Tiraspol, November, 22. /News of Pridnestrovya/. The President of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky suggested the public participation in forming of Pridnestrovie development strategy for the next 8 years. The Head of the State declared it at the meeting with representatives of the All-Pridnestrovian National Forum (APNF). All authorities participated in drafting of the strategy which includes around 80 pages. The members of the APNF were offered to review its content and to make their comments.
“Maybe, someone believes that it's not the right moment to develop such a strategy. My opinion is quite the opposite, and the harder the situation, the more important is to have the document defining our strategy and development vector”, Vadim Krasnoselsky noted.
Participants to the meeting discussed with the President and the authorities economic and social issues. Both of these areas are closely connected as the development of the social sphere depends on stability of national economy, the APNF Coordinator Yury Cheban noted.
Investments on the Spot of ARNF
The President introduced the fund-raising activities of Pridnestrovian enterprises. Vadim Krasnoselsky noted that negotiations on this issue with one of the Russian banks are close to the end.
Also the Head of the State stressed that it is necessary to restore the trust of foreign business in order to attract the foreign direct investments. Therefore, Pridnestrovie has to ensure the rule of the law.
It was stressed at the meeting that, at the same time, improvement and amendment of the Pridnestrovian legislation have already brought certain results. Investors from Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, Poland, as well as large German and Austrian companies listed on the stock exchanges were attracted to Pridnestrovie. And this is a completely different level of investment, Deputy Chairman of the Government - Minister of Economic Development Sergey Obolonik says.
Engagement of Russian investors is also in process. Government representatives regularly attend various regions of the Russian Federation and economic forums, such as Technoprom in Novosibirsk.
The Minister stressed that the situation is complicated by political risks connected mainly not with unacknowledgment of Pridnestrovie, but with a difficult geopolitical situation around it including aggravated relations between Russia and Ukraine bordering Pridnestrovie, and the frequent deportation of the Russian nationals from the Kishinev airport. All these factors can scare away potential investors.
Investments in Particular Business Projects
The editor-in-chief of the "Chelovek I Ego Prava" (Man and Human Rights) newspaper Nikolay Buchatsky paid attention that investments could be funded not only externally, but also from internal sources. He suggested to develop drafts for people’s investments.
According to Alexander Martinov, such projects are being drafted within the import substitution programme.
The Prime Minister noted that the Investments Agency of the Ministry of Economic Development is close to complete drafting about 30 investment projects which could be implemented in Pridnestrovie as the import substitution. Their presentation is planned for the first quarter 2019. Both, internal and external investors would be able to implement projects from this list.
Also, it is planned to open a business school for start-up entrepreneurs next year. The project will be financed at the expense of the Business Development Fund. Experienced mentors will provide the necessary minimum of economic knowledge and help develop a business plan which can be implemented by the Fund grants.
Social Issues
A recurrent topic was the lack of trained working and engineering personnel because human sciences are still more preferable by youth. Vadim Krasnoselsky told that the Government will shape state demand for higher and vocational education in order to meet the economic requirements.
Moreover, the dual education program which was launched this year is aimed at addressing lack of personnel.
The participants of the meeting also touched upon the issue of paying Russian pension supplements. The Head of the State stressed that Russian aid had not yet come to Pridnestrovie. “As soon as money arrives, it will be immediately paid out,” the President added.
Particular attention was paid to the problems of people with disabilities. The President spoke about the construction of social infrastructure facilities for people with disabilities, and stressed that the end of the Year of Equal Opportunities does not mean that the Government will stop paying attention to the needs of this category of people.
“Though we cannot pay very high pension, we will do our best to create better living conditions”, President Krasnoselsky resumed.
