Tatarstan open for cooperation

Tatarstan was visited by the representatives of business circles of Bulgaria led by Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Russia Ilian Vasilev.

March 19, Ambassador of Republic Bulgaria was received at the Kremlin residence by the President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev. Opening the meeting, the head of republic marked, that historically developed brotherly relations between the two peoples have been tested for centuries and there is no doubt, that they would remain as such henceforth. Besides, the Tatars and the Bolgars have common historical roots. In the Soviet epoch the economies of the countries of the socialist block including Bulgaria were closely integrated with a national economy of our country. Since middle of 40th up to the end of 80th years with technical and financial assistance of the USSR it was constructed about 260 enterprises in Bulgaria , and today they make a backbone of industry, power and a military-industrial complex of this country. Despite of significant drop of trade volume for last ten years, mutual commodity circulation between Russia and Bulgaria has made in 2001 1,57 billion dollars.

At present, the relations between the sides undergo the process of adaptation to modern realities, however it should not be too delayed, M.Shaimiev noted. The political will of Russia to activization of bilateral communications was expressed in the statement by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin made on results of his visit to Bulgaria in March of present year. Inter-regional cooperation in this document is determined as an important resource of deepening Russian - Bulgarian trade and economic relations. Tatarstan as one of large and most economically advanced republics, should, in M.Shaimiev's opinion, actively participate in this process. We are open for cooperation in all fields, RT President emphasized.

Past years the republic delivered synthetic rubber, polymers, ethylene, trucks, washing-up liquids to Bulgaria, and imported various kinds of the equipment and other products. Last year the foreign trade turnover of Tatarstan with this country, according to RT Goskomstat, made 5154,7 thousand US dollars (and it is only 0,15 percents of general foreign trade turnover of republic). At the same time, as it was marked during a meeting at the Kazan Kremlin, potential opportunities for partnership, are rather significant.

For the first time 47-years old Bulgarian diplomat visiting our republic has given due to Tatarstan hospitality which he called "outstanding". As he said, the significant potential is available not only in trade - economic, but also in cultural Tatarstan - Bulgarian cooperation, one of such directions is development of a historical tourism. There are a lot of residents of my country who would like to learn your republic better and to visit the sign places connected to its history, Ilian Vasilev said.

In the near future the working group is to be set up which not only devise priority directions of business partnership, but also engage in development of the mechanism of their implementation. It is supposed, that concrete arrangements will be carried out on the basis of the Agreement signed in June, 1995, between Tatarstan and Republic Bulgaria on trade - economic and scientific - technical cooperation. However, as Mintimer Shaimiev if necessary that, new Agreement may be signed taking into account all modern realities. In the evening of the same day Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Republic Bulgaria to Russian Federation Ilian Vasilev left for Moscow.