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Sakha - Yakutia - Yakutiya : Yakutsk (Russia) - President Yegor Borisov 
next presidential elections: 23.12.2001 - former President Mikhail Nikolaev
Speaker Vasilii Filippov - former speaker
Nikolai Solomonov
YAKUTiSTAN’LA iRTiBAT ve YARDIMLAR KONUSU iCiN * Aykal GABI$EV * Yakutistan Genclik ve Kultur BakanlIGI Türkiye
Temsilcisi E-Mail : ayxaltumul * mail.ru
Sakha Yakutia
Lehrmittelzentrum des Goethe-Institutes
Yakutavia Computer Center
Yakutia on the pictures
EastWest Institute Russian Regional Investor Vol. 2, No. 11, 22 March 2000
FIRST YAKUTSK DIAMOND TRADE A SENSATION. The result of the first diamond trade
in the newly-established Yakutsk branch of the Russian Diamond Chamber was a
wild success. A take of $8 million at the branch which just opened in February
beat the record from all previous sales. Branch Director Mikhail Nikolaev said
that the previous five trade sessions generated sales of half a million dollars,
and therefore the results of the Yakutsk branch's debut "can be considered
sensational." Thirteen firms participated in the auction, including companies
from Belgium, Japan, Israel, and the US. Over $11.2 million worth of diamonds
were placed on sale. The next trade session will take place in Moscow on 17-24
April.
Before the end of this year the Russian Diamond Chamber will have four
regional branches. In addition to the offices in Kaliningrad and Yakutsk, a
branch will open in Yekaterinburg in the middle of May and in St. Petersburg in
the summer. The Diamond Chamber may become the 26th member of the World
Federation of Diamond Exchanges, an issue currently being discussed by the
Federation's legal committee. Joining the Federation would allow the Diamond
Chamber's branches to broaden their activities significantly. - Oleg Yemelyanov
in Yakutsk
EastWest Institute Russian Regional Report Vol. 5, No. 6, 16 February 2000
SAKHA TAKES EARLY STEPS IN BATTLE AGAINST AIDS. "Today there are 27,000 HIV
positive individuals in Russia and the disease is quickly spreading," according
to Arkadiush Maishik, a representative of the UN's program on HIV-AIDS. He and
Moscow Project Coordinator Tatyana Shumilina recently visited Yakutsk to further
the work of their program. AIDS first appeared in Sakha in 1996, when it was
found in a Turkish worker in the region. The UN representatives came at the
invitation of the republican government and parliament. "Today Sakha has 97 HIV
positive individuals, so it is too soon to speak about an epidemic. But the fact
that the leadership of the republic is concerned about this problem gives some
hope. Unfortunately, we know of other examples, where local officials reject our
help even though the situation there is even worse," Maishik said. The city of
Moscow is such a case.
The personal interest and support of the head of a region is one of the key
operating principles for the UN program. Only in this case will a region be
included in the pilot program "Taking action to prevent an HIV-AIDS epidemic in
Russia." This program was launched in 1998. Participating in the program could
make the region eligible for support from international sponsors. However, they
must meet several conditions.
First, the UN team must analyze the situation in each region to determine
what causes the spread of HIV. Second, the UN must determine what has already
been done, and what the region is planning to do in the course of the next three
years. Once the UN team has gathered this data, it will set up a federal program
for 17 Russian regions, which the UN will present to various sponsors.
So far the UN team has studied the situation in 10 regions which have
agreed to participate in the program. In general, there are two main problems in
Russia. First, there is very little monitoring for HIV and therefore the numbers
describing how many are infected are only approximations. Second, many people
think that AIDS is simply a medical problem, without realizing that it affects
all of society. While visiting Sakha, the UN team sought to gather as much hard
data as possible. They visited medical, customs, and drug rehabilitation centers
to glean more information about the number of infections detected among the
populations most at risk. The team expressed the hope that Russia would not
become another Namibia where 20-25 teachers die of AIDS every day. - Oleg
Yemelyanov in Yakutsk
SIBERIAN REPUBLIC ADOPTS ENGLISH AS ONE OF ITS 'WORKING
LANGUAGES.' President Mikhail Nikolaev of the Republic of
Sakha (formerly known as Yakutia) has signed a decree that
makes English a mandatory language for instruction in schools
as well as one of the "working languages" at official
functions, ITAR-TASS reported on 6 January. According to the
decree, the measure is necessary because of "the
intensification of inter-state communication, the broad
adoption of advanced information technologies, and Sakha's
desire for integration into the world economic community, as
well as for the creation of a cadre of workers who meet
international standards." Ministers and department heads have
been instructed to provide English lessons for their staffs.
Sakha is perhaps best known for its extensive diamond
production. RFE/RL Newsline
SAKHA SEEKS TATARSTAN'S HELP. A government delegation from the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia met in Kazan on 5 August
with Tatar Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov to secure financial and technical help in overcoming the aftermath of recent
flooding, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported. The damage from the floods, which affected 22 of Sakha's 35 regions, is estimated
at about 1 billion rubles ($158 million) or 20 percent of the republic's annual budget. The Sakha delegation expressed particular
interest in Tatar-produced diesel generators and special vehicles. Minnikhanov promised that Tatarstan will give what help
it can afford. The delegation also met with Tatar State Council Deputy Chairwoman Zilya Valeeva to compare the two regions'
legislation. RFE/RL 06.08.98
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