On 11 August a candidate  for the President of RA, Sergey Shamba gave an interview to the Public TV Studio "Asarkia".
Record notes of the interview with Sergey Shamba
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Corr. How often do you access the Internet?
- Every day.
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Corr. What are you looking for online?
- First I read -mail, then  different information.
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Corr. Are you more interested in politics?
- Well, of course, politics.
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Corr. What do you think of  social networks?
- What is it?
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Corr. "Odnoklassiniki," "Facebook" ...
- You know, I come home and open  mail I see many messages from  " Odnoklassiniki," I could not understand what it is. It turns out that my grandchildren communicate with some of their friends and all relpies come to my mailbox.  First  I open it and    start  deleting  dozens of messages from the "Odnoklassiniki ". I do not know even how to use it.
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Corr.  The most rating question we have is this: When will  the officials fulfill in  income declaration ?
- By the way, I forgot to say about it in TV program yesterday. (The question was about how we are going to fight against  corruption.) One of the first steps in this direction is just to to put it into practice.
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Corr. Do you think  officials are ready for it?
- A decision will be taken, a relevant law be  adopted and they will have to carry it out.
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Corr. How many officials are there in Abkhazia, and is it necessary to reduce the state machinery?
- It is necessary, but it must be completely done. I have said many times, that a serious reforming of a political system is needed. And when we have a real balance of executive, legislative and judicial branches, then we can think about reducing a number of key positions in the state. Today, if we decrease the vice-president and deputy prime ministers and prime minister positions  as some candidates offer, we will concentrate too much power in   the hands of the president. So first we need to arrange a real control over the executive branch, and then  to think about  reducing. Basically, a lot of positions we are having, of course, are redundant.
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Corr.  You consider it necessary to reduce the vice president position, you've already answered this question. Does it mean that you do not think so?
-I agree that this is an extra position, as well as  the prime minister`s. One can reduce other positions too, but until a real balance of  three branches of power is created, it is inexpidient, because too much power will be  concentrated in the hands of the president.
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Corr. What is your attitude to oil exploitation in the Abkhazian shelf?
- It is positive, if there is strict adherence to required safety standards for the environment, I believe that Abkhazia must engage not only in service of tourists, but there must be  a working class and peasantry too.
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Corr. Sergei Mironovich,I can not help asking if  we can provide this control over the exploitation?
- All depends onhow  the authoritieswill behave. A reasonable and responsible government can always control the processes taking place in the country. If in fact it manages these processes.
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Corr. What must be done to break the deadlock over the issue of repatriation?
-  We have to create working places and an effective  repatriation program, and for this  a  political will is needed, as in all matters.
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Corr. Sergei Mironovich, what is your opinion of the village of Aibga?
- A commission has been established for  the village  Aibga. For the reason  that we are  in a new stage of interstate relations with Russia we have not had before, of course, it gives the rise to a number of problems  necessary to be solved.  Including a delimitation of borders, property and other issues  people pay attention to. We have to deal with all this quietly in a businesslike atmosphere and by negotiations, taking into consideration, that now we are building a new level of relations with Russia and sign agreements.  More than 50  of such agreements  have been signed. But the most complicated issues arise regarding property rights and delimitation and this, of course, is natural when a new level of relations is being established between the States.
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Corr. What is necessary to raise the village and when is it possible?
- Funds are needed to support the village. When one of the candidates says: "We will deliver 2  billion for raising  the village  , putting such a statement mildly, is unreasonable. In order to raise the village we need to arrange complex measures to raise the overall economy. In this regard, we believe that   developing tourist business, as we intend to make it a driving force in economic development, it is natural that it will entail also the development of agriculture, including other areas. Because tourism has such a multimedia effect. It concerns   construction, services, trade and first of all agriculture. Because developing resorts will demand products. That is a demand. Today, in order to produce, the farmer needs a demand. It is necessary to assist him to sell products. That’s why we have projects for creating of agro industrial complexes. These complexes will engage agricultural producers, businessmen who will create small enterprises, easy to re-equip, which will take and process their products. Financial groups will participate. For example, banks which will be interested to give interest-free loans. Their interest will be reflected in participation in gaining profits from this business. Such systems exist, I saw them when visiting the area of Bolzano in northern Italy. And being a Prime Minister, I sent a delegation headed by  the Minister of Agriculture to Bolzano, invited  specialists (from Bolzano) to Abkhazia, and ordered  to prepare a plan of development of  agriculture.
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Corr. What must be done in order the next President of Abkhazia, whoever becomes,  keep his promises?
- Firstly, I have not promised anything yet. Those who gave promise, for seven years  have been at   power. If the society is  satisfied by their activities, people can extend their time by voting for them. I'm giving a promise just now. I am at the age when in accordance with the Constitution, I have only five years  to be at power. And very soon, in five years, the society will make sure  of whether I keep my promises, or  not. I assure you that if other candidates are elected they will stay at power for 10 years, And then in 10 years again  we will estimate what they have done. And I can assure you that what they did, they have already demonstrated.
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Corr. It's all a matter of faith, and I'm talking about   guarantees, although I also understand that it is impossible to get a different answer ...
- Guarantees, I'll tell you which ones. We basically do not elect people according to their programs, but their personalities. Let’s see which issues I was assigned to and which results were obtained. Before the war   I was  in charge of   creation   resistance against Georgian nationalistic rush, I created an organization, I was one of the founders, and I headed it then. We made "Aidgylara" the most effective political force at that time, and not only in our country but also beyond the bounds of it. And we came to power to the Parliament. During the war, I organized a resistance, I was a  commissioner and  the first deputy of the Minister of Defence. You know, we  gained  Victory. Some might say that this is not my merit. But  before the war I  was creating military detachments, and before the war I went  all over  the Soviet Union and the Northern Caucasus and sojust of it   volunteers came to help us and they  became an important factor in our victory. After the war, I was charged  to engage in  international affairs, and  as a result of my activities  I signed an agreement on  establishing diplomatic relations with our great neighbor  the Russian Federation. So I always keep promises. So here is  the one who is able to keep promises,  the society, that  had lived with us all these years is aware of what we passed through,  and people will easily determine.