MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Arctic region of Chukotka in Russia's Far East wrote to billionaire soccer club owner Roman Abramovich on Sunday imploring him not to abandon the region 10 days after he quit as governor.
The current head of the Chukotka's parliament said hewanted to resign because of poor health and allow Abramovich --owner of London soccer club Chelsea and ranked Russia's secondrichest man -- to take over.
"You and your team have proved that you can solve ourcommon problems," Vasily Nazarenko, Chukotka's parliamentarychairman, was quoted as saying in the letter published on theregional administration Web site.
"Therefore, taking into account the views of the voters, weask you to agree to run as a parliamentary deputy and, afterthe election, become chairman of the parliament of the ChukotkaAutonomous District."
Since becoming governor in 2000 Abramovich, 41, haslavished millions of dollars on Chukotka, a region almost thesize of Turkey but with a population of around 50,000 peoplewhere reindeer herding is a major source of income.
Analysts have said that Abramovich made a deal with formerRussian President Vladimir Putin to invest money in theChukotka after earning a fortune by buying state-owned industrycheaply in the chaotic post-Soviet 1990s.
Abramovich has built schools, roads, hospitals and housesthroughout Chukotka, where volcanoes and glacial lakes dot thedesolate landscape.
In the regional capital Anadyr visitors now fly into a newairport and can withdraw money from cash machines.
"We remember at the start of 2000 our region was in a heavyfinancial and economic crisis," Nazarenko said in the letter.
"The residents of the region loudly say that you RomanArkadyevich (Abramovich) and your team have rescued Chukotkaand all the region's residents from death."
Forbes magazine estimates Abramovich's fortune to be around$23 billion, mainly held through his investment vehicleMillhouse Capital. His business interests include coal andsteel plants inside Russia and the United States.
Earlier this year Abramovich paid $33 million for apainting by British artist Lucien Freud.
(Writing by James Kilner; Editing by Jon Boyle)
