MINERALNYE VODY, September 29 (Itar-Tass) — Threats and risks in the North Caucasus are retreating, Presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District Alexander Khloponin declared at a meeting of the Board f the North Caucasus Customs department on Thursday.
"Now we have been much less talking about certain risks and threats which exist in the Caucasus, but increasingly often talk about the social- economic development of the territory of North Caucasus Federal District”, which is our goal, Khloponin said. He dwelt on programs already endorsed by the Russian government, such as the development of "a tourist cluster" in the North Caucasus.
An agreement was signed with France on the establishment of a joint venture, Khloponin said. The French participation in the project accounts for 1,200 million euros, Russia’s contribution is 300 billion roubles, Khloponin said. The main task is to provide technological equipment, technologies, managerial technologies for the development of health resorts on the territory of the North Caucasus Federal District. Another important task is to develop part of the industry in the federal district itself so as to assemble the equipment here, Khloponin said.
A separate project envisages the development of two more directions of tourism, which the Russian government approved in its resolution. This is a Caucasus mineral water resort - a tourist zone of a recreation type which will be given a new impetus to develop. This large scale project envisages investments into the infrastructure, communications and development of a resource base. It might be compared to a project of a downhill ski resort in scale, Khloponin noted. Another separate project in the field of the development of tourism is the development of the Caspian region, Khloponin said.
Besides, more than 372 other investment projects totally worth over one trillion roubles have been prepared. The government has offered state guarantees of financing these projects on the territory of the North Caucasus Federal District, Khloponin said.
He also dwelt on the problem of alcohol production in the federal district, expressing concern over lack of control in this field.
The presidential envoy called to pay more attention to border cooperation, above all, in Dagestan and in North Ossetia. Dagestan is one of the most problem areas for cooperation on border. Its border corridor should be turned into one of the most modern corridors in the Russian Federation, Khloponin said.
"We have very big tasks ahead, we are beginning to work on a large number of projects which realization is a key to settlement of many social tasks," Khloponin declared.