The North Caucasus will be able to become an economically strong region soon, the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza reported the Minister for the North Caucasus, Lev Kuznetsov, as saying during the program 'Government Hour' in the Federation Council.
"We will be able to make the North Caucasus an economically strong region of a large country," he said.
Answering a question from Vestnik Kavkaza, the Minister stressed that it is necessary to attract domestic investments in the first place. "Today it's important to receive investments from abroad, and make Russian investors believe that not only public investments but also private can be carried out in the Caucasus," he stressed.
"Let me remind you that the consideration of this question would have caused skepticism or even irritation a few years ago. Remember how they said: 'Where to invest? There is no result there.' Today, we already see the understanding and visualization of public investments, and most importantly that private investors believe in it. This is evident in the projects in Stavropol Territory in the agricultural sphere, in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria. This is demonstrated in the industrial sector," Kuznetsov noted.
It is very important, according to Minister for the North Caucasus, that the North Caucasus Federal District has managed to find its niche and is actively developing these industries. "Therefore, the dynamics are positive, and we will continue to enhance it. There is the production of fruits, berries, potatoes and vegetables. These are the companies of the Tyrnyauz complex, Electrocomplex and a large range of military-industrial areas," the Minister added.
The authorities will take care of the social security of the population too, he said. "Through formation of the real economy, we are creating a basis for the internal development of the social sector. In this case, I'm sure that sectoral programs, despite the limitations of the federal budget, will include priority investments in the North Caucasus," Kuznetsov stated.
"We also have special projects, including the medical cluster. Its key task is the creation of high-tech help to the residents of the North Caucasus Federal District. "Last year, residents of the North Caucasus Federal District were provided with high-tech help about 23 thousand times, and 21 thousand times were provided help outside of the North Caucasus Federal District," he noted.
The minister explained that the economic situation in the region is significantly changing for the better. "If five years ago, the phrase "investment and the Caucasus" caused skepticism or irritation, now the situation has radically changed, and it cannot be denied," Kuznetsov stressed.
Under these conditions, the North Caucasus must realize its enormous agricultural, tourism and logistical potential, the Minister for the North Caucasus said. "The North Caucasus has all the conditions for agricultural development. In addition, the region has a unique potential for tourism and a perfect logistical position," Kuznetsov stressed.
"We have a growth of private investment. But the average salary is 65% that of Russia's exponents. At the same time, there is a positive trend – the annual growth of gross regional product," he said.
The Minister placed special emphasis on the fact that the authorities should act on the basis of new approaches and seek new funds. "We need to change our approaches by focusing on industry, agriculture and tourism," he said.
"It is important to create a new image of the region, to be engaged in the formation of the investment climate. The formation of the legislative and regulatory environment is also important. Organizations to attract investment were created in all the constituent parts," the head of department noted.
"The greatest interest today is shown by partners from Italy, India and China. We also plan to expand ties with Azerbaijan and Turkey," he explained.
Work on the investment climate is also under way by implementing promising projects. "We expect that as a result of the reaching of production capacity, 3500 jobs will be created," Kuznetsov said.
"An important component is improving the competitiveness of the products, their presence in the domestic market. We are also building specialized areas and industrial parks," he said.
"If we talk about resorts in the North Caucasus, we are implementing nine projects. In the first stage we are talking about three priority projects - Arkhyz, Elbrus and Veduchi," Kuznetsov concluded.
