Journalists associate conflict in Makhachkala Port with rivalry among oligarchs

Businessmen Suleiman Kerimov and Ziyavudin Magomedov try to appoint their candidates the head of the Makhachkala Commercial Seaport. This opinion was voiced by Dagestani journalists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The team of the Makhachkala Commercial Seaport has scheduled for May 30 a strike in protest against the appointment of Andrei Gormakh to the position of the port general director. According to the head of the trade union of port workers, "for unknown reasons", the Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport ("Rosmorrechflot") decided not to renew the contract with Akhmed Gadjiev, the current general director.

The situation around the Makhachkala Commercial Seaport is related to the rivalry of two economic groups led by Suleiman Kerimov and Ziyavudin Magomedov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the "Summa" Group, respectively. This was suggested by Milrad Fatullaev, the editor-in-chief of the news agency "Derbent".

According to Milrad Fatullaev, Akhmed Gadjiev is a "man from the Suleiman Kerimov's team", and the attempt to remove him from his position may be associated with the upcoming privatization of the Makhachkala Port.

Andrei Melamedov, an economic observer of the weekly newspaper "Novoye Delo", also believes that two influential groups led by Dagestani oligarchs are engaged in the rivalry and struggle for the Makhachkala Port.

"It is clear that Andrei Gormakh is supported by more significant forces. In 2011-2013, he worked as the general director of the affiliated company 'Transneft', and the company together with the 'Summa' Group led by Ziyavudin Magomedov manages the port of Novorossiysk," noted Andrei Melamedov. He has also added that Ziyavudin Magomedov and his brother are close to the direct subordinates of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In March 2016, one of the Magomedov brothers became the head of the amateur hockey team "Night Hockey League", in which Vladimir Putin occasionally played.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.