Caucasus Press Review (September 1-7)

“The decision of Armenia to attend the NATO summit at presidential level demonstrates that Yerevan forms relations with the North Atlantic Alliance based on its own interests, Armenian authorities want to deepen relations with the Alliance," the Golos Armenii newspaper quotes Tevan Pogosyan, a political analyst, the executive director of the Armenian Atlantic Association, a member of the Armenian parliament.

He points out that the decision to attend the Alliance summit was made at presidential level, while Moscow, an ally of Yerevan within the framework of the CSTO, has had unprecedented differences with the leading countries of the Alliance since the fall of the USSR. In June this year, CSTO Director General Nikolai Bordyuzha said that the CSTO was planning to cease attempts at creating dialogue with NATO.

Armenia, the political analyst says, has its own interests, and forms an independent policy in different parts of the world. Relations between Armenia and NATO have been developing dynamically since 2004, when they signed the Individual Partnership Action Plan. Joint programs of Yerevan and the Alliance have been updating and focusing on modernization of the Armenian Armed Forces after that. Moreover, NATO and Armenia have started joint peacekeeping missions. Pogosyan reminds that after Armenia’s decision to join the Eurasian Union, NATO has never expressed any confusion about it and, on the contrary, encouraged Armenia to choose its path as an independent state. Relations with the Alliance will continue developing according to the Individual Partnership Plan.

Aravot newspaper editor Aram Abramyan emphasizes that Armenia is trying to be friendly with both Russia and the West. He predicts that differences between Russia and the West will keep exacerbating, the situation would look more like the Cold War and it would be harder to keep the line.

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Azerbaijan and Germany have bilateral agreements to develop commercial and economic cooperation. Businessmen of the two countries attend business forums, meetings. Azerbaijan participates in exhibitions organized in Germany. A delegation of the officials of the German-Azerbaijani Forum (DAF), German politicians and MPs has arrived in Baku to discuss bilateral cooperation, the Azerbaydzhanskiye Izvestia paper reports.

German investments partly or fully run 177 companies in different sectors of Azerbaijan: banks, insurance, service, trade, construction and industry, agriculture. Investments of Germany in the main capital of the country totaled about $500 million in 2002-2003. The trade turnover increased by 25% to $2.2 billion in 2013. The indicator totaled $1.3 billion in six months of this year. Germany is the fourth-biggest trading partner of Azerbaijan.

German interest shows interest in the non-petroleum sector of Azerbaijan, a priority for the government. The German Development Bank (KfW) helps Azerbaijan develop infrastructure projects in rural regions. According to a deal signed in November 2013, KfW will transfer additional 220 million euros for development of plumbing and sewers in Ganja and Sheki. About 10,000 cows were sent to the Atena-Aqat Agro farm complex according to a leasing agreement.

The German-Azerbaijani Foreign Trade Chamber formed in Baku is the second largest of its kind in the CIS. Since 1997, inter-governmental agreements on financial and technical cooperation of Azerbaijan and Germany have proven the efficiency of collaboration. The sides formed a working group for trade and investments in 2011. About 200 businessmen and young managers have been trained in Germany since 2009 within the framework of the German-Azerbaijani bilateral program for improvement of skill of staff in business management.

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Tourism, agriculture and energy are the most promising sectors of the Abkhaz economy, the Respublika Abkhazia paper reports. Raul Khajimba, the winner of the off-year presidential polls on August 24, said: “Unfortunately, the flow of tourists to Abkhazia is seasonal, and we would want it to be year-round. It is an abundance for investors, for people willing to work in the sector associated with development of agriculture as a “multiplicative effect.” The president clarified that agriculture should be directly connected with tourism and resorts. “Our country is unique for its natural and climate conditions. We could engage in tourism all year and ship eco friendly products to the Russian market by supporting tourism,” speculates Khajimba. The Abkhaz leader admitted that one of the main obstacles for development of tourism in Abkhazia was infrastructure problems. He proposed swift construction of the Trans-Caucasus Highway, further development of railways in the region and reopening of the Sukhumi Airport.

The president wants to reduce the number of crossings on the Abkhaz-Georgian border to establish reliable control on the border. He mention the border of Abkhazia and Russia where only one crossing operates to the content of all Abkhazians and Russians. There are five crossings to enter Georgian territory. Khajimba believes that their number may drop in the future, a common crossing center may be formed for better control over the situation.

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The Ingushetia paper reports that an electronic system for remote diagnostics has recently been implemented in the Ingush Republican Clinical Hospital. It will allow doctors to organize consultations with leading medical centers in other cities. Specialists from Tatarstan helped install the complicated equipment from Western Europe and held master classes.

The beam diagnostics of the hospital have already been tested. A delegation of Ingush doctors had earlier visited Tatarstan to exchange experience and implement innovative medical technologies. Doctors from Kazan had invited them to install the new system and find specialists to service it.

The News-Georgia portal reports that the KaZantip Music Festival held on the Georgian Black Sea coast near Anaklia did not live up to expectations of the locals and businessmen, in terms of profit. Some of them have even lost money.

Many locals received bank loans to prepare their houses for tourists or to develop business for guest servicing. The organizers of the festival, who expected to make tens of millions of lari and increase the welfare of the local population, made big investments in the project. Dozens of recreational facilities and zones, four stages for musical groups and performers were built on about 250 hectares along three kilometers of the Black Sea coast. Nikita Marshunok, the president of the KaZantip Republic project, told journalists that about $4 million had been spent on organizing the project. “In two months, we in fact built a whole city. We invited the best performers. There were very few guests, we expected a lot more attendees,” he said. Only 12,000 guests arrived, when 60,000 were expected.

One of the reasons for the reluctance of people to attend the festival is the mudslide in the Darial Gorge that damaged a section of the Georgian Military Road. Over 4,000 cars, including dozens of buses with guests, were blocked en route to the festival from Russia. Moreover, for unknown reasons, charter flights from Russia to Georgia were cancelled. A motorboat that was supposed to deliver guests from Sochi broke down. Heads of the project add the factor of the high prices for food, service, accommodation that scared some of the guests. Organizers of KaZantip expressed readiness to organize the festival in Georgia next year, nonetheless.

Caucasus domestic and foreign political events in local press“The decision of Armenia to attend the NATO summit at presidential level demonstrates that Yerevan forms relations with the North Atlantic Alliance based on its own interests, Armenian authorities want to deepen relations with the Alliance," the Golos Armenii newspaper quotes Tevan Pogosyan, a political analyst, the executive director of the Armenian Atlantic Association, a member of the Armenian parliament.He points out that the decision to attend the Alliance summit was made at presidential level, while Moscow, an ally of Yerevan within the framework of the CSTO, has had unprecedented differences with the leading countries of the Alliance since the fall of the USSR. In June this year, CSTO Director General Nikolai Bordyuzha said that the CSTO was planning to cease attempts at creating dialogue with NATO.Armenia, the political analyst says, has its own interests, and forms an independent policy in different parts of the world. Relations between Armenia and NATO have been developing dynamically since 2004, when they signed the Individual Partnership Action Plan. Joint programs of Yerevan and the Alliance have been updating and focusing on modernization of the Armenian Armed Forces after that. Moreover, NATO and Armenia have started joint peacekeeping missions. Pogosyan reminds that after Armenia’s decision to join the Eurasian Union, NATO has never expressed any confusion about it and, on the contrary, encouraged Armenia to choose its path as an independent state. Relations with the Alliance will continue developing according to the Individual Partnership Plan.Aravot newspaper editor Aram Abramyan emphasizes that Armenia is trying to be friendly with both Russia and the West. He predicts that differences between Russia and the West will keep exacerbating, the situation would look more like the Cold War and it would be harder to keep the line.* * *Azerbaijan and Germany have bilateral agreements to develop commercial and economic cooperation. Businessmen of the two countries attend business forums, meetings. Azerbaijan participates in exhibitions organized in Germany. A delegation of the officials of the German-Azerbaijani Forum (DAF), German politicians and MPs has arrived in Baku to discuss bilateral cooperation, the Azerbaydzhanskiye Izvestia paper reports.German investments partly or fully run 177 companies in different sectors of Azerbaijan: banks, insurance, service, trade, construction and industry, agriculture. Investments of Germany in the main capital of the country totaled about $500 million in 2002-2003. The trade turnover increased by 25% to $2.2 billion in 2013. The indicator totaled $1.3 billion in six months of this year. Germany is the fourth-biggest trading partner of Azerbaijan.German interest shows interest in the non-petroleum sector of Azerbaijan, a priority for the government. The German Development Bank (KfW) helps Azerbaijan develop infrastructure projects in rural regions. According to a deal signed in November 2013, KfW will transfer additional 220 million euros for development of plumbing and sewers in Ganja and Sheki. About 10,000 cows were sent to the Atena-Aqat Agro farm complex according to a leasing agreement.The German-Azerbaijani Foreign Trade Chamber formed in Baku is the second largest of its kind in the CIS. Since 1997, inter-governmental agreements on financial and technical cooperation of Azerbaijan and Germany have proven the efficiency of collaboration. The sides formed a working group for trade and investments in 2011. About 200 businessmen and young managers have been trained in Germany since 2009 within the framework of the German-Azerbaijani bilateral program for improvement of skill of staff in business management.* * *Tourism, agriculture and energy are the most promising sectors of the Abkhaz economy, the Respublika Abkhazia paper reports. Raul Khajimba, the winner of the off-year presidential polls on August 24, said: “Unfortunately, the flow of tourists to Abkhazia is seasonal, and we would want it to be year-round. It is an abundance for investors, for people willing to work in the sector associated with development of agriculture as a “multiplicative effect.” The president clarified that agriculture should be directly connected with tourism and resorts. “Our country is unique for its natural and climate conditions. We could engage in tourism all year and ship eco friendly products to the Russian market by supporting tourism,” speculates Khajimba. The Abkhaz leader admitted that one of the main obstacles for development of tourism in Abkhazia was infrastructure problems. He proposed swift construction of the Trans-Caucasus Highway, further development of railways in the region and reopening of the Sukhumi Airport.The president wants to reduce the number of crossings on the Abkhaz-Georgian border to establish reliable control on the border. He mention the border of Abkhazia and Russia where only one crossing operates to the content of all Abkhazians and Russians. There are five crossings to enter Georgian territory. Khajimba believes that their number may drop in the future, a common crossing center may be formed for better control over the situation.* * *The Ingushetia paper reports that an electronic system for remote diagnostics has recently been implemented in the Ingush Republican Clinical Hospital. It will allow doctors to organize consultations with leading medical centers in other cities. Specialists from Tatarstan helped install the complicated equipment from Western Europe and held master classes.The beam diagnostics of the hospital have already been tested. A delegation of Ingush doctors had earlier visited Tatarstan to exchange experience and implement innovative medical technologies. Doctors from Kazan had invited them to install the new system and find specialists to service it.The New-Georgia portal reports that the KaZantip Music Festival held on the Georgian Black Sea coast near Anaklia did not live up to expectations of the locals and businessmen, in terms of profit. Some of them have even lost money.Many locals received bank loans to prepare their houses for tourists or to develop business for guest servicing. The organizers of the festival, who expected to make tens of millions of lari and increase the welfare of the local population, made big investments in the project. Dozens of recreational facilities and zones, four stages for musical groups and performers were built on about 250 hectares along three kilometers of the Black Sea coast. Nikita Marshunok, the president of the KaZantip Republic project, told journalists that about $4 million had been spent on organizing the project. “In two months, we in fact built a whole city. We invited the best performers. There were very few guests, we expected a lot more attendees,” he said. Only 12,000 guests arrived, when 60,000 were expected.One of the reasons for the reluctance of people to attend the festival is the mudslide in the Darial Gorge that damaged a section of the Georgian Military Road. Over 4,000 cars, including dozens of buses with guests, were blocked en route to the festival from Russia. Moreover, for unknown reasons, charter flights from Russia to Georgia were cancelled. A motorboat that was supposed to deliver guests from Sochi broke down. Heads of the project add the factor of the high prices for food, service, accommodation that scared some of the guests. Organizers of KaZantip expressed readiness to organize the festival in Georgia next year, nonethe