Recently the delegation from the North Ossetian capital, headed by the mayor of Vladikavkaz Sergey Dzantiyev, was awarded for promotion of investment programs and improving of investment attraction of Vladikavkaz at the investment forum “Municipal Russia.” In Moscow Sergey Dzantiyev shared his views on investment prospects of North Ossetia, as well as his opinion on prospects of integration between South and North Ossetia.
- Vladikavkaz is expanding. Some people say that the process could be speeded up by the integration of South Ossetia into North Ossetia. What do you think about that?
-I never heard such remarks. South Ossetia is an independent state. The republic is developing rapidly. North Ossetia is a part of the Russian Federation. We have a common language, a common culture. We are one and the same people. Unfortunately, the political reality is different. Maybe the situation will change, if the South Ossetian people want it. We have contacts anyway.
-Does the Ossetian Diaspora abroad play some role in political and economic life of North Ossetia?
-Our compatriots abroad should support us. Some indeed do. Still, Ossetian business is small. We have all the necessary investors in such firms at home and don’t need any foreign support. At the same time there are some large investment projects and we are willing to attract greater funds. There are not enough wealthy compatriots to invest in such projects. We would still like some information support. We want our investors to feel comfortable. That means that we should prove that Vladikavkaz and North Ossetia in general are good places to invest in.
Speaking about MacDonalds, for instance, I should underline that we were ready to provide the company with all the necessities. We were ready to provide any building to the company. There was an investor ready to provide funds. But the talks with the company still didn’t succeed. The company’s representative arrived in the city and said he was fully satisfied. Still there was no positive response. We cannot force any one. We hope, though, that the company will respond. I’m certain it would be a profitable business. There is a MacDonalds restaurant in Pyatigorsk. It’s only 200 km from our city. The city’s population is 340 thousand people. There are towns with a population of 50 or 60 thousand people, where there is a MacDonalds restaurant. I’d like to use this opportunity to say once again that we are ready to provide the company with all necessities, including buildings.
- How is power transferred in Vladikavkaz?
-There are two commissions, organized on the initiative of the president in order to transfer more power to the federal subject constituent and the city administration. I think that’s the right decision. For instance, there are no bodies except the ministry of the interior to combat illegal trade. That’s a great pity. We have to apply to the police all the time. The issue of illegal trade is an acute problem for our city. The same goes for advertising. I have to apply to the police in order to remove illegal advertisements. We even have to apply to the court. It takes a lot of time. These are just several examples. Still, we are moving in the right direction. I believe that the right decisions will be made. I believe that local officials will get more power.
VK
