Tatarstan-Saxony business forum opens in Kazan

The Tatarstan-Saxony business forum has today opened in Tatarstan’s capital Kazan, at the Grand Hotel Kazan. Attendees at the ceremony were the Prime Minister of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Prime Minister of Saxony Stanislaw Tillich. An agreement on setting up a Competence Centre for Machine Building/Production Equipment has been signed.

Mr Minnikhanov welcomed the guests on behalf of the local executive authorities. “It is indicative that trade and economic relations between the regions are actively progressing within the improving Russia-Germany relations,” he said. At present, 34 commercial entities with German participation are active in Tatarstan. The Tatar-German relations are the most successful with the Free State of Saxony.

“I think the main effect was setting up in May 2007 a bilateral task force as an instrument aimed to implement the cooperation agreement between Tatarstan and Saxony, signed by the President of Tatarstan and Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony Milbradt. Today, we have a joint expertise in auto making, auto components, machine building, ecology, biotechnologies, energy and resource efficiency, energy saving technologies, chemical and petrochemical industries, as well as science and education," noted the Tatar premier.

An example of effective cooperation between Tatarstan and Saxony in petrochemical production is the joint venture P-D Tatneft-Alabuga-Fibreglass, set up by the Tatarstan’s Tatneft and Saxony’s Preiss Daimler Group. The manufacturing company, to be put into operation late in November 2009, is to produce fibreglass and products based on it in the amount of some 19 thousand tonnes a year. The total investment is to be 71.5 million euros.

“The German-Russian Competence Centre for Machine building/ Production Equipment deserves a special mention. The project is to allow systemic modernisation of technology equipment and technologies in the aircraft and machine building sectors, and skills improvement for specialists and higher school graduates, based on “knowledge economy”. Establishing such a centre in this republic is to give the local machine building industry a leading edge,” emphasised the prime minister.

The promising areas for cooperation between Saxony and Tatarstan include the petrochemical and machine building sectors, science, ecology, agriculture, small and medium business. “We are prepared to set up joint ventures in the special economic zone Alabuga and to implement investment projects in the areas of energy, information technologies, biotechnologies, and auto components manufacturing. In particular, we are interested in the Saxony’s expertise on bioenergy and bioinnovative technologies, including in pilot biogas installations in Tatarstan. The Tatarstan’s government is convinced that the republic’s future is inseparable from its continuing integration with the contemporary world economy and establishing strong, reliable and mutually effective trade and economic ties with new strategic partners. We are interested in high-quality investments, not just monetary ones, but technology and innovative ones as well,” said Rustam Minnikhanov.

The Saxony’s Prime Minister said it was not the first visit the delegation made to Tatarstan. “We realise that in the Tatarstan’s companies and businessmen, in the executive bodies, we have reliable partners, who are willing to accommodate to us in whatever concerns our relations. Our cooperation with Tatarstan is exemplary,” he enhanced.

“Amid the financial crisis, we have no intention to aim for a big pay-packet, to earn big money fast. We are planning long-term cooperation. The delegation includes heads of small and medium companies whose products are in great demand on the global market. The products these firms manufacture are extremely high-quality, some of them are unique,” said the Saxonian premier. The delegation includes companies, successfully operating in the machine building, auto making, chemical industry, auto components manufacturing, as well as engineering firms with a vast experience of training specialists and skills improvement.

He said investments in high technologies at companies like Kamaz are to secure strong industrial production. “Establishing the competence centre is evidence to that Tatarstan considers it to be a key to success,” noted Stanislaw Tillich, wishing success in operating the centre.

The Russia-Germany Competence Centre for Machine Building/Production Equipment is to be set up in Kazan using the facilities of the Tupolev Technical University. The first stage includes analysis of demand for new technologies in Tatarstan, the second stage involves devising a strategic development plan, and the third stage includes making a business plan. The fourth stage involves negotiating legal terms, the fifth – approving the scientific projects, and the sixth designing joint projects, to meet the demand.