Rustam Minnikhanov summarizes results of 2016 at his traditional meeting with representatives of mass media agencies

On December 26, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov summarized results of 2016 at his traditional meeting with representatives of federal and regional mass media agencies at Tatarstan Government House.

At first everyone honoured the memory of people, who died in Tu-154 plane crash in the Black Sea, by a minute’s silence.  

Opening the meeting, Rustam Minnikhanov said that the republic is finishing the year with good results despite economic difficulties. The GRP volume, industrial and agricultural output are showing positive dynamics. Tatarstan is one of the leading regions by a number of indicators.

The implementation of major investment projects in petrochemical sector is underway. The launch of delayed coking unit at TANECO plant and opening of the country’s first gas and chemical complex “Ammoni” have been important events in this sphere. Among priority tasks are launching of heavy residues advanced refining unit “TAIF-NK”, the production of commercial petrol, and other projects.

Commenting on the situation with Tatfondbank, Minnikhanov said that the financial problems were caused by events of 2014. Some banks with law liquidity have faced a difficult situation.

Representatives of mass media agencies asked about construction of the transport corridor “Europe-Western China”. The president said that every project aimed at development of transport network is very important for the republic. He noted that cargo transportation between China and Europe is carried out by sea today, and it takes up to 50 days. The new highway “Europe-Western China” will help to reduce this time to 10 days.

Answering the questions about current economic situation at KAMAZ PJSC, Rustam Minnikhanov said that the auto giant increased its sales and is expecting to produce 34 thousand trucks by the end of 2016.

The journalists asked about plans on the development of non-resource exports. The president said this is one of the main tasks in the sphere of import substitution. The republic has focused on the development of processing industries over the last few year, he added.

Next year was announced the Year of ecology and improvement of public spaces in Tatarstan. In this regard the president informed that large-scale work on developing urban and park environment will be continued in the republic.