Last week talks were held between the two ministers representing the Russian Federation and Abkhazia on joint activities in light of the recently-signed treaty of alliance and strategic partnership. The Internet publication Sputnik-Abkhazia informs that the Minister of Health of Abkhazia, Andzor Goov, and the Assistant Minister of Health of Russia, Anatoly Gulin, participated in the negotiations and expressed satisfaction with the work done. "We discussed in detail all matters relating to free medical care for Russian citizens permanently residing in the Republic of Abkhazia and beneficiary drug coverage. We took into account all the wishes of our Abkhaz colleagues, and they are included in the points of the agreement. We did not have any contradictions,’’ Gulin said. According to him, these two agreements fit into the paradigm of the large Russian-Abkhaz treaty of alliance and strategic partnership. "We have a range of issues, and the main one among them is the organization of the health insurance of the Russian citizens who live here, on the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia, a preferential drug provision for Russian citizens in receipt of benefits, and other important issues. With this, we are expanding the possibilities of the Russian citizens living in Abkhazia," Gulin said. He explained that the draft agreement will be agreed with other ministries and agencies, as they are inter-governmental in nature. ‘’The Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labor, the Employment and Social Security are involved,’’ he said. On being asked by journalists whether this agreement will infringe the rights of local physicians, the Minister of Health of Abkhazia said that the issue of how to protect them has been worked on just now. "We must improve our medicine. The issue is whether a citizen is in need of treatment in Russian medical institutions and, if so, to give direction to the Republican hospital. Privileges will be used by war veterans and those disabled in the 1992-1993 Patriotic War of the Abkhaz Nation," the Minister stressed.
In Moscow, the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Alexander Zhuravsky, and the Abkhazian Minister of Culture and Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage, Elvira Arsaliyev, signed a cooperation plan for 2015, under which the parties will extend their full organizational assistance in the implementation of the exchange of music, theater and exhibitions, the newspaper Republic of Abkhazia reports. Luca Gadelia (organ) and Christina Eshba (soprano) will perform in the framework of cooperation in the A. Debol'skaya Hall of Organ and Chamber Music in Sochi in August. In Moscow's Et Cetera Theater in the fall there will be a tour of the Abkhazian S.Chanba State Drama Theatre. The Central House of Artists in Moscow will host an exhibition of Abkhazian artists. In Sukhumi a joint performance of musicians of the Sochi Municipal Symphony Orchestra and the Abkhaz R. Gumba State Philharmonic will be held. The O.Lundstrem State Chamber Orchestra of Jazz Music will perform in the same hall in July. The Concert Hall of the Pitsunda temple will host the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Marina Lapina (soprano) and organist Fyodor Stroganov.Funding for the projects will be carried out by each of the parties within the budget limits allocated for 2015.
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"Yerevan wants to maximize the benefits of the Eurasian Union, but it is not going to refuse to cooperate with Europe,’’ the local newspaper New Era reports. "Armenia has a broad-based partnership with the European Union, and Yerevan considers it important to intensify a political dialogue and deepening of trade and economic cooperation," the head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Edward Nalbandyan, said in Minsk at a meeting of the foreign ministers of member states of the Eastern Partnership. The minister said that Yerevan expects that the member states will soon approve a mandate to start negotiations. "At the moment we are working with the European Commission over the intensification of effective sectoral cooperation in a number of areas: education, science, research and innovation, and to encourage contacts between people and creating favorable conditions for trade facilitation. We expect to sign an agreement to participate in the EU initiatives such as 'Horizon 2020', as well as in the 'competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises', Nalbandyan said. Also, the government of Armenia expressed readiness to sign an agreement with the European Union on a "Common Aviation Area" aimed at liberalizing the aviation market through a policy of 'open skies'. Armenia continues its active participation in the multilateral platforms of the Eastern Partnership. "Yerevan has consistently advocated pragmatic and rational actions. We avoid creating new dividing lines. We want to make the most of our membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and at the same time to have a closer partnership with the European Union,’’ the head of Armenian diplomacy explained to his colleagues. Meanwhile, Armenian benefits from membership of the EAEC are already quite visible. As the newspaper reminds, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on ratification of the protocol extending the agreement of duty-free supply of gas, oil and diamonds to Armenia until the end of 2015. The 2013 intergovernmental agreement provides for duty-free supply of oil, gas and diamonds from Russia to Armenia in the amount required for domestic consumption. The price of gas at the border will be reduced from the current $190 to $165 per 1 thousand cubic meters. Last year 1.8 billion cubic meters meters of gas and over 220 thousand tones of petroleum products were exported from Russia to Armenia. Falling revenues of the Russian federal budget for zeroing duties on gas amounted to more than 104 million dollars, on oil products – 48 million dollars. In addition, Russia will contribute $6 million to fund the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2015-2017 to assist Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The voluntary contribution will finance the cost of providing technical assistance to governments of these countries to ensure food security and nutrition, as well as sustainable agriculture. $2 million dollars will be contributed over three years.
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The newspaper North Ossetia notes that in recent decades the demographic situation in the country has been alarming. This concerns not only the representatives of the health authorities, but also the whole of society. The population has decreased from 713,000 in 2010 to 704 million in 2014. The article said that the current problem is connected to the intense migration from the country, especially of youth. Since 2002, 34.6 thousand people have left the Republic irrevocably. Migrants from North Ossetia are more likely to choose the regions of the Central Federal District, mainly Moscow and the Moscow Region, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, and the Rostov Region for permanent residence. As indicated in the report of the International Public Movement "The Supreme Council of the Ossetians", the level of life expectancy in the Republic against the background of many regions of Russia looks good. Among the subjects of the Russian Federation it shares fifth and sixth places with the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic. Among the North Caucasus Federal District regions, the best figures are sewn in Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia. For example, in Dagestan people live on average 1.5 years longer than in North Ossetia. The difference with Ingushetia is even more, by 4.4 years. However, a major concern is the high mortality rate, especially among young people and children. The number of adolescents and young people is reducing, and a simultaneous increase in the proportion of older people in the future can cause a decrease in the reproduction of the population in general. Among the causes of early death, doctors name drug addiction, smoking, car accidents, "rejuvenated" heart attacks and strokes, abortion, and infant mortality. During the period 2000-2012 in the country 1151 child died before the age of one year. According to the authors of the report, if these trends continue over 68 years, the population of North Ossetia will fall by more than 100 thousand.
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Tourism has been declared one of the priority spheres of the economy in Azerbaijan. At the same time, according to local newspaper Yeni Zaman, the key to success in this area is the fact that Azerbaijan has much to offer tourists: there are the rich and diverse nature, historical and cultural monuments, delicious cuisine, friendliness and hospitality of the population. The country has built a lot of new modern hotels, is increasing the level of training, organizing new tourist routes. So, 50 km from the hospitable city of Ganja, you can see Lake Goygol, one of the wonders of nature, akin to our Lake Baikal. The country offers a fun and affordable vacation on the coast of the Caspian Sea. The best beaches are located on the Absheron Peninsula, where the bathing season lasts from May to September. Azerbaijan is interesting for its collection of archaeological monuments and sites. For example, in cosmopolitan Baku there is the Icheri Sheher historical-architectural reserve, which is also known in Baku as the Acropolis, or the Inner City, which has the fifteen oldest mosques. In addition, it is a favorite venue for filmmakers.The publication presents data of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic, according to which in 2006 the number of tourists visiting Azerbaijan has increased from 1.12 million to 2.51 million. The share of the total contribution of tourism to GDP in Azerbaijan is 8.8% to date. The newspaper refers to the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Abulfaz Garayev, who said that due to the well-established air traffic, the presence of common land borders, the absence of language barriers and common historic past, Russian tourists have traditionally constituted a significant portion of the total number of entry of foreign nationals into the country. Last year the stream of the Russian tourists decreased by 3%, while the number of tourists from Europe, the USA, the United Arab Emirates and the Far East to Azerbaijan rose by 10%. The Minister believes the reasons for the decline are due to the difficult economic situation. ‘’There are chances that that this trend will continue in 2015, which promises to be difficult, not only for tourism but also for the global economy,’’ the Minister said. He expressed hope that the first European Games in Baku, which were held in Baku, will have a positive impact. According to the Foreign Ministry, during the Games the country was visited by more than 28 thousand foreign tourists. According to the Minister of Tourism, the opportunities of Azerbaijan require deliberate promotion, because sometimes Russians, including residents of Moscow, know much more about vacationing in Turkey or Switzerland than in Azerbaijan. The Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Vladimir Dorokhin, who also noted that Azerbaijan should more actively conduct propaganda of the country’s tourism potential in Russia, agrees with him.
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The North Caucasus educational event ‘’Emergency Neurosurgery’’ was held in Nalchik, the newspaper Pravda of Kabardino-Balkaria reports. The forum was attended by neurosurgeons, neurologists, intensivists, neonatologists, and traumatologists of the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, as well as more than 130 specialists from regions of the North Caucasus and Southern federal districts, as well as from St. Petersburg, Kiev and Moscow. The organizers of the lecture series, which is held annually in various cities of Russia, were the Ministry of Health of Russia and the KBR, as well as a number of leading Russian research institutes that specialize in the field of surgery and neurosurgery.
KBR’s Health Minister Irma Shetova reported that in Kabardino-Balkaria, on average about two thousand cases of strokes are reported each year. In 2013 the republic launched a federal vascular program.
Academician Krylov, visiting the Regional Vascular Center based at the Republican Clinical Hospital, praised its equipment. According to him, everything available in the regions of the federal target program is there, allowing doctors to perform specialized operations of any complexity. The representatives of the four leading research institutions of the country have offered grant assistance in training colleagues from Kabardino-Balkaria, on the basis of the Moscow medical institutions, and have expressed their willingness to advise colleagues on the treatment of critically ill patients, the article says.
