The Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, held a meeting with economic experts who are to develop Russian economic strategy and proposed to get the Russian business community, the Russian Academy of Sciences and foreign specialists involved in the effort. It is interesting that at the same time a group of Russian experts left for Sukhumi to help the Abkhaz government formulate a socio-economic strategy for the next 15-20 years. The commission that is developing the strategy is headed by Abkhaz PM Sergey Shamba. A draft document is expected to be ready by March, and a final version – by August.
The Russian side is offering the help of the Strategic Development Center (SDC), founded in 1999 on the initiative of Vladimir Putin. Back then the Center was expected to design an economic development strategy for the new government, and now it is responsible for dialogue with the public on economic topics, as well as for developing further strategies. The permanent staff of the Center, headed by German Gref (ex-Minister of the Economy and Trade and current president of Sberbank – Russia's major state bank), is not large, so it organizes new expert groups for each major project. The Russian Institute of Municipal Engineering, whose history dates back to 1929, will also assist the work.
The Abkhaz President, Sergey Bagapsh, stressed that the new strategy should take the Abkhaz mentality as well as ecology into consideration. Sergey Shamba commented on the participation of the SDC in the development of Abkhaz economic strategy, saying that he wanted the most efficient and qualified experts to do the job.
Meanwhile, Russia is carrying out the Complex Plan on Socio-economic Development Assistance to Abkhazia. Recent inspections on its progress showed a fairly good result.
Pavel Martynov, exclusively to VK.
