The FINANCIAL — Baku Pages shows many beautiful hotels, restaurants, cafes, reconstructed bridges and roads which all attract the eyes of tourists at first glance.
Tourism is growing every year by 11% in Baku, and Azerbaijan has 1.2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, as well as enormous possible reserves in undeveloped offshore Caspian fields. These figures tell of the improvement of life in Baku. How do ordinary people live in Baku though and how do they value their life and interests?
“Abroad, even in Georgia, people think that Azeri people on the whole are rich and lead good lives, but it’s not true,” says Ulviya Gulieva. “They think so because we have oil. But the oil isn’t for people, it’s for officials.”
Ulviya Gulieva, 27, is a journalist and moved to Turkey to work just four days before. She would have liked to stay with her family if she had found a job with a good salary. But she says it’s only possible when you have relatives in good positions. Prices are rising significantly every year. They just built many new bridges and buildings. New roads have been completed. But as she explains the quality is so low that they needs reconstruction very often. That’s why roads are closed so frequently, which in turn causes enormous traffic congestion.
Ulviya thinks that currently life in Baku is very boring and nothing good is happening. As she explains even interest in cinema and theatre is very low. “The reason could be the quality of the films and plays on show recently, young actors don’t seem to be as talented as their predecessors. The main problem here is money, the Government doesn’t finance them as much as is necessary, actors have such low salaries, and even theatre buildings are in such bad condition that they lose any power to promote cultural life.”
Diminishing interest in cinema and theatre could be the reason why Haciaga Aliyev prefers to go almost every weekend with his friends to the Baku entertainment centre to do bowling or play tennis. He’s a student and works at the same time as Head of The Public Relations Department in the YES Network (Youth Employment Systems). As he says, he works without a salary because he is altruistic, but his parents help him, as all students’ parents do in Baku. “My father was a military doctor,” he said. “He has retired on a pension from the military and now works as a doctor in the state hospital. He gets a 700 USD grant monthly and 350 USD salary and also has patients. My mother is a teacher and she also has a 250 USD salary. I have a house in Baku. I rent it out to a young family and get 250 USD from them. I spend this money on my entertainment.”
“I get about 1,000 GEL a month but I spend on just transportation and eating at work 150-160 a week. It’s hard but you can find a good job here if you are a good professional. Though I have to say, the costs of living in Baku are more expensive than in Georgia,” said Reshad Aliyev. He is one of the lucky citizens in Baku who has found a good job. Reshad is working as a programme assistant at the Eurasia Partnership Foundation. As he adds, he is living with his parents and his salary is not enough for him to live alone. Reshad tries to go out with his friends two or three times a month to have a drink and have some fun.
Lala kazakova, 29, compares life in Tbilisi and in Baku and says that there is more money in Azerbaijan. People don’t have such a big problem in finding a job. But she agrees that everything is far more expensive than in Georgia. “We have fantastic tourist destinations, but they are not accessible for ordinary people. They are accessible only for the very rich,” said Lala. “Not everybody can afford to go somewhere on holiday, even once a year. Ordinary people from Azerbaijan go to Georgia to visit the seaside, because their tourist places are very cheap in comparison to ours.”
As well as the expensive prices Lala also speaks about the corruption that is apparent in Baku. “There are still many cases of bribery in action. But I see that Georgia does not have as many problems in this regard,” said Mrs Kazakova.
The minimum salary of hired workers in Azerbaijan in 2010 was 315,2 AZN, nearly 630 GEL and for workers which are working under contract – 288,6 AZN, approximately 560 GEL. Statistics say that in Georgia the average salary as of 2009-2010 increased to about 550 GEL. The roads and streets of the city here are also constantly being reconstructed. People expect a rise in prices but not in their salaries.
Ana Gogoberishvili, 26, who works on the Public Broadcaster, complains that the majority of her salary now goes to petrol. She says that a car is becoming a luxury object. Anna and her friends are trying to somehow not forget cultural life and so make an effort to go twice a month to the cinema or theatre. But she can’t go to the country’s resorts even for two days. “Even if I save up some money then I have to go to Bakuriani or Gudauri alone,” said Mrs Gogoberishvili. “Lots of my friends don’t work. Those who do can’t save up the extra money needed to leave the city.”
“I’m not unsatisfied with my job, though I really have a lot to do there,” said Otar Bakradze, Sales Manager at Auto Company. “The salary would be good if I were single and didn’t have two children to support.” As he said his wife isn’t working and they can’t afford to spend money on entertainment. The only exception is sometimes going out with the children.
According to Internationals City Cost Guide, bread in Baku costs 1.00 EUR, sugar about 45 EUR and one kilogram fruit from about 1.60 to 3.00 EUR. Xpatulator.com which gives international costs of living results shows that the costs for clothing and footwear is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 80 out of 300. What’s more Baku is in 15th place compared to another 300 countries in the costs of furniture and accommodation. Though Georgia stands in place 276 out of 300, and bread costs about 1 GEL, many Georgians also don’t have the ability to go on holiday to their own country’s resorts.
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