Rustam Minnikhanov urges Finnish companies to develop business in Tatarstan

On October 17, at the Korston Entertainment Complex in Kazan, speaking at the opening of Finnish Business in Kazan Forum, the largest annual event of the Russian-Finnish business, with participation of Finnish Ambassador to the Russian Federation Mikko Hautala, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov said that Tatarstan is interested in attracting Finnish business and capital.

Welcoming the participants and the guests of the Forum, Minnikhanov thanked the leadership of Russia and Finland for supporting joint projects and initiatives. “We expect that during discussions, business circles will open new areas for interaction and agree on joint projects. We will be glad to expand mutually beneficial relations and are ready to provide all possible assistance,” Minnikhanov said.

Finland is one of the leading foreign partners of the republic, Tatarstan President emphasized. According to the results of the last year, the mutual trade turnover increased by 50 per cent. Minnikhanov expressed confidence that the current Business Forum will also have a positive impact on economic indicators.

He also added that a working visit of Tatarstan delegation to Helsinki will take place in early December this year, during which participation in the world's leading startup event “SLUSH”, holding of official and business meetings is scheduled.

Minnikhanov expressed his confidence that there are all conditions for the dynamic development of comprehensive interaction between Tatarstan and Finland. The representative office of Tatarstan has been operating in Finland for about 20 years.

Finnish business is successfully operating in Tatarstan, helping to implement important socio-economic projects, Tatarstan President noted.

“A lot has been done over the past years, but there are much more opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. There is significant potential for expanding our cooperation in the areas of industrial modernization, information and communication technologies, energy, engineering and machine tool industry, construction, woodworking, agriculture, education and other fields. It is necessary to find new ways to increase cooperation, primarily in the field of innovation,” Minnikhanov emphasized.