By Vestnik Kavkaza
Azerbaijan's ‘Khalg Gazeti’ reported that at the beginning of 2014 the first line of the mountain skiing complex ‘Tufan’ began its operation in the Qabala region of the republic. The health and tourist facility is being constructed in mountains; it has favorable recreational conditions and provides tourists with excursions and facilities for winter sports all year round.
Four cable paths have already been built; five out of ten ski-runs have been constructed; winter tourism infrastructure is being established. This winter people will have an opportunity to ski, use cable ways and various services, as well as be trained by experienced instructors.
The project also requires construction of infrastructure, new roads, anti-landslide facilities. New hotels, offices, children resort corners, and other facilities will begin their operation in the nearest future.
The newspaper states that Tufan which is being intensively built during two years has special importance for development of tourism in the country. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the First Lady took part in the opening ceremony of the complex. Qabala usually welcomes thousands of guests in summer, and now it will be one of winter tourist centers in the country.
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The Armenian newspaper ‘Yerkir’ published the article headlined “Kocharyan returns.” It says that the former president of Armenia may return to big politics. The author of the article points out Kocharyan’s heavy criticism of the socio-political policy of Premier Tigran Sarkisyan. Kocharyan called him “a lame duck” and stated that such a prime minister is “an unattainable luxury for the country.” Kocharyan compared the socio-economic indices of 2006-2007 with the current ones. The newspaper suggests that the comparison and aims of the statements by the second president were the most popular topics for New Year table discussions.
According to the periodical, Kocharyan’s heavy criticism sets a political issue of dismissal of Premier who is deprived of the support by politicians and common people, according to him. Thus, he tries to attract attention of Serge Sargsyan. The author of the article thinks that it may be considered as a proposal on internal political shifts.
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The Ministry of Health and Resorts of the Kabardino-Balkaria takes the 15th place among 83 constituents of the Russian Federation. ‘Kabardino-Balkaria Pravda’ reported that it was announced at a session of the Health Ministry of Russia. The republic is a leader according to a quality and a pace of health surveys. Kabardino-Balkaria’s infant mortality rate is the lowest in the NCFD and the SFD. As for fulfillment of the road map on boosting salaries of medical workers, in November it surpassed the indicative level by 5-9%, depending on a category of workers.
One of the most important steps was including of the republic into the federal program of medical aid in road traffic accidents. The subsidiaries were about 130 million rubles; a part of them was allocated to renovation of mobile intensive care units which are situated along federal roads in the republic. The program requires providing the accident department of the Republican Clinical Hospital with artificial lung equipment and other high-class equipment.
3 million rubles will be allocated for the treatment of HIV infected people. 19 million rubles are to be allocated to the Drug Abuse Clinic for the putchase of new medical equipment.
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‘Dagestan Pravda’ published an article devoted to cheese-making in the republic, which suffered underdevelopment until recent times. The periodical states that milk farms of many major mountain agricultural enterprises were shut down; some of them survived, but their milk was homemade.
The project titled ‘Dagestan Cheese’ is one of main directions in the priority project ‘Effective Agricultural Complex’ by the head of Dagestan. It was decided to construct 15 cheese-making complexes in 12 regions of the republic; moreover, the project is aimed at quick and profitable milk processing for as many milk enterprises as possible.
Today products of the farm household Nur (the Babayurt region) drove out of shops similar milk products of major milk factories, including those which were situated outside Dagestan. Modern cheese-making factories were built in villages of Irigar in the Suleiman-Stal region, Urkhar and Kunki in the Dakhadayev region. According to the newspaper, in would be nice to involve sheep cheese into the brand of Dagestan Cheese; but today it is still very expensive and is homemade. However, the author believes that the business is very profitable and someday it will be developed.