9 July 2004
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Tatar, Altai Parliamentary Speakers Sign Cooperation Agreement
A five-year cooperation agreement between Tatarstan's State Council and the Altai Republic's State Assembly was signed on 7 July, the last day State Council speaker Farid Mukhametshin's visit to Altai Republic. Mukhametshin and Altai legislature head Igor Yaimov signed the agreement, which was written in Altai, Tatar, and Russian.
Yaimov said during the signing ceremony that Tatarstan's experience in appeals to the Russian Constitutional Court, building its statehood, forming legislation, and developing the agro-industrial sector will be very useful for the Altai Republic. Mukhametshin said Tatarstan will promote the transmission of programs of Tatarstan's Yanga gasyr satellite television and radio station in the Altai Republic. He added that the two republics will develop interparliamentary relations and join efforts to promote the problems of Russia's peoples at the federal level.
First Line Of Underground To Be Launched By Kazan Millennium
Kazan Deputy Mayors Oleg Antosenko and Mansur Khafizov told a briefing of the Tatar Cabinet of Ministers on 7 July that the first line of the Kazan subway will be completed by the Kazan millennium in 2005. Construction of the 8.7-kilometer, five-station line began in 1997. Of the total of 10 billion rubles allocated for the project, 5.5 billion rubles have been spent. In late 2003, Kazan persuaded Moscow to increase the federal government's share in financing the project from 20 to 50 percent. This year, the Russian and Tatar governments allocated 2 billion rubles for the construction. The Kazan subway is planned to include three lines at a total length of 43 kilometers.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova
DAILY REVIEW FROM BASHKORTOSTAN
Bashkir Airlines Pilots' Strike Gives Way To Compromise
Pilots of Bashkir Airlines launched a strike on 8 July, resulting in the delay of four flights and damages to the airline estimated by the company's management at 1 million rubles ($34,360), according to RosBalt (see "RFE/RL Tatar-Bashkir Report," 8 July 2004). Union deputy leader Sergei Yeshtokin said the two sides later on 8 July reached a compromise agreement to end the strike, adding that management acceded to union workers' five demands. Yeshtokin said work on a collective agreement between the trade union and the airline administration should be completed within 15 days; otherwise, the trade union might renew its strike.
Bashkir Airlines lawyer Radik Gainullin said management plans to appeal to a court "to declare the work stoppage illegal." He said the decision to strike is "irresponsible and illegal," adding that the purported damages figure includes lost profits on four delayed flights, expenses for passengers' accommodations in hotels, and the parking of jets at airports in Ufa, Norilsk, and Moscow.
Turkish Companies To Invest In Glass Containers, Beer In Bashkortostan
Turkey's Anadolu Group and Efes Beverage Group are ready to invest more than $75 million in Bashkortostan's economy, company officials told Prime Minister Rafael Baidavletov during a recent meeting, RosBalt reported on 8 July, quoting the Bashkir government's press service. Anadolu Group plans to invest over 50 million euros in the construction in 2004-05 of a glass-container plant in Ufa with a capacity of 900 million bottles a year. Efes Beverage Group, the owner of a controlling interest of the Ufa Amstar brewery, intends to invest $25 million in its reconstruction. The Turkish businesses were promised tax breaks during the investment period.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova