To the Editor:
On June 27, my son Brian and I left on a 25-day tour of Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Russia. It is another world out there, which our media tells us very little about. In our travel through villages, towns, countrysides and the streets of cities, we found that President Vladimir Putin was well respected and admired, and that Moscow was the centre of that part of the universe. Besides being a very popular tourist destination, (one of the most expensive cities in the world), people from Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and, of course, Russia go to Moscow to work; they work 20 days there and come home for 10.
Moscow is a hive of activity everywhere. We came into Moscow from two different directions, and there are new four- and six-lane highways leading into the city. The streets are clogged with BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, Volvos, Cadillacs and every other American and Japanese car. Men in silk suits and shinny briefcases hurry by, too preoccupied or on their iPhones to give you a smile or a glance. I could have spent my entire time sitting on the street photographing the different ladies’ footwear, toenails painted to match their shoes and handbags.
And what about the West’s embargo and sanctions? To KFC, Burger King and McDonald’s, it seems the business is as usual. The ordinary individual in Russia welcomes the embargo. People were getting upset about the many imports, and now Russia has geared up very quickly to becoming self sufficient developing their own industries. A young couple we stayed with in a village were into making cheeses; their product has gone up 60 to 75 per cent since the embargo. A lady running a souvenir kiosk, said, “Look at my stock. It is all made in Russia now.”
On the other hand, while visiting in Georgia, which is under U.S. dominance, the general populace is very upset about the embargo. Georgia has a centuries-old wine industry. Russia was the main buyer, and now they cannot sell to Russia. Georgia grows tons of watermelon; again, Russia was the main buyer.
Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, is investing $10 billion US in the next five years in the Russian infrastructure. Putin’s goal is to make Russia 100 per cent self sufficient in its food industry within the next 10 years.
At the present time there is a summit underway between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) to establish a new development bank, with an emergency currency pool, each to be armed with $100 billion, to rival the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Russians are very conscious about their diet. A bill has been submitted to curb fast food advertising. If passed, the bill would ban advertising aimed at youth, and would require that such ads be accompanied with a health warning, No advertising would be allowed within 100 metres of gyms, medical clinics, military buildings, cultural venues, libraries or schools.
Creston