The week of January 9-13 saw a snowfall in Baku, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran meet and an increase in minimum wage and pensions.
16 people who fell in the snow in Baku were injured, one of them was hospitalized
The second week of January surprised Baku and other Azerbaijani regions with snowfalls. The weather caused several complications. Due to the snowy weather conditions in Baku, 12 people (11 women, one man) applied to the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the Ministry of Health with various degrees of injuries.
Trilateral meeting of Baku, Ankara and Tehran: the situation in the region was discussed
A tripartite meeting of parliament chairmen of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran was held in Antalya. The situation in the region was the topic of the reunion. Cooperation in the field of energy in the region, the importance of expanding communications, the important role of energy and transport projects in the overall development of the region were discussed.
It was also emphasized that at the current stage, it is necessary to refrain from behaviors that will harm stability and create tension in the region, and to take steps to promote the expansion of cooperation.
In the last months of last year, certain tensions were experienced between Azerbaijan and Iran, also shown in the statements of the officials against each other. Later in December, Azerbaijan and Turkey conducted exercises in several parts of the country, including on the border with Iran.
Minimum wage and pension have increased
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev decided on January 5 that the minimum monthly wage in 2023 should be raised to 345 AZN. The increase is 15 percent, the previous amount was 300 AZN.
The minimum pension will be increased to 280 AZN, a 16.7% raise. Allowances and scholarships will also be increased. In this regard, the Cabinet of Ministers will prepare its proposals within ten days and submit them to the head of state.
Economist Farid Mehralizade says that due to the way the pension system was built in Azerbaijan, this increase is not going to change the situation for everyone. For those who work with an employment contract, the increase in the minimum pension means an increase in their contribution. The economist said that precisely because of such approaches, the pension system in Azerbaijan is not attractive, and people are interested in working informally in order not to waste money on taxes. Therefore, in order to increase the effectiveness of social policy, there is a need to make serious changes in the pension system in Azerbaijan
