Rustam Minnikhanov: “We are interested in Japan’s companies entering Tatarstan’s market”

The Tatarstan authorities look forward to Japan’s high-technology firms entering the local market, Tatarstan President Minnikhanov has today said at a meeting with Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Masaharu Kono. The meeting took place at the House of Government in Kazan.

The Japanese business delegation, led by Masaharu Kono, has since 12 July been on a visit to Tatarstan. The delegation includes representatives from the Japanese Business Club (Moscow) and over twenty businessmen representing the interests of the auto, oil, banking and others branches. The delegates have toured some larger facilities, including Kamaz, Sollers, the Alabuga special economic zone, IT park in Kazan, as well as the Yokogawa Electric technical centre.

The guests have visited Volga Federal University and taken part in the Japanese contemporary cinema festival opening.

Tatarstan President highlighted the importance of contacts between Russia and Japan, giving Yokogawa Electric as an example.

He went on to ask the ambassador to facilitate the implementation of the JSC Ammonia project in Tatarstan-based Mendeleevsk (an ammonia, methanol, granulated carbamide and ammonia nitrate plant), saying that Japanese firms were involved.

“Contacts with Japanese businesses should be actively developed,” Minnikhanov said. In his words, Tatarstan could be a pilot region for Japanese companies entering the Russian market.

According to Masaharu Kono, the Russian federal authorities looked favourably on cooperation between Japanese firms and Tatarstan, the Tatarstan President’s press service reports.