UFA, 22 October 2015. /Bashinform News Agency, Alexander Smirnov/. On October 22, a working meeting of the Head of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov and the Chelyabinsk Region Governor Boris Dubrovsky took place in Ufa. They discussed the issues of strengthening business and cultural cooperation between the regions.
“Today, our work develops in accordance with the agreements, treaties that we have signed. We would like to see more active, more substantive progress in it. We have a number of projects that we would like to implement together”, said Rustem Khamitov. “The logistics centre, which is built near Chelyabinsk and today has already begun working focusing on China, is definitely helping us. Our business has already settled there. We are considering now a possibility of trade with China on food direction: grain, meat, maybe some dairy products. In this sense, our logistics centre will also be of a very good help.”
The Head of the Republic thanked the Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region for support of the Bashkir diaspora.
According to Boris Dubrovsky, the visit of the Chelyabinsk delegation pursues several goals.
“We are, first of all, very interested in attending this forum. It is an event by itself for us, and we hope that it will give very specific results - new investors will come to the Chelyabinsk region, new business will be established there”, the Governor said. “Secondly, one of the main reasons why we are here is our desire to explore your experience in preparing and carrying out the SCO and BRICS Summits, what you've done here, how have you prepared for this major event. We expect that in 2020 this event will be held in Chelyabinsk. It is very important for us to study your experience.”
Talking about business cooperation, Boris Dubrovsky invited the delegation of Bashkortostan to participate in a visiting session aimed at finding trade partners in the People's Republic of China. In turn, Rustem Khamitov suggested joint projects in the field of cooperation with China.
Chelyabinsk region is the leading trade partner of Bashkortostan among the regions of the Russian Federation. Its share in the domestic Russian trade turnover of the republic is 10.7 percent. In 2014, the trade volume reached 36.2 billion rubles, thus the share of imported goods is in par with exported products. Among the main products that Bashkortostan supplies in the neighbouring region is diesel fuel, heating oil, motor oil, motor gasoline, cardboard, paper, soda ash, mineral and chemical fertilizers, distilleries, meat and sausages, dairy products, minerals water. The republic imports ferrous metal, Portland cement, steel pipes, building materials, trucks, stoves, furniture, vegetable oils, beer, flour, pasta, cereals, pastries, shoes.
