Khloponin: Russia needs to regard the Caucasus as a strategical region of the country

"The Caucasus is not an atom bomb or a powder keg we are sitting on. It
is a strategical territory of Russia." said plenipitentiory in the North
Caucasus Federal District and vice-premier Alexander Khloponion,
ITAR-TASS reports.

He pointed out four reasons for this. The first is that the intellectual potential of Russia will develop through the Caucasus.

The second is that the Caucasus is an important buffer which impedes
undesirable elements such as terrorism, extremism and pseudo-islamism from
entering Russia, Khloponin thinks.

The third is that the Caucasus is a unique bridge with the Middle East, which is also a strategic region for Russia.

The fourth is that the Caucasus has demographic potential at the moment, it is the only territory where the population is on the increase, Khloponin recalled.