Rustam Minnikhanov and Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen have discussed further cooperation

February 3, Tatarstan Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov met with the delegation of the Republic of Finland led by Paavo Väyrynen, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development.

Greeting the guests, the Head of the Government marked that “Finland traditionally has been Tatarstan’s largest foreign trade partner. Unfortunately, the global financial crisis affected our relationship, however temporarily. We highly appreciate mutually beneficial trade and economic relations with Finnish partners and plan to develop them. The Finnish experience in using innovation technologies in spheres like medicine, education, construction and agriculture attracts us. In general, many directions taken by Finnish companies meet with what is being done in Tatarstan today. We are also interested in everything related to construction of the International transport corridor Western Europe – China which is to pass through Finland. We have a strong confidence that the mutually beneficial cooperation between the Republic of Finland and the Republic of Tatarstan will develop successfully.

The Minister for Foreign trade and Development of Finland thanked the Tatarstan Government for a warm welcome and support to Finnish companies for implementing joint projects. He emphasized that the meeting with Rustam Minnikhanov was of importance for the further joint work. Paavo Väyrynen invited the RT Prime Minister to come to Finland with a return visit. The Head of the Tatarstan Government accepted the invitation with gratitude.

The meeting resulted in signing the Agreement on cooperation between the Investment-Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Innovation Centre of Finland ‘Finnod Russia’.