Caucasus Press Review (April 27 - May 3)

Caucasus Press Review (April 27 - May 3)

According to the Golos Armenii paper, Yerevan has hailed the the agreement of Iran and mediators to reach a comprehensive deal by June 30. Armenia believes that sanctions relief for Iran would be a priceless prospect. However, there is a set of hindrances on the path towards full-fledged economic cooperation between the two states. Firstly, the Syunik Province adjacent to Iran is a territory of mountains and narrow valleys, where building railways and roads is extremely hard and costly. The problem may be solved by either taking over the Nakhchivan Region of Azerbaijan or paying for a full-fledged transportation network on the current territory.


Secondly, Persians are one of the oldest nations in the region, their millenium-old wisdom, patience and cunning have been interlaced with Muslim messianism and grittiness. They always stick to their own opinions and keep even close countries and regimes at bay.


Thirdly, Russia has become used to its 'special' relations with Armenia and cannot allow Yerevan 'to indulge in an affair' with another country. In 2007, a gas pipeline from Yerevan was halved in diameter because of Russia. Gazprom could not allow a competitor to appear, so the alternative gas pipeline was buried. The author supposes that the grandiose project of the railway construction through Abkhazia may face the same fate, despite about 10 years of disputes around it. Money has already been found for the project, but the talks continue. The journalist of Golos Armenii deduces that Russia blockades Armenia because a weak Armenia is controllable.


The author compared Russia's attitude towards Yerevan to US policy. Even when Ahmadinejad was in power, the Americans were fine with the close economic and political ties between Armenia and the Islamic Republic. Washington, in his opinion, is more far-sighted and pragmatic than the top managers of Gazprom, for even bad Iran as an alternative communicative access for Armenia is still better than a lack of choice.


The paper views the de-isolation of Iran as a truly unique chance for Armenia to reach some foreign political balance in the next two decades. At the same time, it is a colossal challenge: overcoming Russia's resistance is far from an easy task, Moscow would hardly be eager to see Iranian pipelines on Armenian territory.


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The Yuzhnaya Osetiya paper informs that the A. Tibilov South Ossetian State University was admitted to the Eurasian Association of Universities at the 13th convention of the Association in Saint Petersburg. The Rector of the University, Vadim Tedeyev, said that its teachers will have an opportunity to be publicized in scientific publications, attend scientific and practical conferences held within the framework of the Eurasian Association of Universities. He noted that the education center specialized in mathematics, Ossetian and Russian philology and Caucasus studies. 'Our specialists will gladly cooperate' with higher education centers interested in collaboration with the South Ossetian University and historians working within the framework of the Eurasian Association of Universities and studying the Caucasus.


Tedeyev is confident that the time when all unresolved problems were justified by the tragic events of 1989-2008 is over. It is time to take the scientific and the educational components of the University to a new level. Some of the problems the University faces include a lack of rooms for studies and equipment for teachers and students.


The new university complex was presented to the scienfitic council. Its construction was included in the investment program of 2015-2017. According to officials of the projecting company, about 70% of documentation has been prepared for the complex. It will consist of the main building, where students will have studies, a cultural and administrative building, a dormitory, a gym and a canteen. The cultural and administrative building will house a library, a reading hall, an assembly hall with 300 seats, a TV studio and a museum. The project is worth around 646.8 million rubles. It is expected to open in 2017.


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94% of tourists surveyed in Kabardino-Balkaria in February 2015 planned to visit the republic again. The survey was conducted by Romir on the order of the Northern Caucasus Resorts, Kabardino-Balkarskaya Pravda reports. The survey shows that an average of 80-90% of people are satisfied with different aspects of their vacation.


The polls show that resorts in the North Caucasus are especially popular among tourists from the North Caucasian, Southern and the Central Federal District. Over 34% of them arrived from Stavropol Territory, 14% from Krasnodar Territory, 13% from the Rostov Oblast and Moscow. The key advantages of the resort are the optimal balance between the prices and the quality of services offered, the popularity of the Elbrus brand as the tallest peak of Europe, a must-see place and the natural beauty of Kabardino-Balkaria, the survey says.


The tourists surveyed advocated the expansion of infrastructure, noted the importance of organizing more comfortable traffic, development of accomodation, installation of equipment at children's and exercising lanes, perfection of the snow layer on slopes, night-time skiing services.


Oleg Gorchev, the director general of the Northern Caucasus Resorts, noted that the survey results were largely echoed by the figures of the tourism flow throughout the winter skiing season of 2014/2015.
'Considering the dynamic and the forecasts for the growing demand for internal tourism, we can assuredly expect a rise in the tourism stream. The goal of the company is not only to raise the capacity of the resorts according to demand, but also to provide a high quality and a wide range of tourism services meeting the interests of any categories of guests,' Gorchev said.


In 2015-2016 Trans-Elbrus development stipulates the construction of the third-line cableway Stantsiya Mir - Stantsiya Gara Bashi, skiing tracks, designing of a snowing system and beautification of the Azau Meadow for more comfortable and safe tourism.

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