Derbent expects investment from Azerbaijan

Musa Musayev, Makhachkala-Derbent. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

In 2015, the 200th anniversary of the most ancient town in Russia, Derbent, will be marked in Dagestan. Streets and gardens, ancient monuments should be reconstructed in a year. However, today nothing says that the town is preparing for the anniversary. At the same time, interest from major investors in the town is growing.

The Summa Company of Ziyavudin Magomeov plans to sponsor the restoration of Petrovskaya Grove, the house where Tsar Peter I stayed during the Caspian Campaign, as well as the house of fishery manager Akhundov. Representatives of the Nafta-Moscow Company which belongs to Suleiman Kerimov discussed with Dagestan government an opportunity to build hotels in Derbent and develop seafront territories of the Derbent region.

On September 12, 2014, Premier Dmitry Medvedev approved a plan for marking the anniversary. The general volume of budget financing will be 1 455.4 million rubles.

The main streets of Derbent (15 km) and five gardens (Suleiman Stalsky Park, the Park of Revolutionaries, the Park of War Glory, Samursky Park, and Abas Israfilov Park) will be reconstructed. The plan required reconstruction of Nizami Ganjavi Park, but Derbent’s administration stated that Azerbaijan intended to reconstruct the park.

In March, Baku expressed readiness to boost the volume of investments into construction of infrastructure and restoration, including construction of the Olympic complex in Derbent. According to Ilham Aliyev’s order, preliminary works have been started. The complex will include a park, hotels, entertainments, a football stadium for 7 thousand spectators, a swimming pool, a gym, tennis courts, a shopping center, and a school.

Representatives of Azerbaijan also plan to build a can factory, a logistics center, a ceramic tile plant, a cement factory in Dagestan. At the same time, archeological excavations will take place. Construction begins in April, and all facilities should be built by the end of 2015.

At the same time, relations between Makhachkala and Baku haven’t been so cloudless all the time. Border issues and a problem of joint usage of water resources of the Samur River were difficult to solve. However, at the moment experts appreciate the diplomatic resource and old Soviet contacts with Baku. Influence of the Azerbaijanis who live in Derbent, the Derbent and Tabasaran regions is growing. According to official statistics for 2002, the Azerbaijanis are the second ethnic group in Derbent after the Lezgins, 32064 people (31.74%). The region is headed by the most powerful Azerbaijani in Dagestan Kurban Kurbanov.

In general in recent years we can see that Azerbaijani influence in south Dagestan is growing. Many Dagestan officials and politicians support friendly relations with officials from Azerbaijan. The former head of Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov developed cultural and economic cooperation with the neighboring state. The current head of the republic Ramazan Abdulatipov has also visited Baku and expressed his support to Ilham Aliyev ahead of the presidential elections.