President of Tatarstan meets Indian Ambassador

On July 25, Mintimer Shaimiev received in his Kremlin residence Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Russian Federation Krishnan Raghunath who had arrived in the republic with a two-day fact-finding visit. The visit is intended to learn more about the present situation in the field of economic and cultural cooperation and to determine the ways of its further development.

T atarstan and India have long-lasting friendly relations. In 1998 the Tatarstan delegation led by President Shaimiev was in India with official visit. People of the republic are traditionally interested in Indian culture. Kazan has a successfully-operating Centre for Indo-Tatarstan cultural connections and Naberezhnye Chelny - Centre of Indian culture "Sarasvati". Besides Kazan and the Indian city of Haiderabad are sister-cities.

From 1998 India moved from the 25-th to the 7-th place on the list of Tatarstan's foreign trade partners. Last year the volume of trade with India reached its maximum in the last six years - $110,727,800. India traditionally buys in Tatarstan synthetic rubber, trucks and helicopters, instrument-making products. The Tatarstan import consists mainly of medical products, food, raw material and equipment for the food-processing industry. In opinion of the ambassador, the potential for trade and economic cooperation of the parties is far from being exhausted. Among the principal causes hindering the expansion of mutually advantageous partnership, Mr. Krishnan Raghunath named lack of information from both sides about the opportunities for cooperation. Tatarstan and Indian businessmen have to establish direct business contacts more actively. And we, in turn, are ready to inform them about concrete trading and investment offers, he said. One of these offers was voiced during the conversation with the Tatarstan President - the offer on creation of a joint venture in Tatarstan to promote traditional tea business and to increase the deliveries of Indian tea to Tatarstan.

In conclusion, the President of Tatarstan said that much is being done to promote further cooperation, especially in humanitarian sphere, however the potential for trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation is much greater. We have to increase the deliveries of Indian medicines and food products, there are also opportunities for cooperation in the sphere of mechanical engineering. The parties agreed that Tatarstan will actively participate in annual international exhibitions in Delhi to present the products made in the republic.