NEWS

The international conference ‘Islamic Revolution in Iran: civilizational phenomenon and perspectives’ will open in Kazan on February 9. Quite a representative delegation of the Islamic republic of Iran led by Prof. Dr. Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a member of the Higher Council of the cultural revolution in Iran, arrived in Kazan to take part in the conference.

February 6, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev met with Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev. The Head of Russia expressed his gratitude to the current President of the Republic of Tatarstan for his many years of leadership and his contribution to the development of confederate relations in Russia.
Dmitri Medvedev also said that he had signed an executive order awarding Mintimer Shaimiev the Order for Services to the Fatherland, III degree.

The delegation of Tatarstan of 18 people will take part in the Maslenitsa Russian Festival to take place from 5 to 9 February in London.

TAIF-NK, a subsidiary of the Tatarstan-based TAIF holding company, could borrow up to $1.95 billion to build heavy oil residue conversion plant, the holding's company's general director, Albert Shigabutdinov, told Interfax.
Shigabutdinov said the project might cost $2.3 billion overall, and that no more than 80%-85% of this would have to be borrowed.
TAIF-NK itself is financing the initial stage, consisting of design and license acquisition.
Alexander Babynin, general director of TAIF-NK, told Interfax that the company had signed front-end engineering contracts with the UK division of UOP Limited in October for mechanical dewaxing and hydrocracking units and to acquire the technology at a cost of more than $10 million. The plans should be ready in April, after which a third technology, heavy residue gasification and hydrogen separation, will be acquired.
The whole complex should be built in 2014. It will push TAIF-NK's overall throughput capacity up to 9.1 million tonnes from 8.2 million tonnes of crude and refining depth to 95%.

The joint Tatarstan-Finland working group on trade and economic cooperation has held the 8th session at the premises of the Tatarstan Industry and Trade Ministry. The parties discussed the past experience and prospects for bilateral relations.
The group is co-chaired by the Tatarstan first deputy Industry and Trade Minister Vladimir Soloviev and the head of a department at the Ministry for Employment and Economic Development of Finland Henrik Raiha. Attendees at the meeting were representatives from ministries, associations and companies from Tatarstan and Finland.
The parties discussed prospective areas for cooperation between production companies and associations in Tatarstan and Republic of Finland. Some projects for joint implementation in Tatarstan were presented.
The Lahti innovative technology park project manager Salem Banafa briefed the meeting on plans to implement projects related to ecology and energy saving in Tatarstan. He proposed to jointly devise a programme for people, teaching them “ecological” treatment of household waste, to be further collected, transported and recycled.
The European Batteries Oy chairman of the board Eero Nuutinen expressed intention to find a partner in Tatarstan, to roll out production of lithium batteries for electricity-powered transport.
The Consortium Sofi company general director Erkki Leppanen held a presentation of the Sofi group and said it would in spring set up a representation that would search for partners and organise joint ventures. As examples, he recalled the mountain village in Sochi and the polar centre in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district.
The UIT Lentek’s general director Markku Ukkola reported on the company’s experience in housing construction.
Some projects in the fields of healthcare, education and culture were presented during the session as well.
The meeting’s participants noted that launching direct air communication between Kazan and Helsinki would be conducive to expanding cooperation.
Summarising the event, Tatarstan first deputy industry minister Vladimir Soloviev noted that all the proposals related to cooperation, made at the today’s session and yesterday’s direct meetings, would be included in the minutes of the meeting, to be later elaborated on and implemented, reports the ministry’s press service.

A delegation representing the Tatarstan farmers will take part in the 21st congress of the Russian Association of Farmers and Agricultural Cooperatives, AFAC, told Tatar-inform the Tatarstan Association of Farmers and Private Farmsteads.

The Olympic Committee of Russia (OCR) recommends the captain of Kazan hockey club Ak Bars Alexei Morozov as a standard bearer at Vancouver Olympics-2010.

Tatarstan Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov, who was vested with authority of the republican President on February 4, took part in the collegium of RT Economy Ministry. Head of the republican Government called Tatarstan leaders to continue working for the good of Tatarstan in the future.
“What has happened today affects me personally. We have worked as a team for many years – heads of municipal formations, heads of enterprises. I was a part of this team. I think the team was our main competitive advantage. This team exists now, and I am going to continue the current course,” Rustam Minnikhanov stated.
“We must be more ambitious, dynamic, advanced nowadays. It is not a secret that Mintimer Shaimiev was a very authoritative leader. It helped to solve problems in Moscow, have a certain degree of protection. Now, we will need a lot of efforts to preserve and multiply the achieved results,” Rustam Minnikhanov said.
“Our population expects higher life standards from us. It remains the main goal of both the Government and heads of municipal formations,” Prime Minister concluded.

Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev informed about a possibility of creating the Bolgar and Sviyazhsk Rebirth Fund at the session of the non-commercial organization “The Government Housing Fund under the Republic of Tatarstan President” Board of Trustees on February 4.

The JSC Kamaz general director Sergei Kogogin has today spoken to the Russia 2010 international business event in Moscow.

The Kamaz CEO, who is the chairman of the Russian Auto Manufacturers Association non-profit organisation and a board member at other auto manufacturers, took part in the session “Russian Auto Industry: Borrowing Foreign Experience”. He told about the Russian auto industry’s integration with the global auto industry, defining it as an objective process, conditioned by the tasks the national economy as a whole faces.

Sergei Kogogin focused on the Kamaz experience in implementing its anti-crisis programme, the practice of partner relations with leading global manufacturers of autos and components, basic investment projects and diversifying the company’s business. He noted that Kamaz had set itself a task to become a global player.

This is included in the JSC Kamaz’s strategic development programme until 2013 with the description of priority goals until 2018, adopted in December 2009.

Sergei Kogogin presented the key provisions of a programme of Russia’s auto industry development until 2020 that is being devised, reports the company on the official website.