In South Ossetia the initiative of the President of the country to hold a referendum on the country's entry into the Russian Federation is being discussed actively. The newspaper ‘South Ossetia’ gives the positions of some political parties that support the idea of a referendum. The political party ‘Nykhas’ emphasizes that the idea of reunification with Russia is common to all of the South Ossetian people who have suffered and been through the years of the hardest ordeals. "We believe that we need to make an eternal alliance with Russia, to reunite the Ossetian people, to reunite with the spiritually fraternal Russian people. This is a guarantee of our security for centuries, it is the key to our development despite any aggressors,’’ the party’s statement reads. ‘’The historical reality is that we do not expect a quick decision on reunification. The development of the international political situation around Russia does not allow us to count on it." The party members are convinced of the need for a referendum, as it will create a legal basis for entry into the Russian Federation. It is necessary to be ready to take this step and wait for the historic moment when it becomes available.
The party ‘New Ossetia’ believes that the idea of the unification of Ossetia within the Russian state is historically valuable for this people. They called Leonid Tibilov’s decision a responsible, pragmatic step designed to strengthen the unity of Ossetian society that gives a healthier nature to the internal political processes. Of course, a referendum in the republic is not enough to implement the idea of South Ossetia joining the Russian Federation – an appropriate decision by the Russian state’s authorities is necessary. The party is confident that the initiative of the President will put an end to unacceptable political speculations around the most important issue for the future of Ossetia and contribute to further development of the cooperation of our republic with the Russian Federation.
The Chairman of the Socialist Party ‘Fydybasta’, Vyacheslav Gobozov, said the party has repeatedly spoken for a speedy decision on the course that the republic should follow.
"We must finally decide whether we are building an independent state in strategic partnership with Russia or preparing South Ossetia to join with Russia. These are two different courses, and, accordingly, they assume two fundamentally different models of activity of the state structures and the society, Gobozov said. Therefore, he believes that it is essential, first, to hear the opinion of the people in this regard, secondly, in fact, but not at the level of political speculation, to understand how actually to implement one or other options in these conditions. The representatives of the ‘People's Party’ of South Ossetia, the party ’United Ossetia’ and the Communist Party made the same statements.
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On Tuesday the Public Union ‘Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh’ held a meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman, Andrzej Kasprzyk, the local newspaper ‘Yeni Zaman’ reports. The Chairman of the Public Union, Bayram Safarov, on behalf of the community expressed hope for a fair approach to the issue by the Minsk Group. "We continue to hope that you and the countries represented by you will enhance efforts, and justice will finally be restored, the Azerbaijanis will return to their lands. Azerbaijan seeks to resolve the conflict peacefully," he said.
Addressing the audience, French co-chair Pierre Andrieu, said that the Minsk Group understands the importance of the factor of refugees in the settlement of this conflict. According to him, they discuss this issue at every meeting. During meetings with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross an initiative was put forward to establish the number and identities of those killed during the war in Karabakh. This process has been started in Azerbaijan and Armenia.
In turn, the US co-chair of the group, James Warlick, reported that the group has been informed that the last 20 years were very difficult for the Azerbaijani community. "During the last visit to Baku we met with internally displaced persons. We were with their families and saw how much they want to return to their homeland. The meeting impressed us very much. As I said in Yerevan, until you solve the problem of refugees, unless they return to their land, it will be impossible to achieve a comprehensive solution. During the meetings we also raised the issue of people's diplomacy. We believe this is a very important issue," Warlick said.
Representatives of the community harshly criticized the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group in the Karabakh settlement. The publication considers this criticism to be well founded. "The co-chairs are aware of the refugee problem in words, talk about it, but unfortunately, in practical terms, nothing has been done for these internally displaced persons to be returned to their homes. The most important thing is that they do not talk about the reasons that led to the flow of Azerbaijani refugees. I cannot believe that they knew nothing about it," the newspaper reads. For some reason, the mediators do want to call a spade a spade. Namely, a million Azerbaijanis have become refugees as a result of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, which resulted in the occupation of 20% of the country. For example, the US and Europe are blowing the whistle now about a wave of refugees from the Middle East, which at the moment does not exceed more than 200-300 thousand people. Azerbaijan alone had to settle and equip a million people who became refugees in their own country.
According to the newspaper, the statement about the plight of refugees will not help to solve the problem. If the OSCE is really interested in a breakthrough in the negotiations, there is no need to be afraid of the truth, or the reaction of those who started the Karabakh tragedy. We must once and for all abandon the practice of balancing the sides, because there is an aggressor and its victim. We need to come out of it demanding an end to the aggression and occupation. Moreover, the UN General Assembly also expressed its position on this conflict, which lies in a withdrawal of the Armenian forces from Azerbaijani territories without any preconditions, the newspaper writes.
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Georgian meat producers are encouraged by the decision of the Ministry of Defense and believe that this is a step towards local businesses. The Internet portal Business-Georgia informs that the Ministry of Defense previously announced that it would provide the country's armed forces first and foremost with local meat products. In particular, it has announced a tender for the purchase of beef.
According to the head of the Association 'Farmer of the Future', Michael Chichagua, this decision will contribute to the development of Georgian farming. Georgia has every possibility to produce good meat and every possibility of meeting the demand of the whole country, not only the army. "On our members example I can say that our meat is no worse than European meat, both in quality and price. High quality European meat will cost no less than 30 GEL per kilogram in Georgia. That is, the imported meat, which costs 7-8 GEL here, is of very poor quality. Our products are of much higher quality and cost 9-10 GEL per kilo," Chichagua explained. According to him, today the Georgian market is full of low-quality products from Brazil and India.
The director of the livestock company 'Matador', Joseph Kokhtashvili, called this decision the best that the government has taken for the development of the industry. He said that now the entire meat business is in a difficult situation, and this decision will give it a stimulus for development. Today, Georgian producers do not know what to do with the meat, so they do not produce it. Now they will have a stable market, and many companies will resume production, and it will help to revive the village.
According to Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli, in 2015 the agency spent 6 million GEL on purchasing meat, which went abroad to importers. According to her, the recent studies have shown that Georgian producers could provide the army with meat. Upcoming purchases will show how real the research results are. The minister urged all the meat producers to show maximum activity and take part in the tenders.
If the problems of meat producers are close to resolution, the Georgian government must still resolve issues associated with the complexity of the implementation of grain production. According to the head of Georgia's wheat growers association, Levan Silagava, the grain market of Georgia, in contrast to other countries, is completely unprotected. He cited the example of Turkey and Russia, which are major producers of grain, and where both domestic consumption and exports are encouraged by the state. For example, in Turkey the government is actively promoting the export of flour by giving special licenses which allow the exporters to buy grain from the grain growers union at a price lower than market. In addition, they are exempt from VAT when it comes to exports. Russia is more concerned about domestic consumption. Here, from February 1, export duty on grain was introduced, which is 15% of the price per ton, which enables the country to provide itself with sufficient grain, enhance local processing companies, and accordingly, stimulate flour exports. According to Silagava, 90% of the grain in the Georgian market is imported from Russia. Because of dumping prices offered by many importers, some Georgian companies were forced to close, while others are working at half capacity. He sees a way out of this situation in the enactment of two laws – anti-dumping legislation and measures to protect local production. According to the publication, the work on anti-dumping legislation has been going on for several months. In December 2014 the head of the Parliamentary Committee on Sector Economy, Zurab Tkemaladze, said that the law would be submitted to Parliament in the spring of 2015, but the project has not been made public yet.
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There is steady growth in domestic tourism in Chechnya. According to the local newspaper Vesti Respubliki, if in 2011 only 7000 people visited the republic, in 2012 the number has already reached 20,000, in 2013 – 35,000, in 2014 about 50,000 tourists visited Chechnya. Since the beginning of 2015 the flow of tourists from Russia, the CIS and the far abroad has also increased. Some of them visit places of pilgrimage. Others, including foreigners, are interested in the monuments of ancient architecture and historical sights. Many people visit the local resorts for rest and treatment.
There are many attractions in the republic, most of which have the infrastructure to receive people. These are Lake Kezenoi Am, the villages of Hoi, Dargo and Hong Yurt, the Argun Museum Reserve, museums and art centers. 16 luxury hotels are operating, two local tour operators are offering 13 routes. In the last year alone several major tourist sites were commissioned. Among them is the tourist recreation cluster of Kezenoi-Am, which is situated 2000 m a.s.l. on the coast of the biggest and deepest relict lake of the North Caucasus with spring water, Kazenoi-Am. The health-improving resort of Sernovodsk-Kavkazsky has recently started to operate in the republic. The construction of the all-season complex Veduchi, the Grozny Sea Complex. The Sernovodsky resort, known since Soviet Union times, is awaiting reconstruction and expansion." All this, according to the publication, will help to create a positive image of the republic and attract tourists, further contributing to its prosperity.
