Dagestan Economic Forum to open in Makhachkala

MAKHACHKALA, July 27 (Itar-Tass) - The Dagestan Economic Forum 2011
will be opened in Makhachkala on Wednesday. Taking part in the
high-profile event are delegations of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) countries and countries of the West. The republic's
government told Itar-Tass that "Dagestan will become the first in the
region centre of business dialogue for working out a new strategy for the
development of the Caspian region and Russia." The main topic of
discussions and meetings is the search for the most effective instruments
of socio-economic and socio-political development of Dagestan and the
entire North Caucasus region.
Businessmen and diplomats from the United States, Austria, Germany,
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Israel, Czech Republic, Italy, North
Korea, Finland, Senegal and other countries, as well as representatives of
the Russian government, the head of the North Caucasus federal County,
parliamentarians, leaders of non-governmental organisations that bring
together entrepreneurs have arrived in Makhachkala to take part in the
forum.
The roundtable discussions of the forum will focus on social and
economic partnership between the regions of the South of Russia, the
development of agriculture and the fuel and energy complex, natural
resources, innovative development, tourism and others.
A youth economic congress is planned to be held within the forum.
The venue of the Dagestan Economic Forum will be the newly built
exhibition centre CASPIAN EXPO - it is located between Makhachkala and
Kaspiisk. More than 100 representatives of Russian and foreign media will
give coverage of the forum's work.
The forum is organised by the Government of the Republic of Dagestan
and the republic's Agency for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations
with support of Deputy Prime Minister - the presidential envoy in the
North Caucasus Federal District Alexander Khloponin.
Official media partner of the forum is ITAR-TASS.
On the eve of the forum chairman of the government of Dagestan Magomed
Abdullayev, said in an interview to Dagestani media that the volume of
investments in basic capital in the republic in 2010 totalled about 115
billion roubles. "Rosstat (Federal State Statistics Service) data for the
first half of 2011 also show positive dynamics," he said. "In general, the
growth tempos of gross regional product, which are mainly expressed in the
index of output of goods and services in the basic economic activities,
are almost the same as they were in the first half of 2010. It is
especially gratifying that the industrial production index reached 109.4
percent, which is much higher that last year's growth tempos and similar
indicators of many regions of Russia." Abdullayev also noted that the main
contribution to the growth of socio-economic indicators of the Republic of
Dagestan is made by small and medium-sized businesses.