Timur Utsayev, Grozny. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Turkey will invest in Chechnya. This was stated during the visit to Grozny by seven members of the Turkish parliament, heads of chambers of commerce, and representatives of the business community. The head of the delegation, Turkish MP from Malatya Mujakhit Fyndykly told Vestnik Kavkaza: “We came for three days and managed to conduct political meetings and estimate opportunities in the economic sphere. We brought representatives of major chambers of commerce from Konya, Side, and Adana. We consider Chechnya as a possible place for investments. We will tell other Turkish businessmen about it. I am sure this visit will positively influence development of economic and political relations between Turkey and the Chechen Republic.”
The first deputy ministry of industry and energy of Chechnya, Sultan Rashmayev, told Vestnik Kavkaza that they offered Turkey projects on construction of leather-dressing and shoe factories, cooperation in furniture producing, construction of a cement factory, and energy facilities. “All these spheres are traditional for Turkey. They are well-known producers in these branches, so their experience is very interesting for us. If they decide to take part in this or that project, these will be mutually beneficial relations both for Turkey and Chechnya. All our projects have been approved by the Ministry of Energy of Russia and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Russia. These projects should be interesting for investors. The head of the republic is a guarantor of all projects.”
According to the deputy minister of economic development and trade of Chechnya Isa Bisayev, the republic has already signed a cooperation agreement with one of leading Turkish companies. “Traditionally the most developed direction of Turkish companies’ activity is construction and production of building materials. The second direction is food industry and agriculture. I see prospects of cooperation with Turkish companies in these directions. They have a developed infrastructure of equipment production and technologies, either Turkish or European. They can be used in other regions, including the North Caucasus. Chechnya has adopted several laws which require benefits for potential investors to attract them to the republic,” Isa Bisayev told Vestnik Kavkaza.
The Turkish delegation has paid attention also to thermal waters of Chechnya – the republic takes the third place after Kamchatka and Dagestan in possessing these resources. An average temperature of thermal springs is 74 C. It will help growing vegetables all the year round. Thermal waters were used in the Soviet times; and today some enterprises are using them. “Chechnya has about 200 thermal water springs. Each of them has peculiar qualities which help to cure certain diseases. The delegation found it interesting. They urged us to use it for attraction of tourists. We were invited to visit hotels and health tourism facilities in Turkey for sharing their experience with us,” the deputy chairman of the Chechen government on tourism Yusup Magomayev says.
Mujakhit Fyndykly noted that representatives of the Turkish delegation were surprised by the progress which they saw in Chechnya: “You are successful in using the strategy of peace. We paid special attention to agriculture and thermal waters. The volume of import and export between Turkey and Russia is more than $35 billion, and sometimes we have problems with customs, especially when it concerns fruits and vegetables. It will be reasonable to transfer a part of producing to the territory of Russia, for example, to Chechnya. There are all necessary conditions.
We learnt that industry was well developed in the republic before the war. It is an advantage for us because you have the industrial history. The Chechen laws are rather attractive for investors. The fact that Russia is now a member of WTO is an advantage as well. We have a proverb: “Shared grief and troubles become less.” But shared treasures and experience become greater.”
