NEWS

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the current economic situation in the country. The discussion was attended by Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.

In his speech, the President noted the positive trends in the Russian economy and the growth of industrial production. “Almost all key indicators for 2016 are already available, showing us that last year’s results exceeded our expectations”, - said Vladimir Putin. “According to the latest figures, GDP declined by 0.2 percent, which is better than we initially expected, while industrial output increased by 1.1 percent.”

He added that inflation hit record-low levels last year at just 5.4 percent, and this year, inflation continues to decelerate.

In addition, according to Vladimir Putin, business activity is also recovering, and the business confidence index is on the rise.

Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade

Today, the football and athletics arena of the Kazan Central Stadium saw the opening of the festival entitled “I choose GTO”. The festival was attended by 66 people from 40 companies and organisations of Tatarstan.

The event was organised by the Tatarstan Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Tatarstan Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Youth Union of Enterprises and Organisations of Tatarstan, the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of the Kazan Executive Committee and the Ready for Labour and Defence Tatarstan Regional Public Organisation.

The mission of this event is to promote healthy lifestyles among the young workers of enterprises and organisations of the republic.

Opening the festival, Tatarstan Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Minister Denis Valeyev said: “The GTO programme appeared in the USSR, and in present-day Russia it is in high demand as well. Passing GTO tests will both help us be stronger and improve our working efficiency”.

At the end of the festival, each participant will receive a medal and a certificate. If successfully passed the GTO tests, the participants will be awarded bronze, silver, or golden badges.

On February 17, the Boarding Lyceum for Gifted Children with Advanced Study in Chemistry under KNRTU hosted the opening ceremony of the Orbital Centre for Youth Innovation Creativity and a meeting of its Board of Trustees chaired by Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Albert Karimov.

The opening of the Orbital Centre for Youth Innovation Creativity would not only promote the active involvement of children in the studies in chemistry, technical creativity, 3D-modeling, etc., but also allow them learning to do many things with their hands. The Lyceum’s trustees and guests were able to see this for themselves during their visit to the Centre and discussions with Lyceum students.

At the meeting, there were proposals to make CYIC Orbital one of the basic platforms for the University of Talents project competitions, to take part in the UMNIK competitions of young innovators, to enter All-Russian contests of youth initiatives, etc. All these proposals were supported.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for December 2017.

From 13 to 16 February, a delegation from the Republic of Tatarstan headed by Tatarstan Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ildar Mingaleyev was on a working trip to the Republic of Turkey. The visit was aimed at the development of cooperation in the fields of textiles and automotive components.

The delegation comprised Deputy Head of the Executive Committee of Naberezhnye Chelny Eldar Timergaleyev, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Naberezhnye Chelny and Trans-Kama Region Ivan Shigin, representatives of the Institute of Light Industry, Fashion and Design under FGBOUVO KNITU, as well as garment manufacturers of Tatarstan.

Today, the Kazan Construction College hosted a meeting of the Acting Tatarstan Prime Minister Aleksey Pesoshin and the winners of the regional Young Professionals competition (WorldSkills Russia). The event was attended by representatives of the Tatarstan Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Upon arrival to the college, the Acting Head of Tatarstan Government visited the competition area, inspected the workshops and competence sites of the building sector, such as paintwork, plastering, bricklaying, electrical fitting, landscaping, and so on.

Pesoshin recalled that Kazan will host a global event in 2019, the WorldSkills Competition.

Aleksey Pesoshin noted that WorldSkills is a powerful tool to improve the quality and prestige of skilled trades, the training of professionals for the real sector of the economy, and the development of entrepreneurial spirit and self-reliance among young professionals.

The jubilee, twenty-fifth session of the 5th State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan was opened today.

The session was attended by Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, Tatarstan State Counsellor Mintimer Shaimiev, Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Albert Karimov, members of the Tatarstan Government and invitees.

A total of 34 issues were put on the session’s agenda, including 11 republic’s draft laws, 17 federal draft laws and initiatives of Russia’s regional legislatures.

In addition, the parliament session heard the report by Tatarstan Minister of Internal Affairs Artyom Khokhorin on police activities in 2016 and the report by Tatarstan Commissioner for Human Rights Sariya Saburskaya “Observance of Rights and Freedoms of Persons and Citizens in the Republic of Tatarstan in 2016”.

On February 15, Naberezhnye Chelny saw the conference “Energy Management and Energy Services as Tools to Improve Energy Efficiency” and the seminar “Implementation of Programmes to Improve Energy, Resource Efficiency and Energy Saving in Municipalities and Public Sector” within the Kama Industrial Forum 2017.

The events were organised and conducted by the Tatarstan Ministry of Industry and Trade jointly with GAU Tatarstan Centre of Energy Saving Technologies under the Tatarstan Cabinet of Ministers, the Executive Committee of Naberezhnye Chelny, and the EXPO-KAMA Exhibition Centre.

The conference and the seminar were attended by representatives of executive authorities and local self-governments of Tatarstan, as well as public and municipal institutions of the republic.

Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov had a meeting today with Mayor of Paris Mrs. Anne Hidalgo. The event was also attended by Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Albert Karimov. The meeting was held at the Kazan Kremlin, in the meeting room of the Governor's Palace.

Rustam Minnikhanov and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo discussed the issues of holding a national holiday Sabantuy in Paris in 2017 (the agreement was reached earlier at the meeting between Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin and Anne Hidalgo). It is expected that Sabantuy 2017 in the French capital will be held at the Campus Martius, its date to be determined.

In addition, according to the President of Tatarstan, it is important to develop contacts in the tourism industry, in sports, and in education.

Tatarstan Presidential Press Office

German companies are interested in close cooperation with Tatarstan. This was stated by the representative of the Union of Machine Builders of Germany (VDMA) Monika Hollacher during her meeting with executives of the Tatarstan Ministry of Industry and Trade. The event was also attended by representatives of the SEZ Alabuga.

In the course of the meeting, the parties have discussed a number of important issues, one of the topics being the localisation of German companies’ production facilities in the SEZ Alabuga. Another topic was the mutually beneficial cooperation in such fields as engineering, petrochemicals, construction and agricultural machinery, food processing and packaging equipment.

In addition, the participants to the meeting discussed the opportunity of holding a business forum in June 2017 with the participation of representatives from VDMA and Tatarstan enterprises.

Today is the 41st anniversary since the manufacture of the first truck by KAMAZ. On this day, February 16 of 1976, the first trucks of the now world famous brand rolled off the then only assembly line of the automotive plant. They were immediately sent to Moscow for the presentation to the delegates of the next Party Congress.

Present-day KAMAZ trucks differ radically from those first vehicles that came off the assembly line in the 1970s. They are much better, more elaborate, more powerful and more reliable, more durable and capable of carrying more loads. Their design employs the best components of many world-renowned companies. The two-millionth KAMAZ-6522 with an autograph by Russian President Vladimir Putin became a worthy member of this respected family.

Today, as part of the Rostec Corporation, KAMAZ continues its ascent, introducing a new range of vehicles. According to their specifications, the new generation of KAMAZ trucks is not inferior to European standards, but is much cheaper than their competitors, and would quickly pay for itself at much lower costs. The flagship of the new line, long-haul tractor truck KAMAZ-5490, was named the best commercial vehicle of 2014 in Russia.