Bashkiria Government announced its readiness to increase trade turnover with Austria

UFA, 22 November 2019. /Bashinform News Agency, Galina Bakhshieva/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

In Vienna, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Bashkiria Andrei Nazarov met with the Austrian Deputy Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs Florian Frauscher, who oversees economics, innovation, and international policy.

According to Andrei Nazarov, over the past three years, there has been an increase in trade with Austria, which, according to the results of 2018, increased by almost 20%.

For nine months of 2019, it reached $ 11 million. Moreover, the volume of Bashkir exports increased 1.6 times, compared with January-September last year.

Meanwhile, imports from Austria exceed exports by almost nine times, which is not typical for the economy of Bashkiria, oriented mainly to exports, according to the State Committee RB for Foreign Economic Relations.

“We are ready to discuss plans to expand trade turnover. Therefore, we arrived with a large delegation, which includes both members of the government of our republic and business representatives, ”Andrei Nazarov emphasized. “We are also expecting you with a return visit, possibly in the spring of next year or in the summer, at a meeting of the regions as part of the “Sochi Dialogue”.

In turn, the Deputy Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs of Austria positively noted not only the results of economic cooperation between the two republics but also the successful work of Austrian companies in Bashkiria.

“The regional level of interaction is often more effective,” Florian Frauscher is convinced. “We will definitely organize a business mission in Bashkiria in 2020. Agribusiness and tourism are our priorities. We see the potential for cooperation there”.

During the meeting, the Bashkir delegation proposed to develop cooperation in four main areas: in the agricultural sector, industry, road transport industry, and tourism.

Florian Frauscher thanked for specific proposals and added that the Austrian side saw prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in many areas.

“There are strong companies engaged in transport and road facilities in Austria. We are also ready to share experience in organizing winter tourism”, he concluded.