On Thursday, June 1, at the joint stand of the Ministry of the North Caucasus Affairs of the Russian Federation , Joint-Stock Company Northern Caucasus Resorts and Joint-Stock Company Northern Caucasus Development Corporation (NCDC) at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2017, Joint-Stock Company Northern Caucasus Resorts signed memorandums of intent with potential residents of the SEZ in Veduchi, the Chechen Republic.
Pik and Vershina companies registered in the Chechen Republic documented their intentions to become residents of the special economic zones in the Veduchi resort in the presence of Odes Baysultanov, First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for Northern Caucasus Affairs. In addition, a third party to the memorandum signed with Vershina was PikExperience LLC, current resident of Arkhyz special economic zone. The total amount of their future investment shall amount to RUB 420 billion.
In accordance with the memorandum, Vershina intends to create in Veduchi resort, the Chechen Republic, a tourist base worth RUB 52 million and arrange a ski equipment rental, involving PikExperience as an operating organization. And Pik shall build at Veduchi resort a hotel complex with a total cost of RUB 368 million.
‘The agreements signed today are an important step towards the development of a new tourist destination on the map of Russia - Veduchi resort, the Chechen Republic. Until now, the anchor resident of the special economic zone established in the prospective resort in Chechnya has been Veduchi company. We thank it for its willingness to participate in an important project for the republic, associated with heavy investment load. Veduchi LLC gave an example, followed by other representatives of private business that is smaller, but no less important for us, and also confident in the success of our joint project. I believe that this is the first fruit of the major investment season to open at Veduchi,’ Odes Baysultanov, First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for Northern Caucasus Affairs, said.
‘We have just signed the tripartite agreement, the first-ever in the project of the Northern Caucasus tourism cluster, involving the current resident of Arkhyz resort and future resident of Veduchi resort. PikExperience, our current resident, which has already set up one of the best ski schools of excellence at Arkhyz ATRC, is to establish together with colleagues from Vershina a branch of its school of instructors and ensure its operation in accordance with high quality standards. I hope that this cooperation will be just the beginning, and later many residents will spread their expertise and successful practices on new platforms’, Oleg Gorchev, Director General of JSC NCR, said. According to him, this would make it possible to achieve the objective of Northern Caucasus Resorts, i.e. ‘to create a truly united networked of upscale ski resorts, recognizable not only by brand and assonant logo, but by the equally high level of servicing and variety of services’.
‘We like to do what we know and love, so things are going pretty well. The upcoming expansion to Veduchi is an ambitious challenge to ourselves. We rely on the experience gained in the work in Arkhyz resort, where there are specific standards related to the provision of services, in no way inferior to the best European practices. And it is a great honor for us that we have participated in their development and implementation. We plan to use a similar approach in Veduchi resort as well,’ Andrey Kuznetsov, founder of PikExsperience, said.
According to Timur Meziev, Director General of Pik LLC, the interest of the population in Chechnya to mountain skiing is growing. ‘Already many people in Chechnya venture into Krasnaya Polyana, that is almost 14 hours drive from there. Veduchi will be located in direct proximity of Grozny, that is, most locals in the Republic will make this place their favorite holiday destination. Therefore, we are confident that our facility will be packed both in winter and summer’, the potential resident shared its plans.
‘We have spent a few years observing the development of Veduchi project before deciding to invest money there,’ Said-Ahkmad Gazgeriev, Director General of Pik LLC, said. In his opinion, this is a great piece of luck when you have an opportunity to finance interesting facilities to be profitable in the future, without leaving Chechnya. ‘In addition, it is especially pleasant to create jobs for fellow countrymen, particularly in rural areas, next to Veduchi. We are pleased to be among the first residents of Veduchi, before dozens of other businessmen begin to assess the benefits of participation in the development of tourism in the republic,’ the businessman concluded.
According to the results of the signed memorandums, JSC NCR will assist prospective investors in the completion of their business plans, preparation of documents and filing applications to the Ministry of the North Caucasus Affairs of the Russian Federation to conclude Agreements on resident activities following the results of the passage of the Expert Council on SEZ and award of the resident status of the SEZ.