By Vestnik Kavkaza
The media of Ingushetia reported on the progress of the implementation of the federal target program "Socio-economic development of the Republic of Ingushetia in 2010-2016." The "Serdalo" newspaper announces the commissioning in Karabulak of the plant for the production of building materials built as part of the program. According to the newspaper, more than 100 million rubles were allocated for the construction of this facility. It includes an automated assembly for concrete production with the capacity of 20 cubic meters per hour and a plant for the production of washed gravel and sand with the capacity of up to 200,000 cubic meters per year. As part of the budget of the construction the plant received 17 units of equipment, including KamAZ and MAZ trucks. The plant is able to provide up to 60% of various construction projects of the republic with materials, and it will employ several dozen people.
The "Ingushetia" newspaper reports about the construction of another facility being built under the Program, - Oncology Center in the village of Plievo. The article says that the new medical facility, located on an area of 4 hectares, will consist of four units – a clinic for one hundred visits per day, a hospital for 100 beds, blocks for diagnosis and preparation for surgery, as well as body radiation therapy block. The facility will be equipped with high-tech equipment, allowing to provide disease diagnosis at an early stage and to introduce the necessary components of radiation treatment.
The program provides for the implementation of 98 projects with total funding to 32.2 billion rubles. In the framework of this program it is planned to construct facilities for housing and communal services, healthcare, education, agriculture, and energy.
***
Georgian ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili spoke about the situation in the field of human rights protection in Georgia in an interview to "The Georgian Times". He said that at present, the international community expects the Georgian authorities to respond to each specific violation of human rights, and with regard to this it is estimated that the state has chosen a democratic path.
Regarding the archive of footages of torture and inhuman treatment by the law enforcement agencies that took place during the reign of the previous government, the public defender said that the presence of 12,800 records with similar content indicates the systemic nature of these crimes and the Georgian authorities as a civilized country should conduct a thorough investigation.
Nanuashvili believes that when it comes to detaining people on political grounds, it is critical that the process is open and transparent. He noted that at present the special law is adopted on the basis of which the process has allowed video and photography, which was not allowed until recently, and now no one will have problems when reading the case materials. He said that the matter of the investigation of disorders of which former Georgian Prime Minister, Interior Minister and Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia are suspected involves several NGOs as observers. By means of a special mission these high-profile cases are monitored by the human rights office of the OSCE, as well as a special adviser to the European Union, Thomas Hammarberg. Public Defender's Office also oversees the details of this process. When it is found out how strong the arguments of the investigation are, it will be possible to draw conclusions, and before that any statement that a person is detained for political reasons is unfounded.
The ombudsman also said that during a recent visit to Brussels, he had a meeting with representatives of the European Union in the format of the dialogue on human rights. It was noted that the implementation of the recent amendments to the Labour Code to protect the rights of workers significantly improved the situation in this area compared with other countries. Moreover, according to Nanuashvili, in some areas of life indicators of Georgia are even higher than those of the EU countries. However, the ombudsman did not specify which ones. The EU representatives, he said, unanimously said that in the country there are obvious positive aspects, from the prison system and ending with the freedom of expression.
***
The "Echo" newspaper, published in Baku, reports that in connection with the Week of Azerbaijani culture, which takes place in Cannes, the prestigious French magazine "Le Figaro Magazine" published the article "Mehriban Aliyeva - attractive ambassador", relating to the activities of the first lady of Azerbaijan. The article says that being a member of the Parliament, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, visiting on official visits different countries and conducting international activities in Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva has made promotion of her country in the world. The publication tells about the international song contest "Eurovision-2012" and the European and World Championships in gymnastics held in Baku and believes that the First Lady of Azerbaijan has made a special contribution to the development of the international relations of Azerbaijan, in particular, to establishing close co-operation with France, for which she was awarded the highest award of this country - the Legion of Honor.
In order to acquaint the world with the culture of her country, Mehriban Aliyeva in 2004 established the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, named in honor of the recognized national leader. Stressing the special merits of Mehriban Aliyeva in the preservation of cultural values of Azerbaijan, the magazine reports on significant projects undertaken by the Fund for the development of education, health and science, for which in 2004 she was awarded the title of Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO, talks about the assistance provided by Mehriban Aliyeva and Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the restoration of a variety of cultural monuments in Azerbaijan and in other countries. In particular, it describes the Foundation's participation in the restoration of two monuments at Versailles, the five windows of the Cathedral of the XV century in Strasbourg, as well as participation of the fund in the creation of the Department of Islamic Art at the Louvre.
The magazine also tells us about her work as a Goodwill Ambassador; it has resumed the restoration of the school building destroyed by an earthquake in Pakistan, the restoration of several cultural monuments in Haiti, as well as assisting the French Association of Victims of Terror.
Noting the special attention given by Mehriban Aliyeva to development of education in the country, Le Figaro Magazine talks about programs in different parts of the country of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the construction and renovation of schools of the modern type, and equipping them with the necessary equipment, as well as special care for sick children.
***
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Abkhazia encourages owners of restaurants of national cuisine (apatskh) to take care of the traditional folk recipes, keeping the Abkhaz culinary traditions. According to the "Republic of Abkhazia" newspaper, this call was announced at the CCI round table in the village of Duripsh in the Gudauta district in the house of a great admirer of the Abkhaz cuisine Ruslan Kokoskir. The participants of the meeting noted that the cuisine plays an important role in promoting the image of Abkhazia, so it is important to present it properly. Traditional Abkhazian cuisine is healthy. These are dishes rich in their taste which, however, are not always qualitatively prepared in restaurants. It was emphasized that traditionally Abkhazians widely used in their diet meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and berries. Abkhazia has given the world such culinary delights as adjika, achash (cheese pie), dried meats, and more.
Roundtable participants paid special attention to improving the work of the national cuisine restaurants and the need to promote national food culture and traditions. "As long as our grandmothers in the villages know a lot of recipes of old Abkhazian dishes - delicious and original, they need to be carefully recorded and enrich the menu of apatsh", the speakers unanimously spoke.
***
"A continuous sound of chainsaws in the virgin forests of Karabakh is no surprise”, Armenian newspaper "New Era" writes with anxiety about the uncontrolled deforestation in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The publication quoted the head of the Karabakh Society for the Protection of Nature Armen Ayvazyan, who complained that some businesses continue to use the local wood for personal gain. "The pace of deforestation”, he said, “is explained only by greed and gluttony. On the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh rich in forests, there is no single nature reserve."
Concern about the lack of reserves was also expressed by director of tourism company "Gandzasar Tour" based in Karabakh Gurgen Hayrapetyan. He said that deforestation is a barrier for eco-tourism development and expressed the hope that in the near future leadership will take adequate measures to address the problem. "Logging”, Hayrapetyan said, “is fraught with drying of springs, and fresh water is one of the main resources of the country, which in the near future will be strategic. Therefore, I am sure "black loggers" should definitely be punished by law. "
The above facts take place in regions of Armenia, where there are forests such as Dilijan or Idjevan. During the energy crisis, he explained, logging was due to the lack of cutting fuel. But even then, much of the wood was used for barbecues and for foreign and local manufacturers of furniture, doors, cognac barrels, etc. End to this barbarism is not visible, the author concludes.
