28 May 2001
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Parliament Calls for Amendments to Federal Election, Citizenship Laws
Tatarstan�s State Council called on the Duma to amend federal legislation on elections and citizenship, strana.ru reported on 25 May. Tatarstan wants to have dropped a requirement that districts must not differ from one another by more than ten percent in the number of voters. The republic also wants federal legislation to be changed to allow for republic citizenship.
Slavneft Becomes Tatneft�s Partner at Kremenchug
The Russian-Belarusian oil-gas company Slavneft and Tatarstan-Ukrainian Ukrtatnafta on 23 May agreed to set up a joint venture on the basis of the Kremenchug oil processing plant, tatnews.ru reported. Ukrtatnafta board chairman Vladimir Matitsyn said that Slavneft won�t infringe on the interests of Tatneft. Tatneft earlier reduced oil deliveries to the Kremenchug plant because of the moratorium Russia had introduced on fuel deliveries to Ukraine.
Minnikhanov Reelected Tatneftekhiminvest Holding Board Head
The Tatneftekhiminvest holding general manager Rafinat Yarullin on 25 May said that his company�s annual shareholders meeting had reelected Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov as board chairman, AK&M reported.
Nizhnekamskshina Holds Shareholders Meeting
Radik Ilyasov, Nizhnekamskshina general manager, on 24 May told the shareholders meeting that the company�s production in 2000 has grown by 33 percent and the company has become profitable, Tatar-inform reported. The meeting agreed to pay stockholders 150 and 50 percent of dividends per privileged and normal shares respectively. The board reelected Tatneft general manager Shafagat Takhautdinov as its chairman.
Iskhakov Becomes Club-6 Member
Kazan Mayor Kamil Iskhakov on 25 May joined the Club-6 uniting heads of administrations of the Volga District largest cities � Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Perm, Samara, Saratov, and Ufa, RBC reported.
Tatarstan�s Deputy Mufti Greets Komi Muslims
First Deputy Chairman of the Tatarstan Muslim Religious Board Valiulla khazrat Yakupov takes part in the celebrations of the tenth anniversary of the Komi�s Usinsk Muslim community, Tatar-inform reported on 25 May.
Tatar Youth Festival Opens
The third festival of Tatar youth �Tatarstan � my Motherland� aiming preservation and development of the Tatar national culture, language and traditions is to take place on 28-29 May in the Bolgar reserve, Tatar-inform reported.
Ethnic Communities Mark Anniversary Of Friendship House
Representatives of ethnic Diasporas living in Kazan on 26 May marked the second anniversary of the Peoples� Friendship House, Efir-inform reported.
Tatarstan Constitutional Court Finds Per-Minute Charges Illegal
The Tatarstan Constitutional Court said on 26 May that the introduction of per-minute telephone charge by the republic Communications Ministry was illegal, Efir-inform reported. The court said it was an infringement on the rights of needy people who have lost part of their privileges as a result of the measure. And the court ordered the measure reversed.
1,000 Pyramid Scheme Depositors To Receive Compensation
Some 700,000 rubles have been transferred to Kazan from Moscow to compensate victims of financial pyramid schemes, Efir-inform reported on 26 May. Some 1,000 WWII veterans, invalids and people above 80 years old will receive some compensation.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova
DAILY REVIEW FROM BASHKORTOSTAN
Nuclear Power Station Construction to be Resumed
Deputy Prime Minister Midkhat Akhmetov said in Ufa on 26 May that construction of nuclear power station in Bashkortostan�s Agidel urban area will be resumed in near future, strana.ru reported. The station�s first block is to be completed by 2010, with two more blocks finished by 2020.
Rakhimov Meets VGTRK Head
President Murtaza Rakhimov met with visiting Russian state television company VGTRK chairman Oleg Dobrodeev to discuss information policy, development of TV and radio transmission, and the establishment of satellite television in the republic, the presidential press service reported on 25 May.
Bashkreditbank, Uralpromstroibank Integrate
Bashkreditbank and Uralpromstroibank signed the agreement on cooperation, �Vedomosti� reported on 25 May. Bashkreditbank press service said that the alliance will develop joint investment projects and open offices in 100 cities of Urals and Siberia.
Oil, Gas Producers Seek Investments
The third Ufa oil and gas producers congress said that member companies need $17-20 billion in investments to develop. Nikolai Tsvetkov, president of the NIKoil investment-bank group, said that the oil and gas sector will need $650-700 billion of investments during next 20 years while the branch itself will be able to invest only $450-500 billion from its own resources. He said that deficit of investments in gas industry in 1998-2000 totaled $14.5 billion and that this contributed to the fall in gas extraction by Gazprom in 2000 by 22 billion cubic meters.
Rare Books Not Being Well-Preserved
Rustem Rezyapov of the Bashkortostan Akhmet Zaki Validi National Library told Bashinform on 25 May that his library lacks the resources to preserve old editions.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova