Rustam Minnikhanov meets Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Russia Carmel Brincat

On December 7, at the Governor’s Palace in the Kazan Kremlin, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov had a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Russia Carmel Brincat.

Welcoming the guest, Minnikhanov noted that there is a good opportunity to discuss the prospects for the development of Tatarstan-Maltese cooperation aimed at strengthening relations between Russia and the Republic of Malta.

Minnikhanov reminded that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and expressed his hope for further development of cooperation between Russia and Malta.

Despite the complicated geopolitical situation, which does not contribute to strengthening relations, we should find new interesting areas for our businesses, Minnikhanov said.

"Tatarstan offers every condition for making investments in the region. The economic situation is stable in the republic, with the economic growth rates exceeding the average ones in Russia. The region has a lot of experience working with foreign companies. I am sure that we will find many common areas in terms of mutually beneficial relations," he added.

Tatarstan President also expressed his hope that the visit of the Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Russia will give a new impetus to the development of mutually beneficial ties between Tatarstan and Malta.

Minnikhanov said that in 2016 the trade turnover with Malta amounted to 47 million US dollars, adding that this year has shown a positive trend.

Tatarstan President also briefed about the economy of the region. He noted that the republic produces and processes oil, has the developed petrochemical industry, manufactures cars, airplanes, helicopters, ships, with about 50 per cent of industrial goods being exported.

Minnikhanov said that Tatarstan has topped the national rating of the investment climate for the third year in a row. "I am sure that my colleagues will tell you in detail about the Alabuga special economic zone, the Innopolis project, and other regional infrastructure sites," he said.

Tatarstan President also told the ambassador about such large-scale investment projects to be implemented in the region in the next few years as the Europe-Western China international transit corridor, the interregional multimodal logistics centre in Sviyazhsk, the construction of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway.

Tatarstan is ready to develop cooperation with the business community of Malta and hopes for constructive interaction, Minnikhanov summed up.

In his turn, Carmel Brincat shared his impressions of his visit to Kazan. "We had a meeting in Moscow some time ago. I was looking forward to coming to Tatarstan to create the basis for our relations. We understand that these are only the first steps," he said.

Speaking about cooperation and development of contacts, he said that Malta has the same intentions to interact. "We consider ourselves a friendly country.  We need to establish ties," the ambassador said. Carmel Brinkat also noted good relations with the Russian community who live permanently in Malta and develop their own business there, investing in various sectors of the economy.

“The development of friendly relations with Russia is a priority to Malta. We have joined the project to open a network of our consulates in the regions of Russia. We have our consulate in Nizhny Novgorod and intend to open an honorary consulate in your city," he  said.