Despite all restrictions, sanctions and pressures, Bashkiria’s economy is growing at a good pace. “Even we were surprised,” Radiy Khabirov admitted to us.
Photo: Oksana ZUYKO
– Radiy Faritovich, we want to congratulate you right away: you arrived after a conversation with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who presented you with a badge “For your contribution to international cooperation.”
– This is an award not only for me, but also for Bashkortostan and the management team as a whole. The normal development of the economy of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation is impossible if there is no entry into the foreign market, no trade, no cooperation and no investment. All this had to be done within the framework of the pressure of sanctions. But we were ready. We have chosen several states and areas that we work with. And, in my opinion, we achieved it.
– I will list: Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China, Turkey, Iran.
– Absolutely correct. These States constitute the backbone of our foreign economic turnover. But we don’t just trade with them. 112 countries in the world, that is, more than half, work with us. China offers infinite and unlimited opportunities for the exchange of technologies, goods and experiences. Belarus, we must pay tribute to the leader, has preserved the highest competencies in the field of mechanical engineering, agriculture and light industry. Everything that interests us. We do not only trade with Belarusians: we create joint ventures.
THREE PRIORITIES
– You mentioned China. That is why they have the expression “God forbid that we live in an era of change.” And we all live in a history book. You mentioned sanctions pressure, but the SVO is still underway. And Bashkortostan recruited volunteer battalions, you support new regions.
– I have formed three directions for our team: the first is to support our country, support the armed forces, the Ministry of Defense in the performance of the tasks of the Northern Military District (recruitment, mobilization, generating assistance to the Ministry of Defense, comply with state defense orders). The second is support for participants in a special military operation and their families. And this does not have to be treated formally, it has to be lived. We are doing everything possible to ensure that our guys return safely: we provide them with wood to strengthen their defensive structures, drones, construction equipment, we send everything to receive medicine…
I, as a man, when saying goodbye to the boys, say: “You leave, your families stay with us. These families become our families.” We are directing our help towards this. Moreover, not only within the framework of existing state support measures, we are always ready to provide any help: we can solve any problem!
And the third task, which must not be forgotten: we cannot, citing the SVO, impose sanctions, not develop the republic. Even under these conditions, we will do everything possible to ensure the advancement and development of Bashkortostan.
– We met you eight years ago, when you were on your way to Krasnogorsk, near Moscow. In 2018, you became the head of Bashkiria. Khabirov’s first “five-year plan” has passed. Will you draw any conclusions?
– I summarized it internally for myself. I don’t advertise it anywhere, it’s my personal business. I won’t summarize it externally. It’s not the moment. But I will say this, these years were not the easiest. I live by this principle and guide my management team so that at midnight all merits are set to zero and errors are doubled.
THERE IS SOMETHING TO OFFER YOUNG PEOPLE
– The head of the republic faces a large number of tasks: improving the well-being of citizens, making the region attractive from all points of view and solving the labor problem. That is why a special military operation is also being carried out. It’s good to handle a horse. And when there’s a herd of them and they’re all going in different directions, how?
– The first thing we did was mobilize. If we talk about SVO, we have a large number of people doing something: someone weaves camouflage nets, grandmothers in the villages knit socks, someone prepares stew for the kids… And all of their own free will.
As for the multivector, everything seems to be going well: the economy is growing, investments are growing, salaries are rising, the unemployment rate is unprecedentedly low throughout the existence of the republic and throughout the country, defense industry. It is very busy, but at the same time other businesses are opening here and the rural economy is developing. We did not give such a result in pre-Covid times. Everyone expected the country’s economy to collapse, but it did not collapse.
– A couple of months ago I met a young family, some boys who will soon become parents. Then they went to live in Bashkortostan. What is it that attracts them to you?
– You can raise your hand and say that Moscow and the big cities are absorbing young people; Any young man is ambitious, wants to enter the best universities, to be in modern conditions. And we welcome our boys to study in the capitals and then come to work in Bashkortostan. But we are very happy that youth migration has changed positively in recent years. More and more children come to study with us: at schools and universities. We are building an interuniversity campus: when we launch it, almost four thousand students will immediately be able to live in ultra-modern conditions. There will be coworking spaces and laboratories. We analyzed and realized that the student still wants to live in the center and with great difficulty, but we found a plot of land in the very heart of Ufa.
FRIENDLY REPUBLIC OF PUBLIC SERVICES
– Bashkortostan is a multinational republic. And I remembered our Soviet yard in which I grew up. In my opinion, all the republics of the Union were represented there. And everyone lived in peace. Bashkortostan, with its multilingual schools and diverse religions, is our backyard, only on the scale of a republic.
– Do you remember Putin’s words about Bashkortostan? “Bashkortostan, like a drop of water, reflects all the diversity of Russia: languages, traditions, cultures, religions.” We have Russians, Bashkirs, Tatars, Udmurts, Chuvash, Mordovians, etc. – We have a real ethnographic cauldron. Even my children say to each other: “Rita, Eid al-Adha.” The eldest daughter answers: “Truly Bayram.”
Our rituals and cultures are intertwined. Bashkir wedding with Russian traditions, Russian, with Bashkir traditions. But here they are not only mixed, but also preserved: we are the only constituent entity of the Russian Federation where our multilingual gymnasiums do not have only one titular language. We have a multilingual Bashkir gymnasium, we have a multilingual Tatar gymnasium and a Mari one. And now we are building two more gymnasiums: Chuvash and Udmurt. We have newspapers published in 6 languages.
In the area of the Northern Military District, our guys always say: we are Bashkirs. But among them there are Russians, Ukrainians and whoever, but the Bashkirs are such a collective image.
– What do you think of the jokes about the rivalry between Bashkirs and Tatars?
– I feel very good about that. My coach always said, if you want to be stronger and achieve something, he always fights someone who is stronger than you.” And we have such strong partners in Bashkortostan, and not only in Tatarstan: the Sverdlovsk region, the Chelyabinsk region and the Samara region.
– I have heard the word “jet” from the mouths of many regional chiefs. Is there really competition between regions?
– Each person responsible for the issue (believe me, I do not see indifferent or incompetent people among them), “cries” for their republic. We are fighting for resources, investments, for people. This competition is extremely intense. And it is correct. It is in competition where the movement is born.
THE TOURIST SHOULD BE CAPTURED AND NOT RELEASED
– What about tourism? Surely you are watching how Altai breaks records, how people travel to Sochi, how the Far East develops.
– Now the number of tourists is increasing everywhere: we have more than 30%. Amazing increase. But I look at things seriously. It won’t be like this for long. Someday the world will balance out and people will travel to other countries again. But during this time you have to create a tourist infrastructure, show people, attract them, create conditions so that a person who has been here says: “I will return.” This is a difficult task.
– You have an impressive ski resort in Abzakovo.
– One of the best. 19 slopes in the republic: Abzakovo and Bannoe. But I still think there is a shortage in the country. Where do they mainly go? In Sochi, in Altai, for us. And our task is to create new routes, create new routes, create new glamping sites and hotels. There is a unique opportunity to grab our tourist in his arms and not let go.
DON’T PUT YOUR NOSE UP
– In the Middle Ages, the owner of the land always carried a shield and a motto. The life motto that Radiy Khabirov follows?
– They were bewildered. Let the first thing be to work. Honest and responsible. After all, I am a man, I cannot live without work, which I must do honestly and responsibly.
Second: don’t ignore it. You know, this is a big danger, especially for people who are in power. Every time I tell my wife, “If you see me start to turn my nose up, take a bat, hit me and make me see reason.” You can’t do this, especially in such important positions. You should continue to be a normal person. It is not an easy task, but it must be done. You have to be in tune with people, understand what they want and what you can offer them.
THE NAIS IS OFFICIAL EDITOR ON NAIS NEWS