Rustam Minnikhanov meets Prime Minster of Saxony Michael Kretschmer at the SPIEF – 2019

On June 7, at their meeting on the second day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and Prime Minster of Saxony Michael Kretschmer discussed the prospects for further cooperation and steps for the rapprochement at the interregional level.

Speaking about the forum, Minnikhanov called the SPIEF an efficient venue for interaction, where government structures, business and a large number of mass media are represented.

He thanked Kretschmer for the hospitality and the organization of the visit of the Tatarstan delegation to Saxony in February of this year. During the visit, a Cooperation Agreement and a separate agreement on the establishment of Tatarstan representative office in Saxony was signed.

Tatarstan is interested in expanding contacts with the Saxon business, Minnikhanov said. Today, there is a Tatarstan-Saxon working group and a cooperation agreement was signed between the Chamber of Commerce of Tatarstan and the Chamber of Commerce of Leipzig.

In his turn, Kretchmer reported that work on launching Tatarstan representative office in Saxony (Leipzig) is underway. The necessary organizational and legal procedures are currently underway.

Prime Minster of Saxony and Tatarstan President also discussed the implementation of the digital industry 4.0. This helps industries to improve the efficiency and to use new technological materials.

Minnikhanov emphasized that young professionals are necessary for 4.0. According to him, today it is also important not only to introduce the principles of the digital industry 4.0 in new industries, but also to modernize the existing ones with the principles of 4.0.

Minnikhanov also said that Germany has gained good experience in digitalization of the industry and Tatarstan is actively cooperating with German partners in this area.

Tatarstan President invited the Prime Minister of Saxony to visit Tatarstan.