VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the program to develop the republics of the North Caucasus, including their tourist potential, will continue to be implemented, Itar-Tass reports.

“No matter what the bandits do, we’ll continue to implement the projects, including the development of the tourist cluster,” Medvedev said at a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorist Committee on Tuesday.

“This development can create jobs, which is particularly important for young people, whom extremists recruit and then brainwash,” he underlined.

The situation in the republics of the North Caucasus should be as developed socially as in other regions of the country. “The people who live in the Caucasus live in Russia, and should feel themselves full-fledged citizens,” the president underlined.

Socio-economic development programs have begun to be implemented in the Caucasus in the past 12 months. “They’re making faster or slower progress in certain places, but they’re implementing both federal and regional programs, creating new jobs and changing the situation, for example in Dagestan, which is gratifying,” the president said.