Russia seeks to build £ 10000000000 constellation of five ski resorts in its mainly Muslim north Caucasus, where the Islamist insurgency killed nearly 1,000 people last year. Officials hope that the five centers that are distributed in the same mountains where the 2014 Winter Olympics will be held, will bring tourism to Russia and employment in the impoverished, violence-racked region, the Kremlin is putting their biggest problem.
Regional leaders and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development signed a memorandum on the planned development - dubbed the "Elevation 5642", according to the height in meters the highest mountain in Europe, Mount Elbrus in the North Caucasus - the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum late last week.
"Until now there was no idea that could bring together ... and will bring jobs and investment in the North Caucasus," said President Dmitry Medvedev. "It's a very good opportunity to improve things ... I hope to meet you soon at one of these ski resorts."
Although the volatile republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia are not included in the system, Dagestan - home to two suicide bombers who killed 40 people on the subway in Moscow in March - will be.
In these three regions was at least 862 people killed last year in clashes, bombings and firefights, according to Internet reports Caucasian Knot.
Other centers will be located in Muslim-dominated Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria Republics of Adygea and the majority of Christians and North Ossetia.
Russian officials hope to increase the half of the project 451bn rubles (£ 9.8bn) from banks, including Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and Citi, the rest coming from private investors, state-run news agency RIA said.
The added complexity is built over the next 10 years.
Ingushetia's leader, said Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, who narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack on his life last Friday that tourism should not be considered in the insurgency rages on. "When the situation stabilized, and we restore the economy, only then can we talk about comparing the Caucasus to Switzerland as a tourist destination," said Yevkurov.
Young fueled by poverty and ideology of global jihad arena near-daily attacks in the northern Caucasus.
Kabardino-Balkaria, where Mount Elbrus is located, has experienced a surge in attacks in recent months and analysts say it could deter the constant stream of tourists it receives each year in the ski season.
Islamist rebels claimed responsibility for a series of attacks since January in the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria Nalchik's, which killed at least ten civilians.
Both Medvedev and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has asked for security to be strengthened at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games to be held in the North Caucasus Black Sea resort city of Sochi.
Many rebels want to create a pan-Caucasus, the Sharia-based state independent of Russia. They believe that the Christian-dominated Krasnodar region - Sochi where he is - and Adygea as "occupied territory", according to unofficial Islamist website.
In the Caspian Sea, Dagestan has been a popular seaside resort in Soviet times.
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