively assessed Azerbaijan's demographic situation
only. The international experts reckon that by 2015 Azerbaijan's
population will reach nine million people, and Armenia will only have
three million.
The controversial aspects of the report also upset the Azerbaijani
government. The head of the Finance Ministry's department for foreign
economic relations, Mardan Mardanov, told ATV station that the
government had sent a letter of protest to the World Bank about the
aspects of the report with which it disagreed.
The Baku office of the World Bank said in turn that the government's
letter was handed over to the experts who drafted the report at the
headquarters of the World Bank.
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
27 Apr 04
[Presenter] The Baku government has protested against the World Bank
[WB] and International Monetary Fund's [IMF] assessment of
Azerbaijan's social and economic indicators.
[Correspondent Tunzala Rafiqqizi over archive footage] The WB and IMF
have issued an annual report on the economic and demographic situation
in the South Caucasus. The document places Azerbaijan among the 64
low-income countries where the social situation is inadequate. The WB
and IMF justified this by the low level of social, education and
health care spending in Azerbaijan.
Curiously, while Azerbaijan was placed among such weak economies as
Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Uzbekistan, Armenia was described
as being on the same level as Ukraine, Turkey, Iran and Russia. That
group comprises 54 states, with their per capita income ranging from
736 to 2,935 dollars. The report said that Armenia's income was 930
dollars [per capita] in 2003.
Although the report did not give the level of income in Azerbaijan,
the international financial bodies maintain that Azerbaijan lags
behind Armenia in that respect. However, at 1.4bn dollars Azerbaijan's
state budget, is 2.5 times higher than Armenia's. We are also ahead of
Armenia in terms of per capita income - 1,056 dollars.
The Armenians are ahead of us only when it comes to military spending.
While the invading country spends 15 per cent of its budget on the
army, Azerbaijan spends only 9 per cent. It appears that the
international organizations considered this to be the chief criterion,
and lauded not Azerbaijan - which spends 60 per cent of its budget on
the social sphere, including the 23 per cent which it spends on
education but Armenia which mainly spends on the military sphere.
The report positively assessed Azerbaijan's demographic situation
only. The international experts reckon that by 2015 Azerbaijan's
population will reach nine million people, and Armenia will only have
three million.
The controversial aspects of the report also upset the Azerbaijani
government. The head of the Finance Ministry's department for foreign
economic relations, Mardan Mardanov, told ATV station that the
government had sent a letter of protest to the World Bank about the
aspects of the report with which it disagreed.
The Baku office of the World Bank said in turn that the government's
letter was handed over to the experts who drafted the report at the
headquarters of the World Bank.