Caucasus Press Review (May 4-10)

Media widely covered last week's celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, writing about the contribution of the Republics to the defeat of the enemy, about the fate of  individual heroes of the war. In almost every region war veterans were honored, awarding them with valuable gifts, providing financial assistance, monuments and memorial plaques to the dead.

The newspaper Dagestanskaya Pravda wrote about the Heritage Victory Parade held in Makhachkala. Representatives of children, youth and patriotic associations, students, students of educational institutions with photographs of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who fought on  fronts, marched in columns to pay tribute to the memory of those who defended our country and made the great victory possible. Addressing the veterans, the head of the Dagestani Republic, Ramazan Abdullatipov, said: "Today, on the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory, we can say that everyone who was in the war was a hero. Everybody – from the supreme commander to a soldier – acted  together. They were assisted by workers in the rear. Today, every Dagestani family here has the spirit of Victory." He urged  young people to be active participants in the educational work which is being carried out today in the country. In the village of Lower Chiryurt in the Kizilyurtovsky district, a Victory Park was opened and a monument to veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 was unveiled. Especially for Victory Day in Makhachkala a new veterans hospital was opened, equipped with modern medical equipment.

The newspaper Kabardino-Balkaria Pravda reports that in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Victory a bike ride took place in the Terek region of the republic. A group of 30 young cyclists made  stops at memorial sites located on the route: in Dubki in the Deyskiy region, in an area where there are the remains of 39 partisans and patriots who were shot by the Nazis in 1942, and at a monument to the villagers killed in the village of Inarkoye.

After 26 kilometers the participants of the ride laid flowers at the monument to the seven thousand Soviet soldiers and officers who lost their lives in the Kurpskiy heights. The memory of the dead was honored with minute of silence. Several regions of the republic took the baton of memory in the country with the launched action of the George Ribbon. More than a hundred members of the volunteer corps of the 70th anniversary of the Victory EDB carried a 70-meter St. George ribbon on the main street in a solemn procession.

In Azerbaijan May 9 is an official holiday. On the occasion of Victory Day in the regions and in the capital, Baku, festivities were organized. The newspaper 'Caspian' and the weekly 'Region Plus' write about examples of heroism and courage at the front and in the rear shown by the people of Azerbaijan during the years of World War II.

In a short time in the country 87 fighter flying battalions, 5 divisions, and 1124 self-defense units were formed. In 1941-1945 more than 600 thousand people went to the front. Azerbaijani divisions passed the route from the Caucasus to Berlin. About 130 people were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, 30 were awarded the Order of Glory, 170 thousand soldiers and officers of Azerbaijan were awarded various orders and medals of the USSR.

Light and food industry was working for the front. In the first year of the war a record figure of oil production was reached – 23.5 million tons, which amounted to 71.4% of the oil produced in the USSR. Under the leadership of the academician Yusif Mammadaliyev a new technology for production of aviation gasoline was established. In general, during the war the oil industry of Azerbaijan gave the country more than 75 million tons of oil, 22 million tons of petrol and other oil products. Baku oil was one of the main factors in the victory over fascism. Four out of five Soviet planes, tanks and other vehicles   operated on Baku fuel during the war.

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The Cabinet of Ministers of Abkhazia held a presentation of the project 'Strategy of the socio-economic development of Abkhazia until 2025', the news agency Abkhazia-Inform reports. The Director of the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) under the President of Armenia, Oleg Damenia, said that the development strategy was carried out by a research team which included leading specialists of the Abkhaz State University, the Institute of Ecology ANA, ministries and departments, with the use of modern scientific methodology.

The first phase was a comprehensive analysis of the socio-economic development of Abkhazia in the last 10 years. It showed that in spite of the fact that the independence of the Republic was recognized by Russia, the prospects of accelerated development appeared to be ineffective. In some areas there is a positive trend – in particular, restoration of the facilities destroyed during the war – however, the social situation, income growth, the average monthly wage, the number of employed in the economy, the generally low level of social standards and the slowdown in the economy have persisted. The country was in a systemic crisis, which largely limits the conditions and opportunities for setting strategic goals and objectives for the long term.

In the second phase of the project of implementing the strategic goal of social development, a socio-oriented model of development, the strategic goals of institutions that make social innovation complex were identified. The priority areas were named as economic development, and the agro-industrial, tourism and recreation and industrial complexes. In developing of the model, the authors proceeded from the climatic conditions, the social and economic resources of the republic, as well as the geopolitical processes in the world and the region. In the context of Abkhazia, according to experts, the development of agriculture is the most effective instrument for ensuring the cultural, demographic, geopolitical security, social stability and sovereignty of the country. On the basis of SWOT analysis, the goals and objectives of the development of industries and the social innovation complex were formulated, the national economy, as well as the city of Sukhumi and regions. In its structural organization, according to the authors, this model can function effectively in the long term.

In the third and final phase an optimal scenario for Abkhazia and the mechanism for its implementation and management system will be developed, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Strategy. Upon completion of the project the World Economic Forum is planned.

Attending the presentation, the President of Abkhazia, Raul Khajimba, said that the project is not a panacea, but it presents the main activities of the state. "Do not forget, he said, that we depend on the economic processes which are taking place around us, so we selected priority areas of state." He added that he would support the project, even if it requires revision for some time.

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In the past year, thanks largely to the efforts of the Development Corporation of Dagestan, one of the main objectives is to attract direct investment into the economy, about 283.2 million rubles was invested in the region. The Deputy Director General of the corporation, Ruslan Valiev, spoke to the newspaper Dagestan Pravda about this and about what is scheduled to be implemented in the region in the near future.

According to him, the republic's economy is in dire need of capital inflows. This is due to insufficient federal funding opportunities minor local budgets, lack of funds from enterprises and a number of other reasons. The Corporation is actively preparing investment sites and accompanying promising investment projects. Within 5-6 years there will be implemented at least 60 investment projects in investment areas.

The boost to the economy, according to Valiyev, can provide a comprehensive project of preparation for competition within the Russian Federation Government Resolution "On measures of state support of development of cooperation of Russian higher educational institutions and organizations implementing complex projects for high-tech production." This is the development of technologies and processing equipment for the comprehensive utilization of geothermal reservoir water and the oil fields of the republic. The project is based on a global unique physical and chemical composition of groundwater in the republic. Apart from heat and electricity for use in the housing and agricultural sectors as a result of the project of saline water, lithium carbonate can be produced, which is widely used in metallurgy, medicine, pyrotechnics, glass and plastic. Caustic magnesite powders, used in the chemical and energy industries and construction can be produced and also table salt and other essential products needed by the economy can be obtained. 

Another project is the production of a new generation of symbiotic drugs. An agreement with a consortium of subcontractors was reached, which includes the Southern Federal University, Dagestan State University, and Don State Technical University, to develop and implement a symbiotic-based agro-industrial park, created on the territory of Ltd. Dagagrokompleks. This project will help to ensure the high performance additives necessary for fish breeding. Additives can also be applied in the poultry industry, and in livestock breeding. It is important that the production of drugs will have its own symbiotic program of import substitution. This project is included in the priority list and is in the process of approval by the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia.

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The capital of the Chechen Republic, Grozny, is recognized as the richest city in Russia, according to local newspaper News of the Republic, with reference to the results of a study conducted by the Department of Sociology of the University of Finance under the Government of the Russian Federation. As a subject of monitoring, scientists chose 36 major Russian cities with a population of over half a million inhabitants. Experts analyzed the average income of people in the first third of 2015. Studies showed that the proportion of poor people in Grozny is only 9%, which is the lowest in Russia. In comparison, in Moscow and in St. Petersburg the figure is 11% and 14% respectively. At the same time, most of the population of Grozny make the poor who have enough money for basic necessities. Those in the capital of the Chechen Republic are up to 60% (in Moscow and St. Petersburg - 50% and 53% respectively). According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Chechen Republic, the average salary for January-December 2014 amounted to: physicians and employees of medical institutions – 29,948 rubles, the average medical personnel – 17,030 rubles, researchers – 28,304 rubles, teachers of general education – 21,739 rubles, teachers in educational institutions – 30,979 rubles, employees of cultural institutions – 15,391 rubles. Grozny itself, which was not so long ago  virtually destroyed, has turned into a flourishing and modern city, one of the most beautiful and liveable cities in the country.

The citation is not that bad for the whole Republic. The newspaper cited the Minister of Economic, Territorial Development and Trade of the Chechen Republic, Muslim Khuchiev, who stressed that, despite the difficult economic situation in the country, the growth rates of the main macroeconomic indicators of the republic have a positive trend. "The volume of goods shipped in the last year amounted to 54.4 billion rubles, or 113% compared to 2013. The volume of industrial production increased by 19% and amounted to 22.8 billion rubles. The volume of agricultural production is at the level of 101.3%, or 14.9 billion rubles. In addition, thanks to the work which was done to improve the investment attractiveness of the region, the amount of investment reached 64.1 billion rubles, which is 37.5% above the previous year's level," the minister said.

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The newspaper Kabardino-Balkaria Pravda and the official website of the Government of the Republic pravitelstvo.kbr.ru report that the head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Institute of Clinical Cardiology of A.L. Myasnikov Russian Cardiology Research and Production Center of the RAMS, Academician Renat Akchurin, has participated in the Nalchik scientific and practical conference "Cardiology Service of the CBR: Past, Present and Future." During the conference, a presentation of the new Republican Cardiology X-ray operating room was organized, where a modern angiographic complex has been installed. This allows almost all intravascular interventions on the heart to be performed. This year stenting was implemented for 57 patients, 19 patients were implanted with a pacemaker. CBR Health Minister Irma Shetova reported that for the first time in 2015 in the program of state guarantees the subject of a separate fund of the MLA to treat patients with the use of costly high-tech medical care in cardiovascular pathologies was implemented. The 605 completed cases cost over 90 million rubles. From now on, many patients will be spared from the need to go for cardiology treatment in other regions, where residents of Kabardino-Balkaria previously had such operations done.