Key Agencies

Department for Special Programs and Projects

On January 21, 2020, as per the Russian presidential decree, the Ministry of North Caucasus Affairs was abolished. The Ministry was responsible for the implementation of investment programs promoting the socio-economic development of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region and monitored the progress of the programs. The functions of the Ministry of North Caucasus Affairs were transferred to the Ministry of Economic Development. The Department for Special Programs and Projects of the Ministry oversees the direction of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.

Vitaly Gudin is the Director of the Department for Special Programs and Projects.

The Department is a structural unit of the Central Office of the Ministry of Economic Development. It ensures the implementation of the Ministry’s function for the development of state policy of the Russian Federation and legal regulations in the field of the socio-economic cooperation with Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.

The main responsibilities of the Department are:

  • Interact with the de facto authorities of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, other foreign states, and international organizations on issues within the competence and responsibility of the Ministry.
  • Prepare proposals for signing international agreements on the development of the socio-economic cooperation with Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.
  • Participate in the development of draft regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation and in the preparation of draft international treaties.
  • Ensure the activities of the Intergovernmental Commission on the socio-economic cooperation between Russia and Abkhazia, and Russia and the Tskhinvali Region.
  • Ensure the implementation of the international agreement on financial assistance between the Russian Ministry of Finance and the de facto Ministries of Finance of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.
  • Prepare proposals on the list of investment projects in the private sector of the economy and the mechanisms for their implementation in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.