The inter-governmental meeting, devoted to strengthening of cooperation between Bashkortostan and Tatarstan has taken place in Kazan

The widened inter-governmental meeting with the participation of the President of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov and the President of Tatarstan Rutsam Minnikhanov has taken place in Kazan on September 22. The parties were discussing the issues of further strengthening of interregional ties between Bashkortostan and Tatarstan in sphere of economics, culture and science.

“Nine months ago we’ve visited Ufa and signed the bilateral agreement. This is the basic document in our relations. Historically there are no other closer nations in Russia, than Tatars and Bashkirs and we have to remember and appreciate this fact. Our cultures, languages, religion and even economic structures have much in common and inter-dependable” - Rustam Minnikhanov said, opening the meeting – “We are the biggest oil-chemical centers not only in Russia but in Europe too. Together with the President of Bashkortostan we many times came out for the cluster, existing in Bashkortostan and Tatarstan. The future of Russian oil-chemistry will in many respects depend on how this Bashkir-Tatar cluster is developing itself. But we have to work hard over this progress. I’d like to say many thanks to you for the contact we have in machine-building, especially for “KAMAZ”, uniting two republics. “KAMAZ” produces chassis here and the buses are produced in Bashkortostan. I think we have to support our producers, we have cooperation in aviation engineering and we have similar productions of helicopters and aviation engines. We have to bring the interregional trade circulation between our republics to 30 billion rubles and to go further. Our joint projects in sphere of agriculture are also interesting and our mutual experience should be used by our specialists in all directions.

I want to say thanks to the President of Bashkortostan for that mutual understanding we have now. All of us worry about our traditions and cultures, which are very close. I stand for preservation of our native language and our educational programs. We have to combine our efforts because we fail to preserve our religion, our traditions and languages separately. I am sure that the visit of your delegation will impulse our relations and I want to thank the delegation of Bashkortostan for the relations we have now. I hope you are feeling comfortable here today and I am happy if all of you are happy too”.

After that the President of Bashkortostan has taken the floor.

“Dear friends. We are not just neighbors but people, with whom we play for one team. We are competitors on ice but in real life we are one team, making one business. Your last year visit to our Republic turned out to be of paramount importance for Bashkortostan because it resulted in closer relations. We already feel the growth in our economics. In 2010 the trade circulation between our Republic increased by 30%. We make our meeting more frequent: seminars, exhibitions and congresses are held with participation of scientists from Tatarstan in Ufa and with participation of scientists from Bashkortostan in Kazan. We are successfully exchanging communications and this is very important and interesting. At present time our relations reached a new level. I’ve no doubts they will be just better in the future. Language, culture and religion are the things, uniting us. Nothing separates us but everything unites.

I want to say many thanks for kind reception. My today’s impressions are very considerable and deep. I saw the wide-scaled projects you made a reality. This is not even Russian but the international level. We will try and take your experience into account. Those who came with me and those, who stay at home, understand that the slat is very high and we are trying to reach it. It will be so. And now we mutually complement each other”.