In October 11, 1990, a new holiday has appeared in Bashkortostan – the Day of Republic. The historical Declaration of state sovereignty RB was approved that very day. This declaration has become the most important event in the newest history of Bashkortostan and in many respects it contributed to foundation of real federalism in the country. With admittance of sovereignty the course towards democratization of public life, renovation of economics and social sphere was determined.

The approval of this document stands in one line with such events as declaration of national sovereignty of Bashkortostan on November 1917 or declaration of Bashkiria’s Soviet Autonomy on March 1919. Moreover, the declaration has become a logical continuation of that memorable agreement with the Central Soviet power, because14 months after it had been signed the legal status of the Republic was brought down to the position of a regional autonomy.

Formalized and restricted competences of Bashkortostan didn’t let it solve even the elementary problems self-dependently. The Republic held leading positions on the level of its economic development in the Soviet Union, leaving the majority of Russian regions behind, but was found in the sixth-seventh dozen of the regions on its social indices. It stood behind on production of consumer goods, housing building, and on supply with kindergartens and hospitals. The situation looked even more aggravated because having miserable social sphere the Republic has become an ecologically distressed region, overburdened with harmful and hazardous productions. The reforming period, which began in the country in the second half of 80s, has created conditions for transformation of formally allied but absolutely unitary state into really federative one.

In that difficult situation our Republic was making the first steps in renewed Russia. The hardest political and economic crisis was storming all over the country, different branches of power were coming up and regional policy was practically absent. Bashkortostan had to solve the most complicated economic and social problems without any real support and it had practically to save the system of Republican life-support. The unprecedented measures have been undertaken in order people would be able to adapt themselves to the reforms.

At the same time the republic wasn’t afraid of responsibility for everything, happening on the territory RB within the frames of its authorities and that time the right ways for uniting the efforts of power and society for beginning the reforms on economic and social sphere have been found. Wise combination of strong state power and initiatives and activity among local citizens helped us to pass the transient period with dignity. Local power has managed to preserve the control over public processes and to create a favorable environment for upsurge of the people’s economy and growth of people’s well-being.

Thanks to sovereignty Bashkortostan has managed to preserve its powerful production potential and succeeded in many spheres mainly thanks to that certain economic self-dependence, provided by the Declaration. Thus, demonstrating healthy pragmatism the Republic has refused from the „shocking therapy“, total privatization and preserved its real sector of economics. Thereby we’ve managed to avoid mass unemployment and to create real prerequisites for further economic upsurge. In order to neutralize negative after-effects of the economic crisis in 90s Bashkortostan used state regulation of prices for the main foods and introduced additional preferences and subsides in addition to the federal ones, even free-of charge public transport trips.

Formation of Bashkortostan’s state system had the decisive essence for solution of its social-economic problems: establishment of Republican parliament and strict executive power vertical. New Republican legislation permitted realization of our own reforming model with the two main principles in its basis: transformation of planned-distributive economy into a market one instead of its total destruction and preservation of social guarantees for population. At that active coordination role of the state was the key peculiarity in development of Bashkortostan and not only in economic but in social sphere too.

Developing together with Russia and in many respects following is own model of the reforms the Republic has managed to overcome hard times, preserve and replenish its own rich economic and spiritual potential, having achieved stabilization of the situation first and further coming onto the way of accelerated progress in all spheres.

The approval of the Declaration of state sovereignty has become the first, the most responsible and the hardest step on the way to a new democratic legal state and to a news status of the Republic as a full subject of Russian Federation. Signing of the Federative Contract with the Application from Republic of Bashkortostan to it, declaration of Bashkir Constitution and signing the contract with the federal center concerning delimitation of authorities logically resulted further. These documents have become a reliable legal foundation for all our reforms and the institution of Presidency represents the main moving force and the guarantor of the new power system. No doubt, Bashkortostan in many respects followed its own way, developing our own model of reforms. It has become possible due to the unique experience of regional legislation. About 680 laws and 16 codes have been passed in general and these laws serve as a base for all actions, which have completely changed life of Bashkir citizens.

Realization of national projects in agriculture, housing building, education and health sphere and the strategy of innovation development get vital importance.

Integrated development of Bashkortostan is the main peculiarity of our Republic today. Unlike previous decades, when economic growth never seriously affected social sphere, our present successes in production are directly accompanied by rise of living standards for citizens of Bashkortostan.

In the most difficult times of Russian reforms Bashkortostan has preserved its powerful economic potential and now stable rise of its economics is going on. Electrical power-engineering, fuel industry, chemistry and oil chemistry, machine-building and metalworking are the leading branches here and our Republic is actively taking part in the task of Russia’s transformation into world power-engineering state.

Combination of highly developed industry and powerful agrarian sector is one of the most important peculiarities of our economy. In the beginning of 90s, when several Russian regions started reforming their agriculture too radically, our Republic has come along its own way. It staked on vital forms of farming and state support of agrarian sector never ceased. Establishment of machine-tractor stations has played the great role in technical rearmament of our agriculture. Bashkir agricultural enterprises and organizations annually financed for purchases of agricultural machinery, elite seeds and combustive-lubricating materials and Bashkortostan is practicing rational protectionism in this sphere.

Development of building industry and transport infrastructure is becoming of paramount importance today and the sphere of informatization and communication is stormily developing. Bashkortostan is one of the leading Russian regions on the level of installation of telephones. Gasification of Bashkir settlements is close to the end. Consumer market of goods and services is dynamically progressing and the role of private business is especially great here.

External economic, trade relations of Bashkortostan are rapidly expanding and 86 countries of the world are considered trade partners of Bashkortostan now.

From the region, mainly specializing in exporting raw materials, our Republic is gradually turning into an exporter of high-tech quite competitive ready-made production. Here modern machinery, new technologies, science-intensive and high-tech final products of oil processing and petroleum-chemistry are produced and the newest wares of our machine-building industry are exported to India, China, South Korea, Malaysia and other countries.

Bashkortostan has become an indisputable leader on many indices of the level of life in Russian Federation, having left the sixth-seventh dozen of Russian regions, as it had been in early 90s. The questions of population’s life quality are always in the focus of attention for Bashkir leaders and these questions are solved systematically and step-by-step.

The active social policy has in many respects neutralized the losses of the transient period for citizens of Bashkortostan. The expenses for social sphere have increased several times and plenty of schools, health centers, culture palaces and theaters have been put into exploitation.

All families with many children and scanty needs are taken under personal control and special attention is turned to veterans and invalids. Republican target programs are successfully realized on several directions – protection of motherhood, childhood, social support of population etc. Special stress is laid on strengthening of families. Additional monthly subsides for families, having four and more children, are paid in Bashkortostan and families, having more than ten children, are supplied with personal transport absolutely free-of-charge (microvans). Special Presidential programs „Children of Republic of Bashkortostan“ and „Bashkortostan’s Youth“ are aimed at support of our boys and girls. It is quite clear that all abovementioned requires serious investments but the Republic believes it isn’t wise saving money on our future despite rather difficult financial times.

In opinion of authoritative rating agencies Bashkortostan is considered one of the most prosperous Russian regions and holds the second place after Moscow on quality of living standards. The rise of people’s well-being remains the main goal for the political course, followed by the Republic.

Demographic indices in Bashkortostan are higher on the whole, than all over the country on average. Thus, average lifetime made about 67 years in 2005 in Bashkortostan. Bashkortostan has one of the highest indices of birth rate and one of the lowest – of natural loss in Volga federal region.

Competitiveness and perspectives in development of countries and nations are nowadays in many respects determined by education, science and culture. On average up to 40 educational institutions are either erected or reconstructed all over the Republic every year and positive results of the top priority national project „Education“, which is underway in the Republic, can be seen already today. Bashkortostan is traditionally found in the Top10 of Russian regions on indices of education and development of human potential and it is one of the leaders on number of schools and gymnasiums and the number of students, studying there. Bashkortostan is one of few Russian regions, where serious attention is turned to financial support of scientific institutions and this strategy corresponds to the strategy of Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning the basic constituents of any progress – education, science, innovations. The republic is taking the course towards close integration of scientific and education institutions, fundamental and applied investigations, the increase of their innovational orientation and economic and social effectiveness.

The questions of spiritual-cultural development hold significant place in our state policy. Today 12 professional theaters, 7 concert organizations, 85 museums, 1782 public libraries and more than 2400 cultural-leisure centers work in our Republic. The Republic develops and supports mass amateur art activity. Bashkortostan has become one of the well-known centers of Russian and world art too and it holds such wide-scaled Russian and international art forums as „Shalyapin’s evening parties in Ufa“, the festival of Aksakov, Nuriev’s Ballet Show, the festival of Turk-speaking theaters „TUGANLYK“ and others. The Days of Salavat Ulaev, „family-tree“ festivals and some others have also become very popular.

167 printed editions are registered in the Republic and more than 70 newspapers and magazines are published in Bashkir regions. Our satellite TV is turning to 18-hour broadcasting now.

Development of the system of local self-government – the municipal power – has become one of the most important aspects in the Republic and this reform is called to make power closer to people and to raise the level of its functioning.

The work on building up close cooperation with political parties and public movements is going on and Public Committee under President RB works for that for already many years. Bashkortostan today is one of the most multinational republics in Russia and at that it is one of the most stable and harmonius.

Sure, national agreement and mutual cooperation between nations and confessions don’t happen on its own and here the historical traditions of our land and well-planned effective national policy are important. We’ve built up one of the most developed systems of national education. At 6 Republican schools education is organized with usage of national languages and 14 national languages are taught as separate subjects. Great assistance is rendered to national culture. Bashkortostan possesses the unique experience – 14 national-cultural centers are established in Bashkortostan and several national-cultural centers and communities work in the House of Friendship RB. Besides, such programs as „The Nations RB“ and programs on restoration and development of folklore among Bashkortostan’s nations are strictly executed.

In hard times of reforms we’ve managed to do all possible for our miltinationality would become the factor of power and unity of the society for the good of the main goals. As Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during one of his visits to Bashkortostan:-“Our Russia with its variety of cultures, religions, languages and friendship of nations is reflected in Bashkortostan like in a drop of water“.

One may talk much about gains and lessons of Republican independent development but the key summary is that Bashkortostan has become one of the most economically developed and politically stable regions in the country, which is notable for its striving for creation. Public-political innovations of recent years  strengthening of the power vertical, persistent coordination between federal and regional legislations and changes in inter-budget relations – witness the revaluation of the current system of relations between the center and its regions.

It is important for Bashkortostan as well as for other Russian regions that the process of reforms wouldn’t crash rational practice in this sphere and the matter is the contracts, which have strictly delimitated our authorities and played very positive role in development of Russian regions. That’s why deputies of State Council-Kurultay-RB has sent the appeal to Russian President V. Putin, called „Renovation of contractual relations between Russian Federation and Republic of Bashkortostan“, where it is said that further perfection of contractual relations between Russia and its regions is a strategic direction in development of Russian state as a federative state and they suggest that the head of Russian state should initiate the process of renovation of the contract between Russian Federation and Republic of Bashkortostan on further delimitation of authorities.

In a new version of Bashkir Constitution the term „sovereignty“ is replaced by the term „state structure“, which presumes the Republic owns full authority beyond jurisdiction of Russian Federation and its authorities in sphere of joint competencies but this replacement doesn’t change the essence: the state system of Bashkortostan allows solving the tasks, standing before the Republic, more effectively and this step doesn’t ruin either integrity of Russian Federation or its sovereignty, using its great potential with maximal efficiency.

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