Timur Utsayev, Grozny. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Last week Russian-Arab Business Week was held in the United Arab Emirates, one of the central events of which was the business forum "Russia and the Gulf" in Sharjan and the Russian-UAE Exhibition. Extensive expositions of investment projects were presented by Moscow and Chechnya. The Minister for Trade and Economic Development of Chechnya, Abdul Magomadov, told VK about the participation of the Chechen side.
- Abdul Abubakarovich, who represented the Chechen delegation, and which projects were presented by it?
- As part of the Chechen delegation, the Minister of Energy and Industry, the Chairman of the Governmental Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the Managing Director of the Russian Agricultural Bank and the Minister of Transport and Communications arrived in the UAE. Government delegations of Chechnya participated in the forum on behalf of President Ramzan Kadyrov. From the first days the Russian delegation was formally received by the Arab side in the emirate of Sharjah, along with the leadership of the Chamber of Commerce. We presented our investment projects to our hosts and spoke about our work in the republic and the achievements of the authorities in the last few years. The updated booklet of investment projects of the republic presented 68 investment projects and proposals in various sectors of the economy providing for the construction of modern high-tech industries with a total investment of over 153 billion rubles. Many of them were presented at the forum. The most promising projects, in our view, are the plant producing LED lighting products, construction of the first line of the cascade of hydropower stations on the river Argun, perennial plants of super-intensive type with drip irrigation of 300 hectares, construction of a canning factory in the city of Grozny and perennial plants of super-intensive type with drip irrigation of 500 hectares.
- Was any interest in the Chechen projects shown at the exhibition?
- After working in the exhibition halls, a plenary session on the most important areas of the Russian-UAE economic and investment agenda was held. Representatives of the Chechen delegation spoke about investment opportunities in the region. Then the delegation was received by Prince of the Emirate of Sharjah, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, and the leadership of the Russian-Arab Business Council headed by Vladimir Yevtushenko visited the stand of the Chechen Republic. Great interest in the stand was shown by heads of different levels and the business elite of the UAE.
- What are the main results of the Russian-Arab Business Week for Chechnya?
- Within the Forum, meetings were held with the discussion of investment projects in energy. We previously discussed with large companies the opportunities and involvement of business in the republic in the form of joint ventures or under state guarantees. Particular interest at this stage appears in the energy field, as well as projects of agriculture. Both the prince and the head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Yevtushenko highlighted in their speeches the representative participation of the Republic, with a good stand and well-developed investment projects. Interest was felt thanks to the official visit of Ramzan Kadyrov to the UAE. For his part, Vladimir Yevtushenko asked the representatives of the Chechen government to meet with him to continue the dialogue initiated in the UAE and to provide support and assistance for the promotion and implementation of the investment projects presented by us. In general, the interest both in the stand and in the presentation materials of the republic was great. We hope that the visit will not be left without a trace, the contacts will continue, and there will be some benefits for the implementation of projects and attracting investment to our specific proposals.
During the exhibition, the Chechen side also submitted a draft investment platform "Chernorechenskaya" for the construction of leisure, recreation and health facilities. In this zone in the territory of the Chechen capital, the so-called Grozny Sea (Chernorechenskaya Reservoir), a popular place in Soviet times, is already being intensively cleaned. According to unofficial information, investors from the United Arab Emirates are also attracted to its revival, and the project is expected to become one of the major tourist destinations of the republic - with modern hotels, spas and sports facilities.
In addition, at the end of last year in the Energy Ministry of Chechnya a meeting with the UAE construction company «Al Qoswa Inv.s» was held. The guests were presented investment projects in industry and energy. The Chechen government and the leadership of the construction company signed letters of intent to build a cement plant and a thermal power plant of 400 MW in the republic.
