By Vestnik Kavkaza
Dagestan is ready to produce about 80 product names, including vegetables and meat, within the framework of import displacement, according to the head of the republic Ramazan Abdulatipov, Dagestanskaya Pravda reports. “The number of small cattle in the republic is about 20% of the all-Russian volume. Several major projects on production of poultry meat are being fulfilled in the republic. Moreover, Dagestan is one of the major vineyard regions. It produces more than 50% of all Russian wine production. As for greenhouse estates, their acreage has grown in the republic from 10 ha in 2012 to 30 ha in 2015. According to agreements between Dagestan and Moscow, vegetable depots will be constructed; vegetables which are grown in the republic will be brought to Moscow markets in winter,” Abdulatipov stated.
Speaking about the investment climate in the region, he noted that investors can use such forms of state support as subsidiary of interest of loans sought; development of projects on the territory with prepared engineering infrastructure; development of business plans of investment projects using the funds of the republican budget, and so on. If a project is considered to be a priority, its initiators could use additional measures of support.
***
According to South Ossetia Gazeta, the main achievement of the republic in 2014 was implementation of the Investment Programme for Encouragement of Socio-Economic Development of the RSO. Dozens of socio-cultural facilities, engineering and transport infrastructure were constructed. Many uncompleted construction projects were fulfilled.
Society doubted that the investment programme for 2014, which initially included 32 arrangements, could be fulfilled completely, despite the large volume of financing – 2.807 billion rubles. Programmes on the reconstruction and development of the republic had been adopted earlier as well, millions of rubles had been allocated, ambitious statements by top officials had been sounded. However, there had been no big results. The reasons were obvious: corruption and absence of monitoring.
At the same time, in recent years due to cooperation with Russian partners, the situation has changed dramatically. Monitoring of work and monetary expenditure has been improved.
According to the Premier of South Ossetia, Domenti Kulumbegov, in 2014 not one ruble allocated by Russia for fulfillment of the Investment Programme was used for untargeted purposes. This was confirmed by the Audit Chamber of Russia, which provided checks in the republic.
One of the biggest and most expensive facilities built in the republic is the Dmenis-Leningor highway, which is 64 km long, according to the newspaper. The highway will encourage development of economic and cultural ties between Tskhinvali and the distant eastern region of the republic. The Yedis-Tskhinvali water pipeline was completely reconstructed. A plant of construction items is ready to operate. Social facilities and residential buildings were built. South Ossetia began implementation of the Investment Programme for Encouragement of Socio-Economic Development of the RSO for 2015-2017. It includes 30 arrangements; more than 9 billion rubles are planned to be allocated for this.
***
Kabardino-Balkarskaya Pravda reports that scientists of the KBR and their German partners are fulfilling a project for studying the genome of the Kabardinian horse breed. The fulfillment will take two years. In 2014 a scientific programme was provided – from testing horses under monitoring of physiological criteria in the field to laboratory studies using high technologies at the center for molecular genetics of Humboldt University (Berlin), KBSU, and the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding. The international project will be completed in the middle of 2015. However, the current results are causing great interest among Russian and foreign scientists and breeders. This is the first genetic study of animals in Russia at such a high scientific level.
***
The Armenian newspaper New Time reports that it is difficult to describe what is happening on Armenian social networks today. An avalanche of views, indignant posts, accusations, the keywords of which are “Permyakov,” “murderer,” “monster,” “beast.” And these are the most neutral epithets for the deserter-soldier of the Russian 102nd military base, who murdered an Armenian family. The newspaper reports that people’s reaction is natural.
The author writes that there are people who want to be promoted at the expense of the tragedy in Gyumri. Such statements call for direct worsening of relations with Russia. The author sets several typical examples of such comments: “The Russians turned their military base into a mess…” “Despite numerous policemen, Russian soldiers who are supposed to capture criminals invaded the streets of Gyumri…” “That’s the state which we have trusted our security to.” Some network “experts” state that the murder was provoked by foreign forces and directed at destabilizing Armenian-Russian relations, especially in the context of Armenia’s accession to the EaEU. A provocation by Azerbaijan is not excluded either. Other users are indignant that the Russian media either aren’t paying attention to the tragedy in Gyumri or are doing it vaguely. “Where is the loud talk about Armenian-Russian friendship? This is not only our tragedy,” one user writes. “Yesterday I waited for any reaction by any Russian TV-channel. Only on a channel and only a news ticker… Vapidly and scantily…”
Rafael Ovanesyan, a popular TV-anchor in Armenia, wrote an indignant post as well: “The incident is unprecedented. I don’t remember where and when a Russian soldier has ever shot peaceful people. However, neither the First Channel nor Russia-1 commented on this… I am not against Russians. I have never been against them. But I would like to tell the administrations of leading Russian channels that you are cowards and not humans.” According to the author of the article, some channels, like Lifenews, tried to present the incident in a “warm and fuzzy” way.
However, there were statements which tried to reduce the tension and urged to prevent stirring up hatred.
