Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of September 13-19

Investigation of Vladikavkaz terror act has background of broad-scale public actions; Chechen Congress in Poland was accompanied by Ahmed Zakaev's detention; the Caucasus sums up first outcomes of Sochi investment forum, - look these and other events in the review of the week of September 13-19, 2010, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Terror act in Vladikavkaz: MIA holds inquiry, public holds rallies

On September 16, the body count of the terror act in Vladikavkaz reached 18, after Zainab Tuaeva, 44, died in the resuscitation of the A. V. Vishnevskiy Surgery Institute. Under the latest information, the total count of victims makes 202 persons. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour and Social Development of North Ossetia began paying compensations to families of the casualties.

Three persons were detained as suspects of organizing the explosion in the Vladikavkaz central marketplace; they take part in operative actions, while law enforcers from Ingushetia have joined the inquiry.

On September 14, Ingush media have informed about four detained residents of the republic. Their relatives addressed rights defenders asking them to help in defining the whereabouts of the detainees. They said that nobody informed them officially about the reason of detention and exact place where the detainees were kept. Some days later, the fate of the detained residents of Ingushetia Seit-Ali Dobriev, Magomed Tochiev and two women - Aminat and Khadizhat Zandarova - became known. They were still interrogated on the terror act case.

On September 16, a statement appeared in one of the websites of Ingush militants saying that they took responsibility for the terror act in Vladikavkaz on September 9. It was reported that the terror act had been committed by militants of the regiment "Riyad as-Salikhiin" and is a continuation of jihad against North Ossetia.

On September 17, Alexander Khloponin, Plenipotentiary of Russian President in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), said that the persons involved in the terror act in Vladikavkaz had been established. According to his story, "the inquiry has moved far ahead." Besides, the leaders of North Ossetia promised a one-million-rouble reward and anonymity to any informant about the organizers of the crime.

The terror act has caused a stormy public reaction. Thus, on September 11, a non-sanctioned picket was held at the building of the government of North Ossetia, where demands were expressed about resignation of the republic's leaders; and appeals were voiced out to ensure safety of Vladikavkaz residents and "strengthen control over the cars arriving from Ingushetia and over their passengers."

On September 15 in Vladikavkaz, an anti-terror rally took place, where residents of North Ossetia were advised to protect themselves against the terror threat, without getting out of the legal bounds. In particular, people spoke about the voluntary people's guard. During the rally, there were no violations of public order. Law-enforcement units controlled the access to the place of the action; its participants got there through metal detectors.

However, on September 17 militiamen detained Azamat Aguzarov in central Vladikavkaz for his sharp criticism of the authorities expressed at the rally. He was detained under the pretext of document check for person identification. On that very day, in a couple of hours he was released.

Besides, on September 13, a big group of Ossetian youth got off to Kartsa village inhabited mainly by ethnic Ingushes. Let us remind you that on the way young people cried out nationalist slogans and accused Ingushes of the tragedy. At the approach to the village they were stopped by militiamen; and bosses of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs managed to persuade the crowd to disperse.

This incident caused concern of Valery Tsomartov and Dzhambulat Ozdoev, Ombudsmen in North Ossetia and Ingushetia, accordingly, who made a joint statement on September 17. "Law enforcement bodies shall reveal and punish not only the executors, but also the organizers of the crimes - all those who kindle hatred between Ossetians and Ingushes," the statement has emphasized.

World Congress of Chechen People passed at the background of Zakaev's detention

On September 18, the three-day World Congress of Chechen People was over near Warsaw. Its delegates stated that recently the world had practically forgotten about the Chechen problem. They called the United Nations to set up an international tribunal on Chechnya, and the European Union and the Council of Europe - to convoke a conference on the situation in the republic with participation of Russia's officials.

The work of the Congress was accompanied by a resonant international scandal. Ahmed Zakaev, emissary of Chechen separatists, who came to the Polish capital to take part in the Congress, was detained by the Warsaw police on September 17. Zakaev is in international search as a suspect of organizing illegal armed formations (IAFs) and involvement in the Dubrovka terror act in Moscow. 

The Polish prosecutor's office demanded to arrest him for 40 days; however, the court refused, referring to the political asylum granted to Zakaev in Great Britain. On September 19, Zakaev left Poland for Great Britain, but promised to return soon.

Investment Forum in Sochi: initial outcomes

The 9th International Investment Forum "Sochi-2010" took place on September 16-19 in the capital of Winter Olympiad-2014.

During the first two days of the forum only, the Krasnodar Territory signed 179 agreements worth 295 billion roubles. The Republic of Adygea signed nine cooperation agreements and contracts to the total sum of 14.6 billion roubles.

The agreement on realization of the Investment Project "Automobile Production and Research Complex - Intrall Technopark" worth more than 10 billion roubles was signed by Valery Gaevskiy, Governor of the Stavropol Territory, and Anatoly Leirikh, President of the "Intrall" consortium. The project assumes to set up a scientific and technical centre for development and putting into production of new Russian-made cars and creation of capacities for manufacturing 60,000 small-sized commercial trucks per year. It is planned to create 8000 new jobs and build the Avtozavodskoy District in the city of Mikhailovsk for the workers of the enterprise.

Besides, in the course of the International Investment Forum "Sochi-2010", agreements were signed on cooperation of the MRSK (Inter-Regional Distribution Networking Company) with the subject of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) in the spheres of energy supplies and improvement of payment discipline.

Let us note here that the largest expositions at the Sochi forum were presented by the Krasnodar Territory, Rostov and Volgograd Regions, Stavropol Territory Tatarstan and Bashkiria. Essential shows were also presented also by North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachai-Circassia, Ingushetia, Chechen Republic and a number of other regions of the NCFD and South Federal District (SFD).