Caucasus press review (June 22-28)

The First European Games came to an end in Baku. Those who participated in the festival of sports shared their impressions on pages of Caucasus newspapers.

The champion of the First European Games, freestyle wrestler (up to 74 kg), Aniuar Geduyev, told Kabardino-Balkarskaya Pravda that the organization of the First European Games was excellent. “The Azerbaijanis are hospitable people, and they have proved it once again,” he said.

The silver-medal winner, Moldavian freestyle wrestler Petr Ianulov has the same view. “I have participated in world cups, European championships, and I can compare the level of preparation of the hosting country. Azerbaijan established the best conditions for athletes, starting from welcoming in airport, accommodation in the Village of Athletes, transportation to organization of our rest – everything was at the highest level,” he told Region Plus. The athlete believes that the most emotional moment was the opening ceremony of the Games. He pointed out high professional organization of wrestling competitions in Heydar Aliyev Sports Complex. “All small details were thought over. The organization side did its best to hold wrestling championships at the highest level,” Ianulov stressed.

Ivana Maximovic, a Serbian athlete, participant of the First European Games in rifle shooting, told Baku Worker that she was satisfied with the high level of organization at Baku 2015. She especially pointed out the new Baku shooting center. “When I found out how quick such a complicated sporting facility was built, I couldn’t believe it,” the athlete said. According to her, the organization of the First European Games is above all praise. Sporting facilities have ultramodern exercisers, the canteen is working day and night, and one can eat the best European, as well as wonderful Azerbaijani cuisines. She likes the capital of Azerbaijan, its historic part – Icherishekher which harmonically matches the composition of the city, according to her. “Your country is really a crossroad of religions, cultures, history and modernity,” Ivana Maximovic said.

The winner of the Olympic Games 2000 in Sidney, the world champion and the champion of Europe, the head coach of Russian national boxing team, Alexander Lebzyak, told the newspaper ‘Caspian’ that Azerbaijan had demonstrated the world a high level of organization of wide-scale events once again. “Everything is great! I participated in several Olympics, and I should say that the European Games in Baku are organized at the Olympic level. Azerbaijan is ready to host the Olympic Games, I have no doubts about it,” he is sure. 

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Georgia is reforming the justice system. The government approved amendments presented by the Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukian, which required reforming of the justice system in the country, Free Georgia reports.

The work on the amendments started in late 2013. Representatives of the court power, international non-governmental organization, and academic circles participated in it. It is noted that the final document considered the majority of recommendations of the Venice Commission.

If the amendments are approved, judges will have an opportunity to choose chairmen of countries; chairmen of courts will be obliged to consider all cases personally; the position of the deputy chairman of a court will be eliminated. Chairmen of courts will have no right to start disciplinary investigations against judges. The right will be given to an independent inspector who is a new institution in the process of disciplinary investigations. Final decisions on activities by the independent inspector will be made by the Supreme Council of Justice. The amendments also require changes of rules of distribution of cases between judges. It is suggested to implement an electronic system of random distribution; according to authors, it will rule out facts of corruption. The authors also suggest defining a number of judges of the Supreme Court, according to the law. At the moment the matter is defined, according to plenum.

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Kabardino-Balkarskaya Pravda reports that on the territory of the tourist recreational special economic zone in Kabardino-Balkaria on the slope of Elbrus, construction of the lower station of the ropeway which will connect the Mir Station and the Gara-Bashi Station has been started. The ropeway will begin its operation by the start of the mountain-skiing season of 2015-2016.

The lower station of the ropeway is situation at the height of 3455 meters above the sea level; the upper station – 3847 meters. The length of the ropeway is 1675 meters. Its capacity will be 750 people per hour; in the future it will be increased to 1500 people.

The ropeway in Elbrus will be the most high-mountain in Russia and Europe. The construction is provided by the ROMA Company, which is a partner of the Resorts of the North Caucasus. Its ropeways are successfully working at the Arkhyz Resort in Karachay-Cherkessia.

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The Chamber of Commerce of Abkhazia signed agreements with three colleges of the republic – Sukhumi State College, Abkhaz Multifunctional College, and Humanitarian and Environmental College – on uniting efforts of the sides to develop and implement various educational projects and cooperation programs. It was told to Sputnik-Abkhazia by the head of the Chamber of Commerce of Abkhazia, Gennady Gagulia. He pointed out that the economy of the republic was developing dynamically, but it lacked professionals. There are gaps in cooperation between educational facilities and business. “As representatives of interests of businessmen, we understand that we should be a connecting link between them and educational facilities. Yes, we have no professionals, but it doesn’t mean we have no people who are able to work and able to learn,” Gagulia thinks.

The senior expert of the Secondary and Professional Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Abkhazia, Gunda Kvitsinia, has the same view. According to her, cooperation between professional educational facilities and businessmen should develop; it is time to promote the status of colleges and training facilities which are unfairly unpopular. 

According to the signed agreements, the sides agreed to conduct meetings and consultations between heads, joint theoretical, scientific, and practical conferences, round tables, workshops, and symposiums which are directed at development of the cooperation.

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The newspaper ‘North Ossetia’ reported that the first graduation of the North Caucasus Suvorov Military School took place in Vladikavkaz. 32 students left the school, 30 of them intend to continue their education in military educational facilities of the Defense Ministry of Russia.

The military school was founded in 2014 on the basis of the cadet school ‘Vladikavkaz Cadet Corps’, according to an initiative of the Defense Minister of Russia and the government of the North Ossetian Republic.