Speaking about possible ways to stabilize the situation in Dagestan, most of the experts find effective the way attracting in the Republic the billionaires, natives of Dagestan. They still affect the local clans, have a social base, and can either improve or worsen the situation in the country through their actions or inactivity. The latter is understood as passivity and social irresponsibility. Until 2010, investment projects with participation of Dagestan oligarchs had failed, but in recent years the presence of the native business in Dagestan has been expanded by the oligarch from the list of Forbes magazine, Suleiman Kerimov, a native of Derbent. Accordingly, his political influence is also growing, although he himself is a rare visitor to the country.
Many observers believe Kerimov’s activity to be the result of his political alliance with the current President of Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov. Their union was informally concluded still before the arrival of Magomedov to power. Last year, Karimov has been appointed the senator of the Popular Assembly of Dagestan for a second term.
He got the Senate seat, back in 2007 as compensation (instead of the mandate of the State Duma deputy). Then there were persistent rumors about his nomination as a candidate in the federal parliament from Dagestan regional branch of the party "United Russia." Before the start of the pre-election race Karimov invested to the budget of Dagestan, $ 100 million as a charity. Many believed this amount to be the guarantee that Kerimov, if elected, will implement major investment projects in the Republic. But in the official lists candidates Kerimov has not appeared. The reason for not including him in the list of parties was thought to be Vladimir Putin's statement that "the State Duma is no place for billionaires." Meanwhile, in many respects the issue of Kerimov’s inclusion / non-inclusion in the list of candidates depended on the principled position of Mukhu Aliyev. From that moment Suleiman Kerimov was not on good terms with the then President of Dagestan Mukhu Aliyev. His projects also subsided.
With the Magomedov’s coming to power, Kerimov expanded not only the presence of his business, but also charity and social projects. Two large companies, natural monopolie, passed under its control: Makhachkala Commercial Seaport and Makhachkala Airport. The seaport is run by Kerimov’s people since last year, when Abusupyan Kharkharov, a person close to the Mukhu Aliyev, was fired from the post of Head of the port. And the company "Dagestan Airlines", the only carrier in the country, was closed in December last year. There are persistent rumors that Kerimov’s structures will create a new company, which will acquire airport’s ground services and real estate.
A person believed to be Kerimov’s influential political ally is the Olympic champion Sagid Murtuzaliev, who in April 2010 headed a major financial institution Department of the Russian Pension Fund for the Republic of Dagestan. Previously he was the Head of Kizlyar district and was in opposition to Mukhu Aliyev. At the same time, the former Head of the Department of the Pension Fund, Amuchi Amutinov, had a reputation supporter of the former President Mukhu Aliyev. During the mayoral elections in Derbent on October 11, 2009, Amutinov actively opposed arrival to this post of the current mayor Imam Yaraliev, who is considered to be close to Kerimov.
The oligarch is also extending his charitable activity in Dagestan. Every year, thousands of poor pilgrims fly to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj at his expense. He builds mosques, makes gifts to imams, in particular in the form of cars; he paid flights for the treatment of children in China. It was also reported that Kerimov will take another important social project - construction of a youth center.
However, one of his major projects is considered to be football club "Anji". The former head of the republic refused to sell the club to the oligarch, which caused outrage in the sport-social circles of the Republic. The current leadership of Dagestan finally sold the club to the oligarch, which helped to solve all the financial matters of the club, and in the future will help build the infrastructure. Some call "Anji" Kerimov’s political project, others call it business project. Investments in the club are big, but whether it will bring "Anji" big profits, and when it will happen, are open questions. But Kerimov’s political rating has jumped. Not only the (in fact, modest) results of "Anji" in the last season contributed to the growth of its prestige, but also the fact that Kerimov has combined the seemingly incompatible. He has united in one community of stars of world football and football fans of Dagestan. This increases the number of fans, mostly children, and football fans. "Wild Division" – this is how club "Anji" is called - is growing every year. Football players Yuri Zhirkov, Samuel Eto'o, and Roberto Carlos, the whole team, backup staff, reservists, youth teams, and fans are all seeking the same goal - the "Anji"’s entering the level of European football and achieving the participation of in UEFA Cups and the games of the League of Champions. European teams’ arrival to the matches in Dagestan will be another incentive for the development of football movement and, as observers say, it is already changing the atmosphere in the country, distracting the public from the problems of extremism, improving background information, as well as pushing the government and business to create the infrastructure, appropriate to the European level.
Musa Musaev, Makhachkala. Specially for VK
