Ambassador of Canada to Russia: World crisis influenced our trade-economic relations with Tatarstan

President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov has today at the Kazan Kremlin met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Russia John Sloan. Issues related to future cooperation were discussed.

While warmly welcoming the guest, Rustam Minnikhanov noted the relations between Canada and Russia, including Tatarstan, had been rapidly progressing. “Canada is one of the Republic of Tatarstan’s leading foreign partners,” Rustam Minnikhanov remarked. Canada and Tatarstan are linked with mutually beneficial relations in a number of branches. This is, foremost, cooperation in oil recovery, especially in developing heavy crude, as well as oil refining and petrochemistry.

In 2010, trade between Tatarstan and Canada grew 5.4 times versus 2009, exceeding $212 million. This is the peak value over the years of cooperation. Supplies of plastics and products made of them, optical instruments and devices, inorganic chemical products and plywood last year dominated the Tatarstan export composition. The imported items in 2010 included aircraft and engines, euqipment, agricultural harvesting machinery, oil products, instruments, modified starch, furniture, metal products, et cetera.

Tatarstan has efficiently used Canada’s experience and technologies in oil recovery. The oil company Tatneft, in particular, employs Canada-made equipment. Relations between the Kazan Helicopter Plant and the Canadian branch of Pratt and Whitney, supplying engines for the Ansat helicopters, have been active since 1994.

Ties have been set up in the agricultural branch. Canadian technologies are applied in construction, agriculture, medicine and other economy sectors in Tatarstan.

We have substantial reserves, to develop our relations in the future, President of Tatarstan enhanced. Cooperation on auto components is one of the areas. Rustam Minnikhanov said cooperation with the Tatarstan’s larger machine builders could stimulate cooperation in auto components manufacturing.

“Canada and Tatarstan have built solid relations. The world economic crisis has notably affected our trade and economic relations. The fact that we are restoring and building on the existing contacts is gratifying,” Ambassador of Canada said, while answering questions from journalists. Cooperation should be increased, he noted. John Sloan went on to recall Canada and Tatarstan had established strong contacts in the fields of helicopter and aircraft engineering.

Canada has recently highlighted the environmental aspect of heavy crude recovery, conducting heavy research, he enhanced. Both parties are bound to benefit from cooperation in this area, the ambassador added.

The President of Tatarstan aide on international affairs Timur Akulov told journalists cooperation with Canada in bitumen oil and oil recovery in general had been fast-paced. Increasing cooperation with companies other than the larger Taif and Tatneft would be advisable, he added. The today’s meeting reviewed cooperation in some new areas, including high-sulphur oil processing in Tatarstan, the official said.