"In the aftermath of the Beslan tragedy, Russian businesspeople said, at long last: 'We're going to the Caucasus, to invest and create jobs'," he said Friday at a meeting with members of the North Ossetia public.
The presidential envoy described the region's economic development as a key priority, along with measures to maintain security. "The business community should have come here earlier, of course, as we have asked them to," he added.
All national entrepreneurial associations, including the Industrialists and Entrepreneurs League, have this week voiced their support for the government's plans vis-a-vis the North Caucasus's economy, but have not yet revealed their prospective contributions.
Speaking in a RIA interview about the priority areas of investment, Yakovlev said that in his view, these should be electricity, mining, and tourism. Commenting on this latter sector, he explained that Turkey, Spain and the UK had also suffered from acts of terrorism, yet foreign tourists continued to come there in large numbers. "We just need to stop scaring people off and to show them the many unique places in the North Caucasus, some of which are absolutely safe to visit," he said.
