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Alexander Novak's Visit to the Occupied Tskhinvali Region

2023 / 11 / 22

Author: Arsen Araqelov

On November 17, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian government, Alexander Novak, visited the occupied Tskhinvali region. Novak supervises the occupied regions of Georgia. This was his first visit to the region.

Novak participated in the 22nd meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on socio-economic cooperation between Russia and the de facto republic. As part of the visit, he also checked and monitored the progress of Russian-funded projects.

Meeting Between Alan Gagloyev and Alexander Novak

On November 17, the de facto President, Alan Gagloyev, met with Novak and discussed the issues of economic cooperation between the de facto republic and Russia.

Meeting Between Alan Gagloyev and Alexander Novak

Together with Gagloyev, Novak attended a ceremony of opening three residential buildings. These houses were built under the Russian-financed investment program promoting the socio-economic development of the region. Each building consists of 75 residential apartments.

Ceremonial Opening of the Residential House

Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission

Before the 22nd meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on socio-economic cooperation which was held on November 17, the parties consulted in a “narrow” format.

The meeting was attended by Gagloyev, the Chairman of the so-called government and the Co-Chairman of the Commission from the side of the de facto republic, Konstantine Jusoev, the Head of the so-called Presidential Administration, Anal Margiev, and heads of de facto ministries.

Members of the Russian delegation were Novak, the so-called Ambassador of Russia to the region, Marat Kulakhmetov, the Head of the Directorate for Interregional Relations and Cultural Contacts with Foreign Countries of the Russian Presidential Administration, Igor Maslov, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Volvach, and the Deputy Director of the Department for Special Programs and Projects of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, Anton Melnik.

At the meeting, Novak noted that Russia considers the region as its strategic ally and “ensuring the security in the region is a long-term interest of Moscow, given the new geopolitical reality.” He noted that the establishment of a multipolar and fairer world order is currently underway, which provides more opportunities for the development of trade and economic cooperation.

Novak expressed gratitude to members of the de facto government for supporting Russia's full-scale military aggression in Ukraine. According to information confirmed in open sources on November 22, a total of 39 fighters from the Tskhinvali region participating in Russia's aggression in Ukraine were killed.

After this, Novak paid more attention to economic issues. According to him, it is in Russia's interests that the de facto republic develops more ties with various regions of Russia, as well as with Russia's allies. He noted that for this it is necessary to offer partners projects that will interest them.

Meeting of the Delegations

Gagloev opened the meeting of the “commission,” thanked the delegations present, and then gave the floor to Novak. According to Novak, this meeting is symbolic, 15 years have passed since Russia recognized the independence of the region and “over these years, the region has achieved significant results in building an economically independent, democratic state,” he noted.

Novak stated that despite politically negative processes, Russia is ready to continue to support the de facto republic with finances, experts, and resources. He also voiced Russian government’s hopes that the de facto government will work accordingly. First of all, Novak noted the effective completion of all activities planned to be implemented until 2025 within the framework of the investment program, the continuation of the process of integration with Russian legislation in the customs and tax, and strengthening control of Russian-provided financial assistance.

As an important factor for the economic development of the region, Novak singled out the increase in the investment attractiveness of the de facto republic, which can be reflected in cooperation with different regions of Russia, both in the trade and economic, as well as in the development of the scientific and technical fields.

The main issues to be discussed at the meeting were the activities carried out within the framework of the investment program in 2023, the plan for the next year and the action plan for optimizing the energy supply of the de facto republic.

At the end of the meeting, the parties signed a protocol, and then Novak gave an interview to journalists. He noted that 12 of the 18 projects under the “program” were put into operation this year and he is satisfied with the work done by the de facto government.

Reportedly, the de facto government plans to ratify documents by the end of 2023. Following the ratification, the region will adopt the unified customs tariff of the Eurasian Economic Union and the rate of customs duties in force in Russia.

The next, 23rd meeting of the “Intergovernmental Commission” is planned in Moscow in the first half of 2024.

Meeting of the “Intergovernmental Commission”

Monitoring of Projects

On November 18, after the meeting of the “Intergovernmental Commission,” Novak left the occupied region. The Russian delegation headed by Maslov continued the working visit and inspected the progress of construction works ongoing under the investment program.

First of all, the delegation visited the Vibromashina factory. As planned, the factory is to process marble and other stones and use them as building materials from 2025. According to preliminary information, the factory will employ 148 people.

In the Tskhinvali region, much attention is paid to the issue of construction production. In this regard, the Ir Basalt company is worth noting which the delegation also visited. The factory was built with Russian funding, but it has not started operation yet. According to the Director of the factory, Roman Jioev, the company needs to purchase appropriate equipment to be operational.

The next facility visited by the delegation was a canning factory under construction, which is located in the village of Frisi, the Tskhinvali district. As its director noted, the factory will produce various canned goods and employ 220-250 people from 2024.

Finally, the delegation inspected the construction of the “old bridge.” According to Maslov, he was satisfied with the progress the de facto republic has made since his last visit.

Igor Maslov Checks the Progress of the Projects

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